Sunday, November 1, 2009

Protect Your Home While You Are Away

By Pierre Levingston

Everyone needs a vacation every once in a while. It is often hard to enjoy your vacation when you are worried about the safety of your home. While it is true that vacationing and having an empty house will give burglars more opportunities to steal from your home, there are steps you can take to protect your home while you are away on vacation.

Ask the post office to stop your mail, or ask your friend to stop by on a regular basis to pick up your mail and newspapers. Lock all your doors and windows before you go. Pay particular attention to upstairs windows or other windows you normally wouldn't think of double checking.

Ask a friend or family member to house sit for you. Having someone there in your home will add a protection to the safety of your home and possessions. If you don't have someone house sit for you, give a neighbor a key to your home and make certain they know where your water turn-off switches are in case a pipe breaks while you are gone.

It would be a good idea to let your alarm company know that you are going to be away on vacation. If you don't already have a security system in place this would be a good time to research different companies and see if it would be something you would be interested in. Alarm systems can be an amazing tool for your home, especially when you leave for several days at a time.

If you are nervous about leaving valuables in your home, find them a temporary safe-house. Have a trusted family member or friend hold on to them while you are gone. Or you could place them in a safe deposit box for safe keeping.

During the winter time be sure to remember to keep your home warm enough that the water pipes won't freeze and cause damage. Set your heat system so that it won't get below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Another good tip is opening your cabinet drawers to help bring more heat in to your pipes that may be uninsulated.

The main key to keeping burglars from singling your home out while you are away is to make it look like it is still occupied. Leave your car in the driveway, or ask a neighbor to park their car in front of your home. Keep some lights turned on in your home before you leave.

Don't close every blind in your home. Having all of your blinds closed, especially during the day, makes it appear a little too guarded. This can be a giveaway that you aren't home to an experience burglar.

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