There are fewer things worse than leaving your home, making the commute to work, and realizing halfway that you’ve left a door unlocked or a window open. Your heart starts to beat faster, beads of sweat appear on your forehead, and stress levels reach a new high. We’re conditioned to assume the worst in situations like this, so it makes sense that our brains would automatically go straight to the worst-case scenario.
Unfortunately, these situations often come true. Home thefts are on the rise; more than 5 million occurred globally, last year alone. The United States leads the pack, with almost 40% of the total number. This is not a statistic that a country aspires to, but it is avoidable when you take the necessary precautions. That’s why, today, we’re partnering with Australian Heritage Homes. The Australian Heritage Homes team has spent decades building custom homes for families throughout the area. They’re dedicated not just to designing and building your dream house, but ensuring that it’s a home where you can create generations of memories. That starts with your safety. So today, we discuss how to keep your home safe and secure.
Make Your Home Less Appealing to Thieves
ABC news recommends limiting the curb appeal of your home. “You make it as difficult and frustrating as possible for thieves to break in, so you create multiple layers that a thief must get through in order to gain access to your home. You want your house to be the least appealing to thieves on the block. And you can do that by dissuading them from even coming up your driveway.”
This may sound counterintuitive. After all, don’t you want to take pride in your home and make it appealing to any visitors? This is totally still feasible. The advice puts more emphasis on not bringing attention to your home. Keep fancy electronics away from windows where passersby can glimpse them and get ideas. The same is true for mail. Mail left outside is a prime target for thieves to take and learn important information about you.
Leave the Lights On
We also recommend that you create the perception of frequent occupancy. You don’t need to leave all of the lights on all of the time, but it’s a smart idea to leave strategically placed lights on. Important locations include your front door and at least one place on each floor. Even if you’re far across town, potential burglars will be deterred if they think that there is a chance that they get caught. Not a huge fan of the energy bill associated? You can purchase motion-activated sensors and lights which turn on as they’re tripped. This means that if someone is headed up to your front door, they won’t be able to do on the cover of darkness.
Conceal Your Home in Landscaping
Landscaping plays an important role here as well. The Australian Heritage Homes team are each huge proponents of designing backyards and front yards where you want to spend time, areas that you’re proud of. So, shrubberies can be both beautiful and functional in this scenario. Just make sure that they’re not too tall or too thick so close to your house. When they are, they’re ideal hiding places.
Install Security Equipment
Finally, it never hurts to think about renovation projects that focus specifically on home safety. Examples include installing thick-pane glass, security systems within the home, or even video surveillance footage. None of these breaks the bank, but they maintain your peace of mind.
Questions?Comments? Give us a shout. And be sure to check out the Australian Heritage Homes site for more helpful information about home renovations, architecture, interior design and landscaping.
Author Bio
Australian Heritage Homes is located in Warrandyte South, Victoria, and builds quality, custom homes in Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs. Every customer speaks with and discusses matters with Renay, the owner and builder, ensuring an expertise in service that cannot be matched by industry competitors. We pride ourselves on building homes of superior quality and excellent value.