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5 Ways To Keep Your Home Secure While On Vacation
Home security is something that leaves many scratching their heads and is, therefore, either way overthought or way underthought. With many of us either on vacation or planning a vacation for Spring Break, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk a little about this. Keep reading for our top 5 ways to keep your home safe while you're on vacation this Spring Break.
1. Invest In A Home Monitoring System
Home security is absolutely essential and there’s many options to choose from, so make sure you opt for one that fits your home. Some home security systems even provide you with live video to view remotely from your phone. This is nice because it enables you so to see what’s happening in real-time. This is a small investment that is well worth the cost for your peace of mind! Check out this link to view our favorite live monitoring system option!
2. Hold Any Mail And Newspapers
An overflowing mailbox and newspapers piled in the driveway are dead giveaways that you aren’t home. We suggest having a friend stop by regularly to pick up any mail or newspapers until you are home. If you don’t have a friend or family member available to stop by your house while you’re gone, you can contact your newspaper service to stop deliveries and fill out a mail-hold form at your local post office.
3. Leave A Key With A Friend Or Family Member
This is a step many overlook. In the same way you find a family member, friend, or service to care for your pets while you're away, you should consider doing the same for home maintenance. Even if you put your mail on hold, there is still potential for random flyers or Amazon orders to be delivered while you are away. Stacked up deliveries or flyers hanging out of your mailbox left taped to your door for days is one thing potential thieves scouting out your home will notice immediately. It is also important to consider maintenance. If you are someone who mows their lawn, weeds the flower beds and sidewalks, and picks up sticks or trash out of the yard regularly, any abnormal messiness can tip off a potential thief. Having a trusted friend or family member stop by every day or two and paying a neighbor or service to keep up your lawnscaping can help you avoid unexpected deliveries being left out and any other abnormal activity that might tip off unwanted visitors. Don’t forget to compensate them for their help!
4. Lock Up Valuables In A Safe
In the case that your home is broken into, one of the first things a thief will do is check your bedroom first for valuables. To help prevent these from being stolen, we suggest purchasing a small safe to keep them secure. This small safe we found on Amazon is great! But suppose purchasing a safe isn’t an option and you do not already own one. In that case, the next best thing you can do is put valuables somewhere unusual like hidden in an inconspicuous container inside your kitchen pantry or bathroom closet.
5. Install A Motion Sense Security Light System
Even for those of you like me who aren’t tech-savvy, you can pick one of these up on Amazon for less than $20 and install it yourself! A motion-sensing flood light system can not only bring you peace of mind and alert any trusted neighbor of suspicious activity but can also prove to be useful year-round for general home security whether you’re home or not. They are often equipped with technology that will turn on and off your lights at certain times of the day. This brings us to our next tip about lighting.
If you have the technology or are able to purchase it, we highly recommend setting up a few timers for your indoor lights. This helps give the impression that someone is home every night and could deter unwanted guests.
At Lincoln Realty, we value you, not only as past, current, and future clients but also as members of our family. We hope you and your family have great a vacation and that these tips will help you keep your home safe and secure while you're away! Have any other tips we didn't cover? Let us know in the comments!