5 Easy and Effective Ways to Safeguard Your Home Before Taking a Big Trip

As many people are taking advantage of the last remaining warm weeks of the summer season, burglars are also rubbing their hands together in excitement for the potential bounties that hundreds of empty homes can provide. In fact, August is one of the busiest months for home burglars. If you don’t want to become another statistic, it is important to make sure your home is safe and secure. In fact, taking certain measures to make sure it is safe is as important as packing for your trip. Here are five easy and effective ways to safeguard your home before taking a big trip.

1. Make sure to tell the local post office not to deliver to your house on the days you will be gone. Also, make sure to cancel any subscriptions too. One surefire way to tell that someone has been gone for a while is to look at the doorstep. If there are a lot of magazines, newspapers and mail piling up, chances are that person won’t be back in town for another couple of days. If you don’t want to make your house an “X marks the spot” be sure that you don’t let deliveries pile up.
2. Leave one small light on. Leaving a small LED light on in your house will give the illusion that someone is home. Burglars look for homes that are pitch black. However, they wouldn’t dare enter a home with a light left on. You want to make sure, though, that the light you leave on won’t become a fire hazard. Sometimes lights that are too close to lampshades or fabric can become too hot over a certain number of days and can become a fire hazard.
3. Tell your neighbors that you are leaving. A house that is unoccupied looks unoccupied. Thieves watch for inactivity. If they don’t see any activity in the home, they will generally strike. So, make sure that your neighbor knows that you are going out of town and make sure they can agree to look after your property. Perhaps they can water a few plants and ruffle a few curtains, or maybe switch on another light – anything to make the house look like someone is home.
4. Keep your blinds closed. One of the best ways safeguard your property while away is to keep your blinds closed. You don’t want to give possible thieves any hint as to what is inside. If you have expensive electronics and gadgets, closing your blinds is especially important. Also, closing your blinds will prevent too much cold or warm air from entering your home. Not only that, but you don’t need to worry about sun damage wreaking havoc on wood floors and furniture.
5. Install motion detector lights. One of the best ways to deter thieves is to install motion detector lights. These lights turn on when anyone gets to close to a window or door of your property. When it comes to someone trying to break into your home, nothing will scare them off better than a light turning on.