The President of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors wants people across the country to be aware that September has been designated as Realtor Safety Month. In honor of the month, she wants realtors and homeowners alike to understand the various ways that an individual can protect his or her family from burglary and other dangers. To that end, a few safety tips are offered to interested persons on behalf of realtors.
One of the most important tips that a person can follow is to always lock their doors and windows. Many people might be tempted to leave entrances unlocked when they’re home or to unlock the door if they’re going to head out of the house for only a couple minutes. Don’t make this mistake. Lock everything at all times, and double check that both your windows and your doors have sturdy locks that won’t be easily broken by would-be burglars. Impress upon your children the importance of always locking up, and when it comes to sliding glass doors, consider investing in a simple wooden board or some such bar that can be placed between the door and the other end of the track.
You can also take steps to encourage visibility around your house. This means putting lights on porches and any other sections of your residence that it might be possible to enter from. To cut down on your power bill, consider investing in the type of light that only turns on when it detects motion or an individual’s heat signature. If you have trees or bushes around the house, keep them suitably well-kept so that overhanging branches and greenery don’t compromise sightlines.
A typical mistake people make is keeping a key to the house within reach of the front door as a back-up plan for when they lock themselves out. Unfortunately, the people who might break into your house know to be on the lookout for such hidden keys. By overturning a couple rocks, a burglar could be well on his or her way to getting inside your abode. Know where every key you have is, keep those keys in a safe place, and don’t hand out keys to friends.
What happens, though, if you stumble upon a break-in, or worse, you’re in your house when someone attempts to enter? For those situations where you arrive home only to find that a door is open when it shouldn’t be or something else is amiss, the last thing you should do is walk inside. Call the cops instead. If you’re inside your house when you hear movement, call the cops from a safe room with a locked door. If it’s feasible to do so without provoking the invader, exit the house in a safe manner.