| 1. |
Have you installed deadbolts on all exterior doors, including the door between your house and garage?
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For the best security, install Grade 2 deadbolts, as a minimum, on all entry doors. Don’t forget the entry between your home and attached garage.
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| 2. |
Are your windows secured by quality window locks? |
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Forty percent of burglaries occur because a door or window was left unlocked, according to a recent U.S. Department of Justice report on crime. Window locks can stop a burglar in his tracks.
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| 3. |
Is landscaping trimmed well so hedges and shrubs don't hide your windows?
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Keep your home visible from the street. Trim any tree branches or shrubs that hide your windows because they can also hide a burglar.
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| 4. |
Is your property lit well at night?
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Many burglars prefer the cover of darkness. By keeping your property will lit at night, you take away their anonymity, forcing them to find another target. Make sure your lights illuminate darker areas like back doors and windows, shrubbery, walkways and entrances to your garage and basement.
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| 5. |
When you go away on vacation, do you use timers for interior lights?
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Put your lights on timers when you go on vacation. When they go on, it will look like someone’s home and has just turned on the lights.
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| 6. |
Do you hide spare keys outside? |
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Never hide spare keys outside. Burglars are adept at sniffing them out.
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| 7. |
Do you have a home alarm system? |
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Homes with security systems are 60 percent less likely to be hit by a burglary, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. |
| 8. |
Do all your exterior doors have a wide-angel eye viewer that allows you to identify visitors?
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Install a door viewer. When combined with a deadbolt, it allows you to see who’s knocking from the security of a locked door. |
| 9. |
Have you changed the locks since moving into your home? |
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If you’ve recently moved into your home, the only security for your peace of mind is to replace all your keyed locks – front, back and garage.
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| 10. |
Have you planted thorny or prickly shrubbery near windows?
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Thorny or prickly shrubbery is uninviting for burglars looking for a place to hide.
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| 11. |
Do motion sensors control your exterior lighting? |
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When linked to an outdoor lighting system, motion sensors will startle an intruder by instantly drowning him in light. You can set the sensitivity of most motion sensors so that lights go on when necessary, not when your neighbor’s cat walks across the lawn.
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| 12. |
Do you leave your home unlocked for a child coming home from school?
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Don’t leave your home unlocked -- provide keys to children coming home after school. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, in almost half of all completed residential burglaries, thieves simply breezed in through unlocked doors or crawled through unlocked windows. |
| 13. |
Do you ever leave ground level windows open or ajar when you're not home?
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Ground level windows that are open or ajar can serve as points of easy entry into your home. |
| 14. |
Do all of your sliding glass doors have at least one of the following?
- Track lock
- Hinged door bar
- Insertion pin lock
- Metal or wood dowel in track |
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Since sliding glass doors can be the easiest points of entry to your home, make sure you install adequate security devices. |
