Everyone loves taking a vacation. Whether it is a weekend getaway, cross-country road trip, or out-of-country vacation, getting out of town is always fun. Whatever your travel plans are this winter, we want to make sure your home stays protected while you are away.
Thieves often know when homeowners are away. These are popular times for a home to get raided and for theft to happen. Stay smart and follow today’s Tuesday Tips that will help you protect your home from theft.
- Never post on Facebook or social media that you are away from home or on vacation. This gives everyone the knowledge that you are away from your home and could put you at risk of theft.
- Make it look like there is still activity going on inside and outside of the house.
- Have your driveway and sidewalks plowed while you are away so that it looks like there is still people living in your house.
- Have a few lights inside and outside of your home put on timers so they go on at night. Many timers can be operated by an app on your phone so you can set when they turn on and turn off.
- Connect your electronic items to a surge protector to avoid any of your devices getting destroyed due to a power surge.
- If you have a home alarm system, alert your alarm company that you will be away.
- Make sure your pipes are well insulated to avoid them from freezing. You may want to ask a close friend to stop by to run your faucets every so often.
- Do not turn furnace off, 55 degrees should be the lowest that it is set.
- Do not hide a spare key anywhere outside of your home. Burglars know of this trick.
- Keep all of your valuables in safe deposit box or in-home safe while you are away.
If you have a trip coming up, follow these tips to keep your home protected. Also, make sure to check back here every week for your Tuesday Tips.