How Burglars Pick a House

Keeping your home safe from theft goes far beyond locking your doors. If you want to prevent criminals from targeting your home, try putting yourself in the shoes of a criminal and learning how burglars pick a house. Then, you can take actionable steps to protect your family and your belongings. From unlocked windows to easily accessible backyards, there are many factors that burglars use when selecting a home to target. And if you familiarize yourself with these characteristics and your home’s vulnerabilities, you will be better able to protect your house against even the craftiest criminals.

How Burglars Pick a House

Surveying the Neighborhood

If you’re wondering how burglars pick a house, start by surveying your neighborhood with a criminal’s mindset. Many thieves will survey neighborhoods for days or even weeks to identify a target. They might, for example, familiarize themselves with the homeowners’ schedules to find good times to strike. They might also look for properties with easy entry points or obvious signs of wealth, like well-maintained landscaping or expensive cars in the driveway. If your home sticks out as a tempting target for potential burglars, it’s important to recognize this and explore whether you can change this without sacrificing your freedom. For example, perhaps you should start parking your car in your garage instead of the driveway.

Empty Houses = Easy Targets

Burglars tend to target homeowners with predictable schedules. While you might think that traditional burglaries take place under the cover of night, that’s not always the case. In fact, many burglars strike in the daytime when homeowners are at work. They might also strike while you’re on vacation or out of town. So be discreet if you’re leaving town: Ask a friend, family member, or neighbor to pick up your newspapers and empty your mailbox. Also, consider installing a lighting system that will turn on your home’s lights during certain hours of the day, making it appear that someone is at home even when the house is empty. If you’re worried about leaving your home vulnerable during the workday, consider investing in a prominently placed security system complete with cameras.

Unlocked Doors and Windows

Unlike the crafty characters in a heist movie, most burglars aren’t looking for a challenge. Typically burglars look for an easy way into a home through an open window, an unlocked door, or a swinging pet door. Locking your doors may seem like a no-brainer, but a surprising number of people keep their doors and windows unlocked during the day. Leaving your doors and windows unlocked is a surefire way to make your home vulnerable to criminals, so before leaving your home, make sure all entry points are secure. It’s also important to repair any broken locks as soon as possible.

Easily Accessible Backyards

Many thieves prefer to break into a home through the backyard because there’s less of a chance of being spotted by a neighbor. Like we mentioned earlier, most burglars aren’t looking for a challenge; for that reason, many burglars gravitate toward homes with unfenced backyards, which allow them to break in more easily. At Federal Protection, our multi-layered approach to home security includes securing the perimeter of your home to make sure burglars can’t find a simple way inside.

Noticeable Valuables

You likely take a lot of pride in your home and want to decorate it to its full potential. The same goes for your car, which you may leave in the driveway. However, most burglars spend time scoping out the greatest potential reward for their risk. Overall, they’re more likely to target homes that show signs of wealth, like opulent furnishings, valuables seen through the windows, and expensive cars. Try to limit the signs of wealth that you show both inside and outside of your home.

No Protection System

An alarm system is one of the best ways to keep thieves at bay. If a potential burglar approaches your home, a visible alarm system or security camera will likely deter them. If by some chance the thief isn’t put off by the presence of the security system sign or camera, a well-functioning system will scare the thief off if they trigger it.

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How burglars pick a house to target isn’t complicated. By taking some basic precautions and installing a high-quality security system, you can keep your home safe and sound.

At Federal Protection, we’ve been protecting banks, businesses, and individual residences for 50 years. Our team of more than 275 security professionals serves customers across the Midwest and beyond. If you have questions about how burglars pick a house – or want to continue the conversation about protecting your home – give us a call at 800-299-5400 or contact us using our online form.