Every sixteen seconds a burglary takes place in America, according to the FBI. Yet, seven out of ten burglaries could have been prevented. Burglars are usually looking for quick jobs and steal things that can be easily sold. Seventy percent of the time burglars use force to gain entrance into homes. This means opened or unlocked doors and windows are used the most. During the summer, burglaries are more likely occur, especially during July and August, since many people are gone for vacation during these months. Since most burglars are looking for easy targets there are several simple steps you can take to deter them.

Simply closing and locking all doors and windows is an obvious, but vital, part of ensuring protection for your home. Often times when you’re running late to that meeting or trying to catch your plane it’s easy to forget to lock the back door or shut all the windows, but this must become a habit if you plan on keeping your house safe. If you have deadbolts, always use them. The best kinds of deadbolts have pins at least one inch in length. Another way to make sure a burglar doesn’t enter through your door is to install kick plates. As far as windows go, if they are easy to open even when locked, you might need a secondary blocking device.

Keeping up the appearance of your house can often send away burglars looking for an empty home. Letting grass become wild and overgrown, or leaving newspapers out can catch a burglar’s attention. When leaving for several days or weeks, find friends or neighbors that will be willing to mow the grass and pick up any newspapers that get delivered. Leaving the T.V. on or having timed lights that come on are also good ways to make burglars think someone is at home.

These are things that anyone can do to protect their home. The most effective way of ensuring your home is safe however, remains is to have a security system. Security systems need to be monitored by UL approved monitoring stations, and should have sirens louder than 84 decibels. They should also be routinely tested to make sure they are still working. When testing the sirens, neighbors should be notified so that they do not grow accustomed to hearing your security alarm going off. This happens all the time with car alarms. Someone’s alarm goes off and no one thinks anything of it knowing it’s probably just the owner or a plane flying close overhead. With a security system, often times the mere sight of window decals and yard signs will scare away burglars.

Taking these simple steps can make the difference between whether your home will be broken into or not. Little things like destroying personal documents, files and papers, as well as not leaving boxes of recently purchased technology outside are good practices to adopt. Yet, the most effective way to protect your home is still installing a home security system.

To get more information on Home Security Alarm Systems, please visit www.smithmonitoring.com to get the best advice on Atlanta Home Security for you.