Outdoor Home Security Tips in Addition to Security Alarm Systems

Many people that are looking to increase the security of their home without professional help often overlook the importance of outdoor home security. Burglars work on a risk VS. reward basis and their evaluations take place from the outside of your home. There are many things a homeowner can do in order to make their home come off as too risky for the burglar to make any attempt at robbing.

When a burglar is evaluating your home they look at many things. As a homeowner or renter, it is important to know what burglars look for so you can properly assess your home from the outside to see if your home comes off as a good potential target for them. Below are the most common things burglars look for.

Overgrown lawn: This can be a tell tale sign to a burglar that you have been away for an extended period of time and likely won't be back too soon either.
Backed up mail: If your mail barely fits into your mailbox or there are 5 newspapers lying on your driveway, this is an obvious sign no one is home and no one is taking care of the home either.
Entrances hidden from plain view of others: Burglars want to break into a home as discreetly as possible and look for entrances that are not in plain view of neighbors homes or the street. These entrances they look for are typically not well lit and are easy and quick entry points.
Tree branches near windows: Typically home owners have secure front and back doors, but don't have secure windows, especially those windows located on the second floor. Burglars see tree branches as ladders and a good potential way to enter a home easily without having to bypass a very secure door or window.
Ease of going undetected: Burglars look for homes that they can easily go undetected by neighbors or people passing by. Some examples of things they look for are large shrubs that can block their activities, poor outdoor lighting, privacy fences that can hide their actions from neighbors and anything else that can help them go undetected.
Common routines: Some burglars will monitor people for weeks to pick up on their standard patterns and times they are gone.

Based on the factors above there are many things you can do in order to reduce the risk of your home being a target. Below are some tips you can apply to the exterior of your home to make your home look less appealing to burglars.

Use pebbles or gravel: Using pebbles or gravel under windows or around sheds and shrubs can deter burglars because of the noise that is given off from people walking on them. It can be a good idea to place pebbles under or around potential places where burglars can try to enter your home or places where they can easily hide.
Outdoor motion sensor lighting: Having outdoor motion sensor lighting in both the back and front of your house will greatly increase a burglar's risk of being spotted if they try to break in at night. It is important to place these sensors and lights wisely so they will be triggered easily and will light up vulnerable areas of the home which can further deter the burglar.
Trim tall shrubs: Tall shrubs can be good hiding places for burglars to be on your property without anyone seeing. It is a good idea to limit shrubs or trim them so they are no higher than 3 feet tall. If you have shrubs in front of your windows it is a good idea to keep them short so they don't block views into your home. Shrubs blocking views into your home is a positive thing for burglars because it will make it hard for people to see them inside your home if they do successfully break in.
Parking Cars: If you have a garage, it is a good idea to always park your car inside of it when you are home and shut the garage door. If you regularly park outside of the garage when you are home, it may be an obvious sign to a burglar when no one is home. If you always park in the garage, the burglar won't be sure you are not home.
Change up your routine: Try to be random about your routine; this can make a burglar unsure of when someone is going to be home. This may be hard with people that have standard work hours but maybe you can go home 1 or 2 random days a week to let the dog out or to eat lunch. If you do have the ability to change up your routine, take advantage of it.

Most people think that their home security needs can be solved with installing a fancy alarm system and having it monitored by an alarm company but this is only one factor to increasing your home's security. A home alarm system only protects your home once a break in has been attempted and it is just as important or more important to make your home less appealing to burglars.

Outdoor Home Security Tips in Addition to Security Alarm Systems

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