Protecting Your Home Against Burglary

Burglary and home invasions are some of the most prevalent crimes in the US. With a break-in happening every 26 seconds, you can see why home security is an important area to consider. The difference between a home invasion and burglary is if there are homeowners inside the residence during the break-in. A burglary occurs when no one is home and becomes a home invasion if someone is present during the crime.

You’ll be happy to know that burglary rates in the US have been steadily falling over the past decade, but that still resulted in 314 burglaries per 100,000 people in 2020.

Grim statistics aside, there are many methods to prevent this from happening to you and your family. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the necessary and more effective means of home security, as well as cost-effective options to keep your home the safe place it should be.

Top 10 Reasons You Should Have A Home Security System

Deters burglary and property crime before it happens. Homes that do not have security systems are 300 times more likely to be targeted than homes with security systems.

Protects your pets while you’re out of the house. While it’s not overly common for burglars to harm pets during a break-in, it’s not unheard of. Even if your pets are unharmed physically, the fear they can experience during a burglary is still traumatic.

Reduces home insurance rates. It shouldn’t be a surprise that if homes without security systems are 300 times more likely to be broken into, insurance companies are willing to give breaks to homeowners with security systems. Less chance of a break-in, theft, or property damage means that your insurance company is less likely to have to pay out to cover losses.

Increases personal safety in the case of a home invasion. If you or other household members are at home at the time of a break-in, a security system can give advance notice allowing occupants to hide or protect themselves from harm. Allowing advance notice could increase your chances of avoiding that outcome.

Increases your home’s value. It can be a significant attractor for potential home buyers to know that there is an existing security system ready for them. While there’s a balance when you’re selling your home between wanting to provide that sense of security without making it seem like your house is in a dangerous neighborhood, overall, a modern security system increases your home value. Be sure to talk with your realtor about this if you’re selling your home — they’ll have insight into what your market would respond to best.

Helps you to have peace of mind while you’re on vacation. Monitored security systems aren’t just great for protecting against theft but also for making sure that you don’t come home from vacation to find that your dishwasher flooded your kitchen or that there’s been a gas leak. Most home security companies allow you to customize the level of monitoring you pay for. Usually, you might not have your system monitored by an actual person on the other end, but while you’re away on vacation, it can be a great way to ensure peace of mind. Some home security companies even contract out security guards to perform a home safety check if requested.

Helps you keep track of your kids. Smart locks and home camera systems can also go a long way to giving you peace of mind concerning the whereabouts and safety of your kids. If they’re at the age where they can stay home alone or come and go when you’re not there, having that checkpoint can be a huge relief.

Allows remote access to your home. Smart home locks aren’t just convenient because you can program them to do things like automatically unlocking when you’re walking up to the door (no more dropping groceries because you’re fumbling with keys), they can also allow access to your home when you’re not there. Say you forgot to drop off plants to be watered by a friend while you’re away. You can remotely unlock the doors for them to pop in and grab your plants and then safely lock up again when they’re gone. Easy peasy!

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