You’ve been saving for months and finally made the reservations for your dream vacation!! Now it’s time to brag to the world that you finally get to go on a 10 day Bahama cruise and do nothing but relax and enjoy some quality time with your spouse. You start a countdown on Facebook until the day finally comes to depart. You post one last picture as you board the cruse ship and tell the world that you will be out of touch for the next 10 days. Fast-forward 10 days. The amazing vacation is over, you make the journey to home sweet home where you can return to normal every day life again. You unlock your front door and walk into your home to find your house is in disarray, your back door is broken, and anything of value is gone. Your nice relaxing vacation has suddenly turned into a nightmare and you now have many days filled with phone conversations, insurance adjusters and contractors to try and fix and clean up the mess that the burglars caused.
Luckily for you, this is not your story. Let’s rewind and see how your story really went.
You’ve been saving for months and finally made the reservations for your dream vacation!! Now it’s time to prepare for your 10 day Bahama cruise and do nothing but relax and enjoy some quality time with your spouse. You know that you need to take steps in protecting your home so you get to work. You research online and talk to your insurance agent and receive some tips on how to keep your home safe. You use these tips and take the following steps:
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Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your house for suspicious activity and pick up any newspapers that may be dropped off.
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Put mail on hold and arrange to pick it up after you return.
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Put automatic timers on your lights and set them for different times for different rooms.
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Do not leave valuables in plain sight. Hide them so they can not be seen through windows. Keep blinds closed or curtains drawn so potential burglars can not see in your home.
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Have your driveway cleared of any snow, leaves, or have your lawn mowed (depending on season).
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Do not post on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc) that you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time. Wait until you are home to update your status or upload pictures.
The day is finally here for some relaxation and sun. You leave on your 10 day vacation and have a great, relaxing time. The amazing vacation is over, you make the journey to home sweet home where you can return to normal every day life again. You unlock your front door and walk in your home to find the house just the way you left it. You took precautions in protecting your home and in reward, your house was just the way you left it.
Unfortunately, no one is completely immune from theft.
Your first line of defense is to thwart burglars. Most burglaries do not occur in the dead of night like most people think. Instead, they tend to occur between 8am and 4pm when people are at work. Thieves also strike when homes show obvious signs that nobody’s there. So while you are way, always keep your doors and windows locked. Also, if someone claims to be seeking information for a survey, do not provide information about your schedule or daily life. They can use this information to decipher when you will be away.
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