The four things burglars hate most are: Artificial Light, Noise, Exposure, and Time.
Artificial Light. Statistics show that most burglaries occur between the hours of 10 am and 2:30 pm. Why you may ask? Most likely during this time period, all of the adults are either out working or running errands while the kids are at school. Whomever is at work will most likely get home at 5:30 pm but the other may want to be there when the kids get home from school. This time of day a burglar has all the natural light they need, which means they don’t have to use an artificial source, like a flashlight, which could give him away.
Noise. A security system should have the loudest siren possible on it. Even if you do not have the system monitored, which is not the best choice, the alarm lets them know they have been detected and they will flee the home. Noise is also a factor as to why a burglar would prefer to pry open a door than break a window (glass breaking makes a distinctive sound, which may alert your neighbors). Doors being pried open tend to only make a low “thud” type noise. To help prevent this, be sure to put good locks and dead-bolts on all your doors.
Exposure. Does your home have good hiding places for burglars? Things like high shrubberies, dense trees, stockade fencing and the like give a burglar a place where they can’t be seen. Things like trimming the shrubs so they are no taller than waist high, pruning trees and possibly a different type of fencing can help remove all the best hiding places for burglars.
Time. Time is a burglar’s worst enemy. Most burglars are in your home for three to ten minutes at most. They usually have a system of where to go to grab what they want (people as a group tend to keep valuables in the same types of places) and leave as fast as they can. Don’t leave items out or visible as this increases the amount of time they have to spend in your home looking for things. Also, think about moving items of value to places you would not normally think to look for them. For example, instead of hiding jewelry in a jewelry box in your dresser, try placing it in one of the other rooms, unassociated with sleeping or dressing.
Start looking at your home inside and out as a burglar would do.
