Home Security During the Holidays

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means that homeowners will be away from home more frequently. Whether you’re attending holiday parties or you’re out shopping for family and friends, make it a point to keep your home safe and secure. Continue reading for tips on maintaining the security of your property this holiday season.

Be Mindful of Packages

We all love the sight of packages outside the house when we get home from work or school. After placing the order on Amazon or another website, we anxiously await the arrival of our highly anticipated goodies. And you’re not alone. As there’s a dramatic increase in packages delivered to residences before the holidays, many burglars and thieves will wait around to see what they can find and take for themselves. It helps to be able to track packages throughout the delivery process, from the warehouse to your house. That way, you’ll know exactly what time it arrived at your doorstep. You may also choose to have the delivery person leave it in a specific spot for you that is out of view from the street. Similarly, be careful when throwing away big boxes that once held a flatscreen tv for example. This tips off to burglars that you have valuables inside. You can cut up big boxes into smaller pieces and fit them into trash bags or recycling bins. Also, be sure to shred the mailing slip that contains your full name and address to deter identity theft.

Think Before You Post

We all enjoy using social media to tell our friends, family, and loved ones about what’s happening in our lives. While the intent of social media is to stay connected with these people, it can backfire if you make a detailed post about travel plans or what you got for the holidays. Be careful of whom you add as a friend. Any one of your connections could potentially be waiting for a green light to take advantage of your friendship and rob your home while you’re away on vacation. As for posting about gifts you received, don’t. As with posting about vacation, a post detailing what you got for the holidays tells people that you have valuables worth stealing.

Make Proper Use of Lighting

If you’re one to decorate for the holidays, we have a couple of bits of advice for you: be cautious with exterior lights, and use interior lights to your advantage. Concerning string lights set up outside the house, we advise against using an ajar door or window to power the lights from inside. This little opening is not only enough for burglars to manage their way inside but will cost you more in utility bills as heat can more easily escape your home. In terms of using lights to your advantage, you can set up a timer to turn on lights. Many burglars and thieves are opportunists who wait for the perfect time to strike when nobody is home. Create the illusion that your home is occupied (even if it’s not) by setting just a few lights – both interior and exterior – to turn on at a certain time of day. This will make would-be thieves question whether they’re sure that no one is home, thus greatly reducing the risk of your home being broken into.

At Instant Alarm, we understand that the holidays see an increase in burglary activity. Be sure to take the proper steps to secure your home, and even create the illusion that someone is home to deter thieves. If you’re interested in installing a home security system, contact Instant Alarm by phone at 800-499-9070, or visit our website at https://instantalarm.com/. From all of us at Instant Alarm, we wish you and your loved ones happy holidays.