7 Things a Burglar Looks For When Targeting a House

Burglars usually scout an area looking for easy targets before they strike. As they scout, they observe homeowners, if possible, and study their habits, as well as the details of their property. When you want to improve your home's security, it helps to put yourself in a burglar's shoes. That way, you can eliminate the elements that might attract unwanted attention.

Focus on the following elements when you seek to make your home as unenticing to burglars as possible.

1. Poor Lighting and Shadowy Areas

If a burglar prefers to strike at night, a home with no - or poor - exterior lighting is an attractive proposition. The same applies if there is an abundance of shadowy areas around your home's exterior. To rid potential burglars of these luxuries, install some motion-sensor activated floodlights in strategic locations around your home. Place them at head height to stop animals triggering them.

2. Yards With Lots of Cover

Ideally, your property should have a wide expanse of open ground that is visible from the outside. Burglars like privacy hedges, large shrubs and cluttered gardens because they can find many places to hide as they approach your property.

Overgrown yards not only provide cover for potential burglars but also may make your house look neglected. If the vegetation and landscaping around your property has seen better days, this suggests that you aren't home often, or even at all. Keep your grass, hedges and landscaping trimmed and neat to deter burglars.

3. Simple Access and Exit Points

Low fences with unlocked gates will provide burglars with easy access points. But more importantly, they will allow burglars to exit your property with armfuls of your belongings. Install locks on your gates, and consider replacing low fences with high, awkward ones.

4. Easy Access to Tools

If there are no easy access points, a burglar will sometimes create one. Do you leave your tools out in your yard? Or, is your garage usually unlocked? Then you run the risk of providing a determined burglar with the tools they need to break into your home. Be sure to secure your tools and lock up any garage or shed in which they are kept.

5. An Unlit Interior

Naturally, if burglars strike at night, an unlit interior is a signal that you are sleeping or you aren't at home. And if you go away and leave your lights off, an observant burglar will spot the opportunity. An effective way to combat this is to install an automated home security system that you can program from your phone.

Leaving your lights on all night is costly, and intelligent burglars will eventually cotton on that no one is home. But, you can program an automated security system to turn on lights in certain rooms at certain times. This gives the impression of movement within a house - a handy deterrent.

6. Flimsy Doors and Windows With Weak Locks

Burglars will test the sturdiness of your home's windows and doors before they make a concerted effort to break in. Worn doors and windows provide easy access. And cheap locks can easily be broken or picked. Consider installing deadbolts on all exterior doors and upgrading the locks on all windows to deter curious burglars.

7. No Home Security System

A good security system is probably the most effective deterrent you have at your disposal. Visible security cameras are not a sight burglars want to see, along with motion-sensor or timer activated lights. And, if you automate your home's security system, you can turn on music, lighting, heating, and check your security cameras all from your phone, whether you are inside or outside.

If you'd like to bulk up your home's security to keep burglars at bay, SCSC Southern California Security Center can help. Whether you want to improve the locks on your doors and windows or install a home automation and security system , we've got you covered. Call us today, and we'll help you turn your home into a place where you can feel safe and secure at all times