10 Common Home Security Mistakes

You finally decide to clean those gutters but you couldn't get the job done in one afternoon so you decide to finish in the morning, leaving the ladder to save some time. No harm done right? Wrong! To the common thief, that same ladder is an invitation to enter your home through a possible unlocked second floor window. Let's face it, we are all human and we are going to make mistakes, but some mistakes have greater consequences than others and burglars are in the business to benefit from such mistakes. The following are 10 common home security mistakes we all make.

10 Common Home Security Mistakes

1. Unlocked doors. Some burglars pose as door-to-door salesman with the intentions of finding that one door in the neighborhood that may be unlocked. Do not let that door be yours! Keep your doors locked day and night, whether you are home or away!
2. Cheap or weak locks. Locking your doors will prevent the door-to-door burglar, now you have to consider the more informed burglar that knows their locks. These type of burglars can spot a cheap or weak lock a mile away, one swift kick and they are in.
3. "Hidden" keys. Again that door-to-door burglar now has confirmed that you are not home, your door may be locked but if they kick your doormat to the side and find your spare you still lose. Instead give your spare to a trusted neighbor or family member.
4. Unlocked garage/shed door. Your garage door can potentially be a burglars easiest way to enter your home. If your door can be pried open they are no longer working out in the open and now they have access to any tools, ladders, or equipment they may need or want.
5. Unlocked windows. The weather may be nice for once so you open a window. The open window is the last thing on your mind as you rush out to run errands. Hours later you arrive home to discover half of your belongings are gone. It happens everyday, so make sure to lock them up.
6. Valuables in plain sight. Don't display your tv, home entertainment system, etc. Close your blinds or relocate expensive equipment and valuables so that they are not visible from a window.
7. Disabled alarms. If you have an alarm, use it day and night, whether you are home or away.
8. Social Media. Because burglars are not always strangers and your 2,000 social media "friends" may not be who they seem, if you are going to be gone for a day or an extended period of time resist broadcasting your plans on social media.
9. Dark home and dark yard. Burglars love creeping around in the dark and knowing that you are not home. Install motion sensor lights around the exterior of your home and put both interior and exterior lights on a timer to create the illusion that you are home.
10. Lack of protection. One of the biggest mistakes one can make is having no protection at all or worse, relying on their friendly family pet to do the job. Homes without an alarm system are three times more likely to be burglarized than homes with systems. Call Security Essentials & Home Entertainment at (859)-2-SECURE (859-273-2873) today and your home could be protected as soon as tomorrow.