To raise awareness about the important issue of safety, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has officially designated September as REALTOR® Safety Month. During this time, the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) reminds its over 4,000 REALTORS® and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay to stay safe year-round and share safety tips with clients.
"Whether you work at home or not, you might want to consider additional steps to secure your home. Burglars usually leave if they can't break in within 90 seconds. Anything that slows down a thief by even a minute or two can keep your house from being robbed," says SILVAR President David Tonna.
Practice the following safety tips to secure your home:
• Your home should have deadbolts with full one-inch bolts on all entry doors in addition to existing locksets. If a door has conventional glass panels, consider replacing it with shatterproof glass or with polycarbonate material.
• If you have just moved to a house or apartment, have all locks re-keyed immediately.
• Place a wooden rod in the track of a sliding glass door so it can't be opened from outside. To prevent sliding doors from being lifted from their frames, install shims along the top frames; these fit in the tracks between the top of the door and frame and prevent the door from being raised high enough to be removed.
• Make sure all porches, entrance areas, and yards are well lit. Turn on exterior lights when you are home at night, plus interior lights when you are away in the evening. Heat- or motion-sensing lights are a good choice for outdoor lights.
• Prune any shrubbery that hides doors or windows. Keep ladders, tools, toys, and recreational equipment inside when you're not using them.
• Don't hide house keys in mailboxes, planters, or under doormats. Don't hand out keys to friends, even if they are trustworthy.
• Keep your car keys and house keys on a different ring if you ever use valet parking, or leave your keys at a repair garage.
• Keep garage windows covered. There is a lot about your garage you don't want potential criminals to know about, such as whether someone is home, or if there are tools or ladders available to help break in to your home. If you have an attached garage, make sure the door that connects your house to the garage is a solid core exterior door with a deadbolt lock.
• Watch your trash. Just bought a new flat screen television? A bunch of empty boxes by the curb triggers an alarm to would-be thieves. Cut down boxes and stuff them in trash bags.
• Keep written records of all furniture, jewelry and electronic products in a safe deposit box, fireproof safe, or other secure place. Take pictures or a video, and keep purchase information and serial numbers, if available. These help law enforcement agencies track recovered items.
Visit NAR's REALTOR®® Safety website at www.REALTOR®.org/Safety for more safety tips.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.