Many real estate professionals have home offices and want to make sure that they are secure. Whether you work at home or not, you might want to consider additional steps to secure your home.
As Realtors mark September as Realtor Safety Month, members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors would like to share the following safety tips with homeowners.
* Consider investing in an alarm system if you don't already have one.
* Your home should have deadbolts with full one-inch bolts on all entry doors. These should be installed in addition to existing locksets. If you have a door with glass panels within three feet of the lock, you should have a double-cylinder deadbolt, which requires a key on both sides so that a burglar cannot simply break the glass and reach through to unlock the door. If a door has conventional glass panels, consider replacing them 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. Shims fit in the tracks between the top of the door and frame and prevent the door from being raised high enough to be removed.
* Install a deadbolt lock on the door of your home office, so that it becomes a "safe room" that you can lock yourself in if you are threatened. If the office is on an upper floor, plan an escape route from the room.
* 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.
* Prune any shrubbery that hides doors or windows. Remove tree limbs that allow access to reach second story windows.
* Don't hide house keys in mailboxes, planters, or under doormats. Never put your name on your key chain. This creates an easy way for someone to figure out where you live, which could give that person access to your home and car.
* 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 into 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.
* Even though you have a telephone in your home office, keep a charged cell phone with you at all times. Program any emergency phone numbers as speed-dials on your office line, as well as your mobile phone.
* For a detailed security analysis of your home, contact a bonded professional locksmith who is an accredited member of a National Locksmith Association.
* Finally, your police and sheriff's department will be glad to help when needed. Call them immediately if you see, hear or have a good reason to suspect that a crime is being committed.
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.