Real Estate Articles

Realtors provide tips for securing your home

Safety is a primary concern for Realtors, so each year they designate the month of September as Realtor Safety Month and the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors highlights important safety tips for its members and their 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 is a deterrent and can keep your house from being robbed and keep your family safe," says Alan Barbic, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors.

The local trade association shares the following tips to securing your home provided by the National Association of Realtors:

• Make sure that all doors to the outside are metal or solid, 1 ¾" hardwood and have good, sturdy locks.
• Use the locks you have. Keep your doors and windows locked, even if you're at home. Get your children into this habit, too.
• Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available bars or locks, or put a wooden dowel or broomstick in the door track.
• Make sure your windows, especially at ground level, have good locks and use them. If they are sliding windows, put a wooden dowel on the window tracks.
• Make sure all porches and other possible entrances are well lit. Heat- or motion-sensing lights are a good choice for outdoor lights.
• Trim any bushes or trees that hide doors or windows. Keep ladders, tools, toys, and recreational equipment inside when you're not using them.
• Don't hand out keys to friends, even if they are trustworthy. Know the location of all your house keys all the time. Never use hide-a-keys or leave the key under the doormat, above the door, in a flowerpot, or anywhere outside the house. Also, keep your car keys and house keys on a different ring if you ever use valet parking or leave your keys with parking lot attendants or even at a repair garage.
• Watch your trash. A bunch of empty boxes out by the curb triggers an alarm to would-be thieves. Instead of putting boxes out in plain sight, cut them down, and stuff them in trash bags.
• Keep written records of all furniture, jewelry and electronic products. If possible, keep these records 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.
• Clearly display your house number, so police and other emergency vehicles can find your home quickly.
• If you see a screen that has been cut, broken windows, or a door that's been left open, don't go in. Call the police from a neighbor's house or a public phone.
• If you hear a noise that sounds like someone breaking in or moving around, quietly call the police and wait calmly until they arrive. If you can leave safely, do so. Otherwise, lock yourself in a room you are in, pretend to be asleep.
• If your car is parked outside overnight, never leave your garage door opener inside the car.

"In this age of advanced technology, there are many additional safety measures available for homeowners, like cameras attached to homes and doorbells, many of which are not very costly and are easy to install," adds Barbic. "It's always better to be overly cautious than not at all."

For more safety tips for you home and work place, including apps and products, visit https://www.nar.realtor/safety.

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.

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