Real Estate Articles

Realtors provide tips to keep your home secure

To commemorate Realtor Safety Month in September, the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors highlights important safety tips for its members and their clients. This week Silicon Valley Realtors share tips from the National Association of Realtors for securing your home.

"Safety is a primary concern for Realtors. Your home should be the safest place for you and your family, so it is important to take measures to keep it secure from intruders," says Joanne Fraser, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. "Safety experts say burglars usually leave if they can't break into a house within 90 seconds, so anything that slows down them down even a minute or two is a deterrent and can keep your home and family safe."

The following tips can help secure your home:

• Make sure all doors to the outside are metal or solid, 1 ¾" hardwood and have good, sturdy locks.
• Keep your doors locked, even if you are at home. Get your children into this habit, too. Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available bars or locks or place a wooden dowel in the door track.
• Make sure your windows, especially at ground level, have good locks and use them. If they are sliding windows, you can also place a wooden dowel on the window tracks.
• Make sure your main entrance and other entrances to your home are well lit. Motion-sensor 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 your garage or shed when you are not using them.
• Do not hand out keys to friends, even if they are trustworthy. Know the location of all your house keys at all times. Never use hide-a-keys or leave the key under the doormat, above the door, in a flowerpot, or anywhere outside the house. These are common hiding spots and the first place a burglar will check.
• If you have to park your car on the driveway or in front of your home, never leave your garage door opener inside your car.
• 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 at a repair garage.
• Watch your trash. Empty boxes set out by the curb can alert would-be thieves. Instead of putting boxes out in plain sight, cut them down, and place them in trash bags.
• Keep written records of all furniture, jewelry and electronic equipment. Take pictures or videotape these items and keep purchase information and serial numbers if available. If possible, keep these records in a safe deposit box, fireproof safe, or other secure place. These help law enforcement agencies track recovered items and will be needed for home insurance purposes.
• Clearly display your house number so police and other emergency vehicles can find your home quickly.
• If you return home and see a screen that has been cut, a window broken, or a door that is been left open, do not enter your home. Call the police from your mobile phone and alert them.
• Do not share travel plans publicly or on social media. Be aware that social media is a tool used by criminals to track their prey.

"There are many additional safety devices available for homeowners these days that are not very costly and are easy to install, like security cameras that you can attach to your home and video doorbells," adds Fraser. "It is always better to be overly cautious than not at all."

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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