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Third Party Alarm Monitoring | Tips To Prevent Home Invasion

Oct 17, 2019 8:00:00 AM

According to the National Council for Home Safety and Security, in 2017 only 17% of homes have some sort of home security system installed, but a home security system is considered the best way to deter would-be home invaders. Home security systems and professional third-party monitoring services aren’t the only things you can enable to protect your home. Here are some useful tips on how you can help prevent home invasions from happening.

Get a Home Security System

Today, home security systems give customers more control than ever. More and more people are choosing DIY security systems. People who choose to go the DIY route lose out on the major advantages of having a third-party monitoring company watch over the security system.

Third-Party Alarm Monitoring

Break-ins are 6% more likely to occur during the day than at night, usually while you are away at work, or running errands. If you aren’t home, and away from your phone, a self monitored security system might be rendered useless. Also, if your alarm goes off and you don’t know, authorities will never be alerted. Third party alarm monitoring can not only contact you, but also contact others in your contact list to ensure that everything is alright, and send dispatch to your home if nobody answers the call. There are certainly more advantages to having a third-party monitoring center monitor your system compared to self monitoring.

According to a study conducted by the UNC Charlotte, 83% of burglars admitted that they specifically looked to see if there’s an alarm and 60% of those burglars would change their mind on attempting a break-in if there was one installed. Even having a home security sign in your yard has been proven to deter potential invaders. This is one of the more obvious suggestions to deter home break-ins, and the most effective.

Landscaping

This tip might seem a bit out of the ordinary, but landscaping your property and keeping it well maintained can help prevent home invasions. The more brush and debris you have around your home serves as more places for a would-be home invader to hide behind.

Another tip that people often don’t think about is keeping thorn bushes around your windows. This is one of the main points of entry for home invaders. Having thorn bushes around your windows is a nifty little trick to protect anyone from getting near your windows.

Don’t Hide Keys

Hiding a key in an obvious place is an easy way for a criminal to get into your home. Places like doormats, under outside pottery or rocks can be obvious places for a criminal to check to see if there is a spare key “hidden” outside of the home. If a criminal gets a hold of a spare key, it not only makes it easy for them to get in the house, it also makes it easy for them to cover their tracks. Depending on what is stolen, you might not even notice until a few days or even weeks after the incident.

If you want a spare key outside of your home, give it to a trusted person or a neighbor; don’t hide it outside of your home.

Know Your Neighborhood

You would be surprised how often people don’t even know who their neighbors are. Knowing who is supposed to be in your neighborhood is a way for you to recognize when someone is around who shouldn’t be there, or if anything seems out of place.

This is also a great opportunity to gain strength in numbers. Meet your neighbors and form a community watch group to look out for one another’s property. Neighborhoods that band together can actually petition to get the local government to install better street lighting which can reduce crime in the area.

Lighting

Getting outdoor lighting can be a two-factor benefit: it helps you identify criminals at night, and it helps give the impression that someone is home. Motion lighting is a great way to surprise and deter invaders from attempting a break in. Finally, using your TV and radio when you are away can give the impression that someone is home.

These tips can help prevent home invasions. If you choose to get a home security system, AvantGuard is a great third-party monitoring company to pair with your home security. Reach out to see how our services can benefit you.

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