Tips for Protecting Your Home This Holiday Season

Sarita Dua - Portland, OR Realtor

If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of travel plans this holiday season. Today, I’ll go over a few tips to keep your home safe while you’re away.
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I recently saw on article on Realty Times featuring tips to keep your home safe during the holidays. Many of us travel during the holiday season, and there is nothing worse than coming back to discover that you have been robbed while you were away.
Although you can read the full article here, I want to highlight a few of my favorite tips to prevent this nightmare from happening to you.
First of all, consider installing a WiFi doorbell or camera. A company called SkyBell makes a doorbell that records video of any visitors that come to your front door. Many of our local cable companies also offer apps that connect to a camera so that you can monitor activity in your house even if you are not there.
You should also be smart with your use of lighting. You can use motion-activated lights outside your home or you can get lights that turn on when the sun goes down. Lights with timers are also effective. These lights make it look like someone is home and you don’t have to waste electricity by leaving lights on 24/7.

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Let your neighbors or local sheriff department know that you will be away.

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Let your neighbors know that you will be gone. Tell them that you will be out of town, give them your cell phone number, and tell them to call you (and the police!) if anything goes wrong. I have gone a step further and reached out to the local sheriff’s department. They are very happy to drive by and monitor your home; after all, the police don’t want your home to get robbed, either.
Make sure you stop deliveries. Cancel your newspaper and your mail. All you have to do is hop online and select a vacation start date and end date. When mail or newspapers pile up, thieves take notice and your home becomes a target.
Finally, make sure that all of the doors and windows are closed and locked. Did you know that 30% of break-ins are not forced entry? This means that someone got in through an open door or window. Triple-check everything before you leave and make sure that there is no way to get into your house.
Following these tips will help prevent break-ins and allow you to relax during your holiday vacation. If you have any other questions about protecting your home, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!