How to protect your home while on vacation

This may sound obvious, but you really need to make sure everything is locked and safe. The idea is to close doors, windows and any other entry point that could be used by someone trying to get into your house.

Make sure the lockers are working properly and check if they won't break easily when somebody forces the entry. 

Make sure you are not leaving valuable things around the house or in the backyard since burglars take what is easily available. 

If you have money, important documents or jewelry at home just lock them up in a safe or take them to a safe place while you are on vacation. 

Technology can help a burglar to get into your house, especially if a tech-savvy one knows how to hack a garage door opener. 

Some universal remotes can easily open your garage door, so the best way to protect this entry is to disengage the garage door opener.

Hidden key is used for many people and burglars know that, so don't leave your key hidden somewhere they can find it. You can take the key with you or ask a friend to keep it.

Homes without a security system are more vulnerable to burglars and vandals. Usually, they try to break in into the houses that don't have alarms, cameras or something that makes their job more difficult. 

If you don't have any experience with a security system, please read the article CCTV basics (for beginners) to learn about this topic.

Burglars watch the houses for unusual activities, so if your home regular maintenance changes they can realize that you are away.

It's a good idea to keep the schedule to clean the pool, cut the grass and others activities that you usually have done, just hire somebody that can do that for you and keep your house safe. 

If you advertise your vacations on social media, chances are some burglar will have access to that information since most of them are smart enough to use new strategies such as checking people's profile on Facebook or Instagram. Don't give them a chance to have such information. 

You can use technology and automation to simulate your presence at home, just go shopping for some programmable timer switch to control your lights and other devices and turn them on and off while you are away. That will simulate your presence at home and avoid the burglars. 

Just place stickers or plates around your house to advertise you have a security system in place. You can place them near the doors, windows, garage and any other entry point and that will definitely make burglars think twice before trying to break-in into your house. 

If your mailbox starts to pilling up letters and other stuff, people will notice you are not at home, so ask some family member or friend to collect your email regularly to avoid the mailbox to get stuffed.

Dark areas are the favorite spots for burglars, so you can illuminate any areas around your home to avoid having such spots.

Just use some outdoor security lights that can be activated by timers or motion sensors and that can guarantee you will scare the burglars without breaking the bank with your electricity bill.