The #1 reason why most homes do not have adequate home security is the overwhelming belief that break-ins and other crimes only happen to “other people.” If you’re like most people, you believe that you will never become the victim of a crime. The most frequent targets of a break-in are the very same people who never thought is could happen to them, because they are the ones who fail to prepare their home and take the necessary security precautions.

You do have control over the safety of your family; by taking a proactive approach and realizing the truth behind burglaries, you can make your home a less likely target for home invasions. Here are a few facts that you may be surprised to learn potential burglars already know about your family and your home:

1) Where you hide your jewelry and cash. Yes, they will be able to find your valuables, without ever having been in your home before! Experienced burglars will always check the bedside table, the jewelry box, the lingerie drawer, and the dresser drawers first, since most people keep some sort of valuable objects here. If you do keep these items in a large and obvious safe, they won’t have time to crack the lock, but they may take the whole safe with them. Statistics show that in home invasions, kids’ rooms are actually one of the safest rooms in the house, since few families keep anything valuable in a child’s room.

2) The layout of the home. An experienced burglar may gain entry to your home through posing as a yard worker, maintenance man, or even a stranded motorist asking to use the home. They may not actually steal anything during this visit, but it will give them a good idea of your home’s layout for their later return. Once inside, they can scope out the home and the valuables. They may even secretly unlatch a window to make their entry even easier. Burglars may also learn about your home through public information such as real estate ads.

3) How to get inside easily. Far too many families leave a window or door unlocked or even open at night. If not, the spare key is probably under the doormat or a flowerpot, or on top of the door frame. If there are shrubs or trees near side windows, it will be easy for a burglar to break in unseen. Burglars know to target homes that have entrance points, either doors or windows, that are hidden in the shadows and don’t seem to be protected by alarms or cameras.

Burglars also know that your neighbors probably won’t come to your aid. Far too many homeowners rely on their neighbors to catch and stop someone trying to break in. The truth is that even if a burglar must smash a window to get inside, your neighbor probably won’t call the police. Instead, they’ll listen for a second to see if they hear any other noises, and then promptly go about their business.

4) Your routine. Many burglars will watch your home for a week or more to determine your daily routine. Most families have a surprisingly standard routine that does not change very much from day to day. This makes it easy to guess when the home will be unoccupied. Even without watching the home for hours or days, it is relatively easy to guess when you’ll be home. A burglar might, for example, touch a car hood to see if it’s still warm, which means that you’ve recently arrived home. A computer-generated pizza flyer left for more than a day on the front door means no one has been home to remove it. The same goes for newspapers on the driveway. A dry spot on the driveway while it’s raining, however, means that you’ve recently driven your car away from the home.

5) Your lifestyle and even when you eat dinner. Did you know that thieves sometimes turn to MySpace and Facebook to find potential victims? Far too many people trust the internet with their personal details, from where they’re going on vacation to their purchase of a new TV. These little details might seem insignificant at the time, but they can be used by resourceful criminals.

Author Bio: Resist Attack has a full range of handcuffs both for families and security forces. Also check for current specials on our pool alarm

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