Selling Your House Fast: Holiday Security Tips
When in the process of selling your house fast, and with the holidays quickly approaching, the last thing you want to have to worry about is home invaders. No, not bugs or animals (although these are topics for another blog and these pests are certainly unwanted, especially those pesky scorpions and raccoons here in the Hill Country, …). We are talking about burglars. Below are the some excellent tips to assist you in minimizing risk. Keep crime rates down in your area and help maintain property values.
Change Your Mindset “Be the Burglar”
You are the thing. Envision yourself as an outsider to your own home, with the desire to steal any and everything. Lock yourself out of your house (with the keys in hand) and do a property walk. How could you enter the house without the keys? Get creative and try to find as many entrance points as possible. If you can do it, they can too. This is what the robber will do, so beat them to it.
Don’t Be So Obvious
Chances are either yourself or someone close to you will be traveling for the holidays. Not everyone needs to know you are leaving your home for an extended period of time. Ask a trusted neighbor or friend who is staying in town to collect your mail and deliveries. You do not want anything piling up outside to signify no one is home to check the mail. While you also may be tempted to save on the electricity, try out light timers for your front or back porch. Motion sensor lights located at your entryways are also a brilliant idea. If a burglar steps through the the threshold of your home, and a light comes on, it is more likely that they will no longer proceed. When house lights are on, outsiders assume someone is there, which lessens the motivation to enter without permission.
Be the Keeper of the Keys
The holiday season is not the time to leave your spare key under your greeting mat or in the porch flower pot. Keys are an invitation the, literally the easiest way to get into your house; nothing to break — you left the key for them! It is imperative that all keys be held by responsible parties, and only those who absolutely have to have them in their possession.
Secure Your Windows
If there is one tip you take away from iCloseHomes.com, it should be mind your windows. We have mentioned this tip for energy saving purposes in our prior blog, and once again, you need to keep your windows in check, because if the homeowner neglects their windows, the burglar surely will not. Make sure any and all windows have locks, and locks that are working properly. You know that one window where only half of the locks work or the one than always gets opened because of the great cross breeze? Fix it/lock it!.
Declutter the Outside of Your Home
Keep your trash cans locked away, along with any outside sheds or similar structures securely locked. Items such as these provide hiding spots (tool sheds, pool houses, etc…) and “ladders” (trash cans, and anything that could be stood upon by the average uninvited perpetrator) for the burglar. You surely do not want an intruder to use your trash cans to climb onto the roof of your house so they can break in from upstairs. Often homeowners believe it is ok to leave these windows unlocked – not so! Also, trim your hedges and foliage. Not only will this make for better outdoor holiday photos, but also limit an intruder’s ability to conceal themselves while entering. If you can see the majority of your house from multiple vantage points, you will most likely be able to see a burglar, too.
Don’t just read this blog post; put the tips to practice and slim your chances of unwanted strangers entering your home this holiday season. Or if the stress is just too much, contact us at iCloseHomes.com or call (210) 588-9999 for information on how to sell your house fast!
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