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An Open Invitation to Burglars

By
Real Estate Agent with UNITED REAL ESTATE | Central PA RS193539L

Burglar Running from HomeBurglars look for easy targets, and Sellers need to realize the condition of their exterior maintenance could cause a significant impact on the likelihood of their home burglarized.

 

Keep in mind, many burglars do not target occupied houses, taking great care to avoid them. Indicators of a vacant home could be as menial as mail left in the mailboxes, newspapers in the driveway or unkempt yards and landscaping.

 

Make sure windows and doors are not block by untrimmed trees and shrubs. Exterior lighting (particularly sensor lights), or having a light and the TV or radio connected to an automatic timer set to switch on at night can be a deterrent for would be burglars.

 

Pet doors should be small enough to permit only a cat or small dog to gain entry. Make sure it is not possible to manipulate the inside locks by reaching through a pet door.

 

If the home is not going to be occupied, local police or a trusted neighbor should be notified by the Seller, leaving a contact name and number.

 

 

Of further importance, do not talk about a vacant home on Facebook or any social media, it’s an open invitation for uninvited “guests.” 

Posted by


                         

     

  Bette Brennan Gottwald, Realtor®, e-Proâ, RECS, CSP,
  Accredited Staging Professional  (ASP™) -  RS193539L    and
Joe Gottwald, Ph.D., Associate Broker – AB060350L
  State Certified Broker/Appraiser – BA001935L

 BHHS

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Comments (2)

Jen Silverman
Cotuit, MA
Consider it...Sold. Cape Cod & Plymouth Specialist

Great advice. I live/work on Cape Cod where many of the homes are second homes, or just vacation homes that go unoccupied for 6-7 months at a time. Unfortunately they are the homes that are most often targeted.  People tend to have their neighbors, or a property management service go and trim the lawn, and collect the mail/newspapers that may pile up to make sure it looks lived in.  Some will even go to the extent of paying their neighbors to park in their driveway periodically.  

 

Thanks for posting. 

Jul 24, 2014 04:40 AM
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

Hi Bette,  Great advice.  We're out trimming the bushes this week. I just purchased a security video system with 8 cameras for day and night. I installed it myself and the price was reasonable. It even emails me if the motion sensor is activated. The brand name is Night Owl.  We also have yard light motions sensors for the flood lights on the house.  That should do it.

Jul 25, 2014 04:45 AM