- Have you notified your post office to hold your mail. Mail left in the mailbox is a red flag that you are not home which can invite crime to your home.
- Have you told your neighbors you will be gone? Have them keep an eye open for anything "odd" as well as for any deliveries you may get (unexpectedly). No reason to leave a big box on your front step announcing your gone.
- Make sure at least one of your neighbors (or a nearby family member) has a key. You just never know when someone might need in to check on something for you. This could be as simple as making sure you didn't leave the oven on etc.
- Consider having time lights and/or noise in your home. Try to stagger the actions so that it appears random. I personally know that if I leave my alarm clock on, it will eventually turn off on its own. I simply turn it to "radio alarm" and set it for a random time in the evening when I would normally be home to go off.
- If you have a land line phone, make sure you have it attached to an answering machine. It is an old theif trick to call your phone and if you don't answer, they know you are gone.
- Turn down/up your thermostat. No reason to pay to have you home at a "comfortable" temperature while you are gone. Simply decide what temperature is reasonable to keep the pipes from freezing in the winter, and keep the animals from sweating in the summer and "hold" it at that temp.
- Consider turning down your hot water heater. Why pay to keep the water uber hot when nobody is going to be there to use it. Before your adjust the themperature, consider marking where you "like" it at so you know where to put it upon your return.
- Unplug any electronics you can, so avoid a possible power surge in case a storm hits while you are gone. This will also reduce the risk for fire at the same time.
No comments:
Post a Comment