Although it's impossible to protect your home and valuables 100% against thieves, there are still things you can do to make their jobs harder.

Join a Neighborhood Watch program. If you don't have one, start one in your neighborhood. Check with your local police department for a program kit. Such programs are very effective in deterring theft.

Install a a quality alarm system and announce it with a plaque on your front lawn and decals on your windows. Teach your family members and babysitter how to turn it on and off, and what to do in case of an alarm.

Trim your overgrown tress and shrubs since they give coverage to intruders.

Install a heavy-duty front and back door with a good dead bolt. French doors with glass panes opening to the back yard, deck or patio may present a security problem, depending on where you live.

Install a peep hole with wide-angle lens on all your external doors to check the visitor ID. Door chain is usually not enough to stop a determined intruder.

Install weather-proof deck, patio and yard external lights with motion sensors to activate when an intruder walks into to their sensor zone.

Secure your garage door, the service door that connects your garage to the house, and all basement windows and doors.
Place a lock and a foot-bar to every sliding door.

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Ugur Akinci is the Editor of http://www.yourhomebuyingassistance.org of New Hampshire and Eastern Massachusetts

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