8 Great Ways to Deter Break-Ins

I just came from my friend Margie's house, where we were sitting on her back deck. "I think we left the front door open," I told her. 

She replied, "Oh, I do that on purpose, so it'll look like I'm home. There've been break-ins in the neighborhood lately when people are away."

I don't advise trying Margie's method at your home. However, there are many other ways to deter break-ins.

Ever since I was a kid, I've lived in homes with burglar alarms. My father was a worrywart and I inherited the gene. A burglar alarm helps, and Leah Ingram recently posted some great ideas in "6 Savvy Ways to Improve Your Home Security." Here are additional things you can do to deter would-be intruders.

Voicemail Can Convey Messages in Addition to Taking Them

Consider recording an outgoing message on your answering machine that says, "Sorry we can't take your call, we're out walking our Rottweiler Brutus. Please leave your name and number and we'll call you right back." (Apologies to Rottweilers, I know you can make lovely pets.) 

Take out the Trash

Most people I know, when traveling, arrange for the post office to hold their mail and for newspaper delivery to be temporarily suspended. (Hm, does anyone besides me still get newspapers delivered?)

Rather than alerting anyone that I'll be away, I feel safer, allowing deliveries and everything else to continue as usual. The dogsitter brings in the mail, papers and any packages each day. She also fills a bag to place in the trash can, which she brings out to the street for the weekly pickup.

The point is to keep all patterns going as though you are home. 

Speaking of the Dogsitter

What makes me feel most secure in my home is my dog, Casey. He's a beagle mix with a bark that makes grown men cower as soon as they approach the house. Whether I'm off to China for a couple of weeks or off on a walk for a couple of hours, it's a benefit that Casey is on the lookout for intruders. After all, if you were a robber wouldn't you figure it's too much hassle to deal with a snarling dog and just move on to the next house?

Equally important to me is that I feel better when Casey home having his usual routine. Years ago, a dogsitter picked up Casey shortly before I was heading to the airport. I could smell alcohol on her breath. After that, I always kept him home, safe from drunk drivers.

The Trike Trick

I learned my favorite anti-theft strategy from a dear friend. While traveling, she leaves a beat-up old trike in the driveway, as if some child had just finished playing with it. "It works," she says. "We have never been robbed blind while away from home." She is quick to point out that the tricycle is also effective as an anti-asteroid defense, given that the planet was never destroyed by an asteroid in all the time she's been using the trike trick.

The Shabby Chic Trick

This security tip is based on my notion that someone who wants to break in is going to choose the snazziest-looking house on the block. It has the added benefit of allowing you to be a little lazy.

My garden and the exterior of my home are fairly attractive, but let me put it this way: My architect friend once "complimented" me, saying he liked the tumbledown look of my yard. Anyone can achieve this look with some weeds growing at the base of the trees, a few empty flowerpots scattered about (one or two on their sides) and paint peeling from the screen door. Adding to the anti-burglar effect is the worn picket fence my daughter helped me paint years ago as a Mother's Day gift.  

Cars Play a Role 

It happens that I don't like to drive, so I'm happy to leave my car parked in front of my house when I travel, which helps give the appearance that someone is home. I live pretty near the train station and the airport, so if I go away for even two days, it's no more expensive to take a taxi than it is to park. It also saves time, as I get dropped off right at the entrance and I don't have to hunt for a parking space.

In addition, if your car looks like mine—neither too shiny nor brand new—it can add to your overall shabby chic look. I apply this same theory to my bicycle, my main mode of transportation. After a dozen years, I'm ready to replace my bike, but only with another beat-up one, so when I park it around town, no one will want to steal it. 

If You Open Windows . . .

Many people figure out a safe amount to raise their double-hung windows, then they drill a hole through both frames, which allows them to put a long nail through the frames when they want to let in some fresh air. This is an inexpensive way to help prevent anyone from raising the window higher and using it as a means of entering the house.

A Substitue You

A friend recently told me he used to pass a house on his way to work that had a mannequin in the window. It's a discredit to my worrywart bona fides that I have not tried this. If I were to try it, I would place the mannequin behind curtains that allow the light through but that are not transparent.. I would ask the dogsitter to move the "substitue me" to different windows whenever she left the house.

ALSO SEE:

11 MORE GREAT WAYS TO DETER BREAK-INS . . . READERS SPEAK OUT

IS YOUR BURGLAR ALARM REALLY PROTECTING YOU? TIPS FROM A TOP SECURITY EXPERT

What tips do you have for protecting your home from intruders? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.