When you picture a burglar, you might think of an individual dressed in all black with a ski mask on sneaking around at night. Contrary to how TV portrays burglars, most of them break into a home in everyday clothes during the day. If you saw them, you’d probably wouldn’t be able to single them out.

But, they are out there, and they do scope around to see which house is the easiest to break into and the most rewarding. In fact, you could be doing things or “not” doing things that are luring intruders to your home.

1. Easy Entrance

There are over 2.5 million burglaries per year, and about 30% of burglaries occur through an entry of an unlocked door or window. An easy entrance to your home is like a personal invitation to any burglars. You might always lock the front door; however, have you made sure that the other point of entries has been secured as well?

34% of burglaries occur through the front door, 23% occur through the first-floor windows, 22% occur through the back doors, and 21% occur through other entry points (like basements or second-floor windows). Remember that burglars do not want to spend too much time on one house, as they like to spend only 8-12 minutes per home. So, locking all your doors and windows can go a long way.

2. Homes with too much cover

Whether you have high fences, a lot of shades, or thick bushes, remember that burglars seek homes with a lot of covers. If your home is located in the corner of the street or by a cul de sac, those isolated houses can become a target for burglars.

Don’t be alarmed if your home has a lot of covers and is isolated, there are measures you can take to make sure you protect your home.

3. Not cleaning your Curb

Many burglars look for houses that look like they are empty. When you have a home that is not groomed, like the newspaper stacking up at your front door or your garbage bins sitting in the driveway for more than a week, then burglars will suspect that the house is vacant.

I know – they are very observant. However, cleaning up your driveway can at least alert burglars that there are people residing in your home.

4. Social Media

There are two reasons to use social media: to vent to others and to brag to others. However, over publicizing what you are doing on social media can leave your home vulnerable. If you start posting that you will be on vacation or if you start posting pictures of your Bora Bora trip, potential burglars will monitor your page. You’d be shocked by how close by they are to your neighborhood. A simple vacation picture on social media can be

You’d be shocked by how close by they are to your neighborhood. A simple vacation picture on social media can be a signal beacon of a vacant home.

5. No Protection

They say homes without a security system can raise your chance of a break-in by 300%. Whether you purchase a full-on security system or an affordable option with a smart home security camera, a survey conducted with burglars stated that a home with a surveillance system is the most effective deterrence for them.

In fact, 60% of burglars stated that they reconsidered targeting homes if they saw a security system inside. Having a dog in your home could also be a strong deterrent, as roughly 50% of burglars stated they avoided homes with dogs. At the end of the day, make sure that your home is protected.

Let Us Know

What are some other tips that you have that will protect your home from invasion? Comment below. If you have a RemoCam and you caught some interesting footage, remember to send it to us at marketing@olivendove.com. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and give us a shoutout