Today’s guest writer is Kevin Raposo.  He has sent some very useful information that will help you protect your home and belongings.  Enjoy this article!

GUEST AUTHOR – KEVIN RAPOSO

Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a burglar? We got the chance to sit down with some burglary professionals and asked them. Here’s what we discovered:

A Tonka Truck left in the yard could invite a burglar to choose your home

Home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, but they actually involve a selection process. A burglar’s selection process is simple. Choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes possible. Don’t have a burglar alarm? Here’s a list of suggestions that will help you minimize the risk of a home burglary, and also make your home unattractive to potential burglars.

Before picking a home, a burglar will scope out your entire neighborhood to get a better idea of what he’s working with. To do this he will usually walk around with a rake, or even go as far as dressing up as the cable or electric or phone repairman. “I’ll even post a flyer on your door to get a closer look into your home” says burglar professional Cliff T.

Here’s how to make your home less desirable to burglars

• Tear down the privacy fences—these give a burglar excellent cover from neighbors.
• Trim your bushes—Any sort of high vegetation, like trees or shrubbery, covering your windows allows a burglar to break them without being detected. Burglars prefer lots of cover.
• Put away the Tonka Trucks and Strollers—Toys or playground equipment in your yard are signs that kids live there…which usually means a mother lives there…“cha-ching” that means JEWELRY.
• Create the illusion that you are home. By using timers on lights, radios and TV’s. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is home, will deter the bad guys.

Here’s a shocking diary entry from a convicted burglar that gives you a more in depth view into the mind of a burglar, and how he targets a home.

Homeowners should be looking at their home with the eyes of a burglar. In other words, consider the location of the home from various angles. Is the home isolated or surrounded by other homes? Does it provide secluded nooks and dark corners for a burglar to hide in or escape from? Is the house adequately lit or relatively dark? Is there a security system? Burglars will look at these things when identifying potential targets.

Kevin Raposo is a writer for SimpliSafe-Live Safely, and can be contacted at kevin@simplisafe.com. He will be featured in upcoming articles.  Thanks so much, Kevin.  We need to pay attention to his advice.  Do what you can to follow his guidelines.  Another tip is to take pictures of all your appliances, furniture, and other items that may be taken in a robbery, or destroyed in a storm.  This will help your insurance company estimate the value of lost personal property.