[rainbowgardens]

How do you make potential burglers feel unwelcome on your property? What things make your property and home look inviting to someone looking for an easy break-in?
I'm sure there are many things about my house that send messages to somebody checking us out. I don't want, nor can I afford to look like Fort Knox, but what should I be aware of?

 

[dilligaf]

no smart burglar would come here to begin with but beyond that we have a long hilly rough driveway that can be shut off from traffic flow if we chose. We have dogs, large ones with huge barks that let us know if a field mouse farts a 1/4 mile away. When they decide something shouldnt be here they dont mind too well and take care of things . The goats alert us as well. Anything out of the ordinary and they are skreemin demons.

The house lol... if they make it that far ,, they would take one look at the shack and be severely dissapointed they just went through what they did to get here then most likely find the wrong end of a barrel in there nose.

 

[TaylorLohng]

I live in the country, where everyone uses barbwire. I have tall barbwire fences that are almost impossible to get over.

Dilligaf, what do your goats do in order alert you?

 

[rainbowgardens]

Well, What about someone in a less rural setting. No barbed wire fences, Dogs kept out back in order to avoid annoying the neighborhood.
What screams "curb appeal" to a criminal?
How can you encourage them to pass you by without being the eye-sore on the street?
(NO insult intended to you Dilligaf, I'm really starting to like the shack in the wilderness idea. I'm through with chasing the "American dream". Now I'm trying to recover from the 'American dream."

 

[gumby]

Can't you usually crawl through / between barbed wire to get through it?

 

[saintsfanbrian]

Between the two German Shepherds, the Brinks Home Security Sign, the nosey neighbors, the lights that are on and the two home owners that can shoot the wings off a gnat at 50 yards. Our home is less than inviting.

 

[Tex]

Security signs help. Big dogs can at least protect the rear entry and the interior as well. A well placed NRA sticker or sign that says "Protected by Smith and Wesson" might deter some people. A well lit exterior with motion lights and shrubs too small to hide in would help. Thorny shrubs by windows will help.

 

[dilligaf]

Dilligaf, what do your goats do in order alert you?

they make loads and loads of noise in unison when anything is not as it should be. They can be quite loud about it too.

couple years ago there was a manhunt and i was up in the woods wandering (didnt have the dogs) and the goats started making loads of noise down in there pasture. After a minute i knew something was up so wandered down to check and there was a cop walking up the hill and when i saw him he asked how i knew he was there ...

 

[dilligaf]

lol i have lived out of city or town limits for so long in such rural areas that i have no clue what to really suggest to someone in that situation without blatantly telling you to violate town or city ordinances or subdivision covenants. Anything i could conjure up would be ugly insocieties eyes and cost you loads of money to fix... but you would have a fortress

 

[Fn/Form]

Consider CPTED - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Law Enforcement and commercial security professionals have become increasingly involved in initial design and . Our dept. has several trained Crime Prevention certified to do home inspections and recommendations. Look into it! Google CPTED and Home Crime Prevention, for starters.

CPTED - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

 

[Jezcruzen]

Don't allow your mail or newpapers to pile up. If you're going out of town for a few days, have the post office hold your mail. Same for the newspaper. You can schedule your absense with both on-line. Its easy.

Don't unintentionally give a burgler a place to hide on the exterior of your house while he makes entry. Overgrown shrubbery, underneath decks...anywhere they can break into your house without anyone likely seeing them.

Keep all windows locked. You can further secure them by installing a simple metal pin into the windo casing and above the sash so the sash cannot be lifted.

Is you house located at the end of a cul-de-sac? Is it wooded? Does your driveway stay empty most of the day? Shades or draps drawn during daytime? Have you mentioned openly within hearing of others that you were taking a trip and would be away for awhile? Bank teller? Grocery cashier? landscapr" (You get the idea) Often people are happy to let everyone know about their impending get-away, even down to minute details. Don't do that!

 

[TechAdmin]

To me keeping the house well lite at night, keeping the dogs outside while we are gone, a good fence, security system and like mentioned not giving any insight like papers that you are gone.

 

[rainbowgardens]

While we were away several days over Thanksgiving, I had a girl take care of my chickens and mail. In addition to opening and closing curtains and switching on and off lamps, we had her move a ladder around to the different outside lights to make it look like someone was at home and working each day on them.

 

[risabee]

If, for example, your name is Wilson, look at your mailbox, house, etc, and see if it says Wilson on any of these (a basketball or volleyball we will take as an exception in this instance ).

The intruder will note this, call information, give your name and address, then call you. If you don't pick up, they may feel safe having a go at your windows.

Caveats: 1. Lots of people have an answering-machine message that does not give away their absence. 2. Lots of people don't have a land line any more.

But: If you didn't get your mail and papers stopped, nowadays some of them are savvy enough that they can Google you and if you've been really forthcoming about yourself, they may determine that you have nifty toys ("Here's a pic of my collector's items") and your whereabouts ("here we are in Bermuda, be back on the 18th") ...

I have a friend who won't even wear brand name T shirts, because he wants no one to get any kind of handle on him.

 

[BurtB]

Can't you usually crawl through / between barbed wire to get through it?

Yes, the thing about barbed wire in the country is that country boys know their way around it. They grew jumping the stuff. I have always been a country boy and in high school my friends and I hopped many a barbed wire fences at parties trying to escape somebody's parents or the police!

 

[The_Blob]

yeah, you learn to jump pretty good pretty quick when it's an electrified cow fence...

 

[Tex]

Sprinklers wired to motion sensors near electric fences FTW!



jk(I haven't done this.)




























yet

 

[Nadine]

Really great information, risabee! Thank you! What do you mean if your house or mailbox says Wilson? What's Wilson? I never thought of intruders calling like that but like you said, I'm one of those people these days who doesn't have a house phone.

I had also never thought about the amount of information people so quickly put out on the internet. People post pictures of those valuable things online just to show others. That's a great way for an intruder to find out who they would like to target.

My daughters live in a college town and the paper keeps reporting about 2 men from the next town over who target college students with flat screens, laptops, video games, stereos, etc. It's really scary. I just bought them both matching key chain mace that is PINK!.....That's the only way I could get them to carry it around all the time!

 

[Tex]

Really great information, risabee! Thank you! What do you mean if your house or mailbox says Wilson? What's Wilson?

Wilson was an example of a last name. They can find your name on the mailbox and use the internet or a phone book to find your phone number. With that, they can call your house to see if you are home. If your answering machine says that you are in the Bahamas until Easter, they know they have until Easter to get a big truck and haul off your goodies.

I won't get more specific than what town I live in or near on the internet and I never give out my last name. , Donald

 

[GatorDude]

1. We drive the old Chevy Cavalier in a world full of Acuras, Infinitis, and BMWs.
2. We do not own big screen TVs, have no desire for them, and generally keep our blinds lowered so that no one has a direct view in at our possessions.
3. We dress down with little or no jewelry and modest clothing.
4. If someone looks like they will be tailgating into our gated complex, we abort our entry to the community and come back later. We also drive slow through the gate so that the bar will smash down on any car behind us who does not have proper credentials.