The Mindset of a BurglarRobbery and theft are things that every homeowner wants to avoid. In fact, many people spend money for security systems and residential alarms that protect their life and property. Understanding the mindset of a burglar can help you make the best decisions for you, your family, and your home or business.

Unoccupied Homes

When robbers choose their targets, they look for unoccupied residences or businesses. This way, they can get in and out quickly without confrontation. What does this mean for you? Here are some tips and tricks for making sure burglars believe you are home at all times:

Be careful with social media. You might be surprised at how much people can learn from reading your Facebook posts or tweets. “Bahamas, here we come!” may seem innocent enough, but it tells a burglar that your home is about to be unoccupied for the next seven to 10 days.

Leave the lights on. A burglar often goes for a dark home, too. If there are no lights on, then everyone must be gone – right? Sometimes, the simple act of switching on a few lamps can keep the robbers at bay.

Unsecured Homes

The next thing on the burglar’s agenda involves circling the perimeter of the home looking for signs of residential alarms. As soon as you install your home security system, be sure to put up the stickers and signs as proof that you did so. This alone is often enough to deter a burglar. What’s more, while burglars know that some people might “fib” about their home security, most still will not dare to enter any home with signs and stickers indicating surveillance.

Lock the Doors and Windows

Although you might remember to lock the front and back doors when you leave your home, do you really think most burglars just stroll up your walk and come in through the front door? No. Most of the time, they will find the most obscured part of your yard possible and attempt to enter through a window to avoid being seen. Make sure that all of your doors and windows remain locked, and if you live in a high-crime area, you might even want to consider installing “burglar bars” across your entry doors and cages in each window.

Helpful and Interesting Statistics

Someone, somewhere in the country attempts a home intrusion about every 13 seconds, and people report some 2.5 million home intrusions each year. Unfortunately, robbery is not something that “happens to everyone else”. It is a real threat, and the statistics prove it.

30% of burglaries occur through open or unlocked windows and doors in homes without residential alarms.

More than 85% of robbers are not professionals. They are desperate people looking for a solution to their financial problems.

Burglars prefer small items that are easy to steal and convert to cash. Smartphones, cameras, guns, cash, jewelry, and laptops are common targets.

Most break-ins occur in the middle of the day while homeowners are at school or work.

Although burglars rob people because they are desperate for money in some cases, most of them are not stupid. They look for the right target and wait for the right opportunity to strike. When you harden the target with secure residential alarms, avoid unsafe social media posts, and even leave a few lights on, you can protect yourself by up to 300%.

About Author: At Sentry we are proud that over 90% of our new alarm system business is referred to us. This says a lot as most of our competitors out spend us in advertising. We prefer to spend money taking care of our customers. For example we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you call us, you get us, not some offsite supposed support center or an out of state call center that cannot even pronounce the town you live in correctly. Feel free to give us a test. Call us at 617-532-1013. You'll be pleasantly surprised