Home Alone | 10 Ways to Protect Your Home While on Vacation

I know we all wish we had a blonde-haired, eight year old kid, with the intellect of a Harvard grad student to conveniently "forget" at home to protect the fort while we're on vacation; much like McCauley Culkin in the hit 90's movie, Home Alone.  But let's face it, though his antics made that one of our all-time favorite movies (well, at least one of mine anyway), it couldn't be further from a realistic tactic.  Home burglary while you're off on your summer and holiday vacations is a very real risk and you have to be prepared.  Here are 10 very practical ways to protect your home and valuable assets while you're enjoying your vacation time.

1. Ask a Friend to Help - commission a family member or close friend of the family to periodically stop by your house to patrol the inside of the house, the perimeter or even collect important mail, packages delivered in your absence, or bring the trashcans in/out for the neighborhood trash day. If you're going on a vacation to a point of interest that they've never been, you may even want to bribe them with a special gift from that point of interest upon your return. I typically find that bags of Garrett's Popcorn do the trick when I take trips home to Chicago.

2. Don't Broadcast Your Vacation Plans on Social Media - it's nice to share your life with others via social media, but your life shared with the wrong hands could spell trouble; particularly if you're broadcasting your vacation plans. Take pictures of your vacation and save them until you return before you create the album on social media to share with your friends. (Don't worry... I'm guilty of this one, too.)

3. Completely Unplug Appliances - utility companies and energy conservation organizations agree that even though your appliances may be completely turned off, they still use energy even if they're still plugged. However, you may want to reconsider unplugging the refrigerator. Otherwise, you may end up with some award-winning science fair projects upon your return.

4. Notify the Police - believe it or not, your neighborhood police men take interest in stopping potential theft in your particular home. Contact local law enforcement to put them on watch and they will periodically patrol yor neighborhood for suspicious activity... And let's hope they're not the Joe Pesci type as seen in the movie, Home Alone. 

5. Install Motion Activated/Timed Lights - consider installing lights that are triggered by motions within a certain proximity to your house, door, or the like. Or, you can install lights that are programmed to activate at a certain time. Both of these options will confuse a potential thief as to whether or not a home is inhabited, or it will at least make them think twice about their attempt to rob the place.

6. Leave a Light or Two on Inside - Leave a low beam light, or two, on such as a small lamp, oven light or ceiling fan light. This will also confuse a break in plot when it gets dark outside.  It may be a small expense on the GRU utility bill, but it's a small price to pay in comparison to replacing items stolen in the event of a break in. 

7. Pause Mail Delivery - Contact the USPS online or by dropping by your local branch and request that they hold your mail. You can provide them with the specific dates of your vacation and the mail will resume upon your return along with all the mail that was slated to be delievered while you were gone.

8. Remove your Hidden Spare Key - I know you usually leave a spare key under the mat, above the door frame, under an outdoor pot or other removable fixture outside. You may even leave it in the garage somewhere. However, none of these places are safe when you're out of town because experienced thieves know where your spare is too. Consider removing the spare key while you're gone.

9. Have Lawn Freshly Cut and Hedges Clipped - I'm sure you have a regularly scheduled time for lawn and shrub maitnenance. However, you'll want to make sure you cut your grass and manicure that greenery just before you leave (or schedule your maintenance crew to pay a visit while you're away.) Uncut grass and shrubs are dead giveaways for thieves to signal that no one is home. Or, it can be a dead giveaway of a lazy homeowner as well.

10. Invest in a Good Alarm System - a good alarm system will trigger cops and neighbors in the event of a break in. There are several reasonably-priced services that charge a monthly monitoring fee and also provide monitoring options via your phone through an app. I, personally, use ADT and have been very satisfied with their services. Feel free to contact me if you need me to refer you to a good rep in town.





Thank you so very much for you continued support.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions pertaining to real estate at (352) 246-8706 or at jhurst@mmparrish.com.  You can also visit my website at www.jasonjhurst.com.  And remember, when it comes to real estate, THINK HURST 1ST!