Do you think that crime won’t happen to your home while you’re away? Think again. Empty houses are very attractive targets for criminals.

And because most of us are active on social media and like to share our vacation photos, you can inadvertently tip off criminals to your travel plans. They can find out when you left, where you are, and when you will return, giving them ample time to ransack your home.

During the holidays it is especially important to secure your home. People are busy shopping, going to holiday events, and visiting family. Criminals know this! They know that there are expensive gifts inside your home, and watch your patterns to know if you are there or not.

One way to secure your home is with a security system. Angie’s List research shows that 83% of burglars will look for a new home to target if they spot a security system. This can include window and door sensors, and interior camera system, and outdoor lighting, to start, and can be monitored and controlled via a smartphone app.

Related: 12 Telltale Signs Burglars are Casing Your Home

The Best Way to Secure Your Home from Crime

A better way to ensure your home from crime while you’re away is by hiring a Home Watch service like Golden Rule Home Watch. Criminals know the signs that the homeowners are gone, so if you are traveling over the holidays—or any time—you want to make sure that there are no evident signs of your absence. Keeping gifts and other expensive items that might make a nice gift if stolen away from sight lines through doors and windows will also help.

Our Home Watch professional will review your home on a regularly-scheduled basis, looking for problems like a broken water pipe or electrical outage, or indications of potential problems, like leaks. You receive a full report of our findings and remediation options if a problem is found.

It’s not only the major systems, like heating, electrical and plumbing that we watch over. We make sure your home is secure by checking all windows and doors, and taking care of items that make your home look occupied, like replacing burned-out light bulbs and lawn maintenance.

We’ll make sure thinks like door hangers and business cards stuffed into your door jamb are removed, and clean off leaves and debris so your home doesn’t look deserted. After all, criminals are looking for a place that doesn’t look inhabited as an easy target.

Those Selling a Home Need Home Watch Too

If you are selling a home, typically people are coming and going at any time of day. We’ve been surprised to find a number of these homes we watch with doors left unlocked, windows open, and even patio doors left ajar. When real estate agents, contractors and potential buyers are in your home, they aren’t thinking about security. We find lights left on (or off), doors and windows unlocked, thermostats set at undesirable levels, alarm systems disarmed, and even gas fireplaces left on to burn. If it’s not your own home, you’re not as likely to take the same care of it. That’s why having a home watch professional is so important.

You Can Help Avoid Major Loss with Golden Rule Home Watch

Criminals don’t take vacations. They wait for you to take yours, and when your guard is down, they strike. Worse yet are the financial losses due to a fire or water damage. Either incident could create a major loss, not to mention the anxiety and time required to remediate a problem.

Don’t let worry about a burglary crime, or worse yet, coming home to a burglarized home, ruin your holiday vacation. Ask us about our residential home watch services.

Golden Rule Home Watch uses state-of-the-art technology and scheduled home visits to help you protect your most valuable asset—your home. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule your home watch service in Northern Virginia.