Exterior Security Tips

• Make sure your exterior perimeter is well lit, especially around doorway and windows. Outdoor lighting should also be placed on a timer or on a system with a light sensor so lights come on automatically at dusk.

• Secure your property with a fence. Commercial businesses that store items outdoors may also want to invest in barbed wire. Check your local building codes to make sure you are in compliance with height and that the use of barbed wire or razor wire is permitted.

• Plant bushes with thorns around windows and places where an intruder may find it easy to gain access to your property.

• Don't let bushes or shrubs get overgrown so they block the view of a window or clutter an entry way.

• Use signage to deter would be burglars. Use "Pitbull on Premises", "Beware of Dog", "Video Surveillance in Use", etc...  Post these on trees, fences and near entrances even if you don't utilize these services.

• For homeowners, the less people that know you are on vacation, the better. Have a trusted neighbor, relative or house sitter take out the garbage on garbage day. Don't let newspapers or mail pile up. Have a neighbor park in the driveway. Have a neighbor make tracks in the snow in the winter. Most local police departments will do random checks if requested.

• Keep large tree branches trimmed away from rooftops and windows.

• Use a layer of stone, instead of mulch, at the foundation below windows, it makes noise when stepped on which will deter some smarter criminals.

• An experienced house sitter is a good investment if you are a snowbird or plan on being away from home for an extended period of time. They will know how to make your home look lived in and not vacant. Make sure your yard is maintained while you are away.

• If you cannot afford real video surveillance cameras or a monitored security system, at least invest in dummy or fake security cameras and mount them on the exterior of your home or building where they are visible to would-be burglars