You Can Improve Home Security by Avoiding These 5 Things

Discussions on improving home security are often framed around things we can do to make ourselves safer. But why not look at it from the opposite angle? Most of us do things that inadvertently compromise security. If we were to stop doing them, we would also reduce the risk of being victimized.
Avoiding certain activities and behaviors is an interesting way to look at security. The idea has merit. To demonstrate the point, I have put together a list of five things that, if avoided, can make us safer. How many of these things do you do?
1. Post Your Location on Social Media
I remember one Facebook first launched a feature that allowed people to ‘check in’ when visiting a local restaurant, health club, etc. One of my friends had the feature engaged in his Facebook profile. I admit to wondering why. All I had to do was follow his real time posts to know exactly where he was at any point during the day. I knew when he wasn’t home, as did anyone else who followed him.
Social media is one of the most wide-open environments on the web. Even locking down your profile does not guarantee security. The lesson here is to not post your location on social media, ever. You should by no means have real time location posting enabled in any of your profiles.
2. Leave Lights on Abnormally
Security experts encourage programming lights to make your house look occupied when you are away. That is a good strategy. What is not so smart is leaving lights on abnormally. For example, who leaves the porch light on during the day? You may forget every once in a while, but that’s the exception to the rule. If a burglar sees that your porch light has continuously burned for three or four days straight, he is going to suspect that you are away on vacation.
If you’re going to try to use lights to fool criminals, use them in a natural way. The idea is to give the appearance that your home is occupied. Leaving lights on when they would normally be off does just the opposite. It is a dead giveaway.
3. Come and Go With Predictability
Some criminals scope out neighborhoods before choosing their victims. That means coming and going with predictability can work against you. Try to be less predictable if at all possible. If you can, vary your departure times. Also consider taking different routes out of your neighborhood. The harder it is for criminals to track your behavior, the harder it is for them to victimize you.
4. Rely Exclusively on Home Security
Next, do not rely exclusively on a home security system. This is a tip I learned from Vivint Home Security. As great as their systems and 24/7 monitoring are, they recommend taking a multi-layered approach to security. Put as many layers as possible in place with the goal of making life hard on criminals.
5. Neglect Your Home’s Exterior
Finally, don’t neglect your home’s exterior. A neglected exterior is an open invitation to criminals who rightly suspect that you don’t put a lot of effort into taking care of your property. Mow your lawn, trim your shrubs, and make sure you do not leave tools, ladders, and toys in the yard.
While there are lots of things we can do to make our homes more secure, there are also things we should avoid doing. I have given you five to think about. Are there other things that would make your home more secure if you avoided them? I am guessing so.