10 Home Security Mistakes Robbers Hope You're Making

The last thing you want to do as a homeowner is give burglars easy access to your house. Beyond the financial loss of a home robbery, criminals can do significant physical damage to your property that your insurance may not cover. Many homeowners overlook easy fixes that could secure their house from invasion.

Here are 10 big home security mistakes to pay close attention to from now on.

Oversharing travel plans on social media

Mistake: Posting extensive travel plans and itineraries on social media while starting your vacation is a surefire way to tip off thieves that you're away from home. This can include pictures of your flight or pictures of you at your vacation destination.

Fix: Save those photos and post them when you get back from your trip. Keep posts as private as possible and don't give out extensive details about the length of your vacation. Be sure to tell your trusted neighbors that you're going out of town so they can be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

Leaving doors or windows unlocked

Mistake: The first thing thieves will look for are easy entry points, and careless homeowners who leave doors and windows unlocked or unsecured make it even easier.

Fix: Always lock everything when you leave the house, even if it's for just a short time. Look into getting smart locks that can alert you if something is unsecured or ones that let you lock things remotely in case you forget.

Hiding a spare key in obvious spots

Mistake: Hiding a spare under the doormat, in a flower pot, or under a rock by the door is a rookie move. These are the first places most burglars will check first.

Fix: Give a spare key to a trusted neighbor or use a smart lock with a passcode so you won't need a key at all to enter your house.

Leaving your lights off while you're on vacation

Mistake: A totally dark house multiple nights in a row is a sign that you're away, making it more likely that your home gets burglarized.

Fix: Install smart bulbs that you can set on a timer or control remotely. Have the bulbs in various parts of the house turn on while you're gone to make potential criminals think someone could be home.

Leaving valuables in plain sight

Mistake: Having things like jewelry, paintings, televisions, computers, and other prized items next to windows will give would-be thieves plenty of incentive to break in. This goes for expensive cars in your garage as well.

Fix: Close the blinds at night and avoid placing anything valuable next to windows if possible. Close any blinds or shutters in your garage as well, and try to avoid leaving your nice car outside for an extended period.

Forgetting to secure the garage

Mistake: Many homeowners leave their garage door open for extended periods or fail to lock it when it's closed. Additionally, far too many people make the massive mistake of leaving their garage door opener in a car that's parked outside, making it incredibly easy for a burglar to open the garage and gain easy access to the house.

Fix: Always lock your garage door and remove your door opener from any cars you park outside. Also, take care to secure the entry from the garage to the inside of the house. Having an extra layer of security will help prevent more break-ins to the main part of the house.

Ignoring weak entry points

Mistake: Doors with hollow cores and short screws can be easily kicked in by a burglar. This is particularly true for older houses that have not had updated locks and doors installed. Sliding glass doors are also another easy target for thieves coming from the backyard.

Fix: Upgrade to more reinforced doors and ensure your door frame is screwed in with 3-inch screws firmly attached to the wall studs.

Neglecting outdoor maintenance while you're on vacation

Mistake: Overgrown lawns and shrubbery, piles of mail and packages, and an empty driveway piling up with leaves are all signals that no one is home. This is a big, open invitation for robbers to enter your home.

Fix: Ask a neighbor to mow the lawn and collect the mail while you're traveling, or hire a trusted gardening company to keep everything neat and clean. Park a car in the driveway and continue having services like the home cleaner come to the house to maintain the illusion that someone is there.

Not having an alarm or camera system

Mistake: Thinking the old school system of just having locks will protect your house from robbers. With no camera or alarm system, it's easy for a thief to come in at night and clean house.

Fix: Install motion-activated flood lights near entry points outside of your house. Put cameras in strategic places outside your home as well. Try to avoid placing them low enough to prevent them from being broken or stolen.

Forgetting to secure second-level access points

Mistake: Many homeowners forget to secure second-story windows and balconies. An experienced burglar will have no trouble climbing up a story or two and easily making their way into the house.

Fix: Close and lock all the windows on the second floor, and do the same with any balcony doors as well — and don't leave things like ladders, trellises, or stacked furniture near the house.

Bottom line

Protecting your home doesn't require expensive gear; it starts with removing easy opportunities. Small oversights like unlocked doors, dark exteriors, piled-up mail, and weak door frames are precisely what burglars look for. Don't make your home an easy target.

And most people are doing just that: according to ADT, 34% of home burglaries are via front-door break-ins. They also note that most of these events occur during daytime hours when people are at work, not at night. That means having a strong security system and a strong front door is a smart homeowner decision that will save you in the long run.

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