Ask a friend for help.

While traveling, ask a friend to be going to your house once in a while to check on the place. Give him both your keys as your car might need to be moved. Leave your contacts so that you can be easily reachable. If you asked several people to be checking your house while you are gone, tell them about each other.

Don’t publicize your travel on social media.

The anonymity of the internet can encourage us to share personal information without fully realizing that strangers are receiving our messages. You should think twice about posting your travel plans on social media especially if that information is visible to internet users other than your friends and family.

Avoid parading expensive possessions.

Keep expensive items such as jewelry, electronics, and furniture out of plain sight or in places that can easily be spotted through the window.

Unplug all electronic devices.

Unplug all the electric appliances when traveling to protect them from power surges. It will also help you save power as many appliances draw energy even when they are turned off.

Examine your immediate external surroundings.

Take a close in the external surroundings of your home and take note of all its weaknesses. The best way to protect your home is to look at it as if you were the thief. If you can easily tell that the fence is too low and one can easily jump in or a specific window can easily be broken that is exactly what the burglar will also think. Thieves know how to spot weak locks that could be easily forced open. Make sure exterior doors have deadbolt locks.

Keep all shrubs and hedges around your home trimmed.

It could be near entrances or walkways. Make it difficult for the thief to hide while attempting to break-in. You can plant thorny shrubs by your windows so as not only to make it difficult for them to break in but painful as well.

Build a fence.

Solid fences are easy to climb and offer thieves a place to hide, though some homeowners prefer them for privacy and noise reduction. If you have a solid fence use sharp pointed tops or electric fencing.

Keep your compound off clutter.

Toys, tools, bicycles, ladder, grills all these can be used to break into your house or can give thieves the idea that there are a lot of expensive goodies lying around inside the house such as laptops. Store items that can easily tempt a thief inside the house or in a store.

Invest in your security.

Select security features that best fit your needs. It could be dogs, an alarm system or cameras. You can also install motion sensors lighting around your home especially at entrances and dark corners of your compound. Be sure to go with a well-known, reputable company. Once it’s installed, make it a regular habit to use it. Learn and inform your family about the security system to cut down on false alarms. If living in a flat, ask your landlord to install enough lighting to avoid dark corners. Display your house number to make it easy to track especially when calling for help.

Know your neighbors.

A community that makes an effort to know each reduces the rate of crime that is likely to happen in their neighborhood. This is because neighbors who know each other and can easily spot a stranger. They can also alert you of any suspicious activity that might occur in your absence.

Talk to your neighborhood association about increased lighting in the street.

Before burglars’ strike, they usually case out an entire neighborhood to determine if it is a good target. They do so mostly at night. A well-lit neighborhood may make it difficult for them to strike.

Avoid trees if living in a story building.

If living in an apartment or you have a second floor avoid or trim tree branches to prevent a cat burglar from making his move by climbing in through the balcony or a window.

Try and form a neighborhood watch program.

Not only will you get to know your neighbors better but it will also present an opportunity to interact with people who are just as determined to make your neighborhood safe. Local area police can give you a lecture on what to do when a suspicious person is in your neighborhood, a burglary is in progress or the event of an emergency.

Keep your doors locked.

Keep every entrance to your home locked at all times because thieves strike whenever it is convenient. Such include gates, backdoor, front door, and garage. Never leave your home without locking the front door, no matter how brief your trip.

Change the locks when moving into a new place.

Always change the locks when moving into a new place to be secure. You may never know how many copies were distributed and to who. If you are renting ask the landlord to change the locks. 

Use shiny windows.

Line them with privacy film to distort the view from the outside and reduce the chances of window shopping or alerting an unwanted visitor of your presence or lack thereof. 

Reinforce windows with metal bars.

 Make it impossible to squeeze through by installing metal bars. There are plenty of decorative options for metal grilles.

Place Signs.

Place security signs somewhere that they are visible or near entrances such as Beware of Dogs, signs of an alarm system or a security company that is watching over your home.

Use a switch timer.

Purchase a light switch timer that can turn your lights on and off automatically according to a programmed schedule. Criminals keeping an eye on your house will notice lights flipping on and off, and will probably assume someone is in the house.

Secure valuables in a safe secure place that can easily be locked.

Make sure that when thieves break-in, it will be difficult for them to find your valuables. Do not leave them lying around instead place them in a safe or a secure place that can easily be locked.