Dear Jen,
My wife Margie and I are about to embark on our first summer of retirement. We’re making big travel plans for the upcoming months (mostly because I don’t think Margie can take many more days with me puttering around the house and messing up her daily routine). We’re taking the road to see our kids and grandkids, and plan to be gone a couple of months. Although we live in a great neighborhood, we’re still concerned about the security of our home while we’re absent. Do you have any suggestions, information, or ideas to calm our concerns?
Thanks in advance,
Stanley Overton
Dear Stanley,
Thank you so much for your great question! As you may have noticed while reading my published response, the first thing I did was change your name. Some criminals are very savvy and it would be easy for someone to read this article, search your address on the County Appraisal site and target your home. With that said, I will launch into my first precaution: limit the number of people who know that you are leaving. If you are on social media, be sure to limit your posts until you return. Social media posts announcing that you will be out of your home for months at a time are open invitations to burglars.
College Station Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Chuck Fleeger offers this advice: First, make your home less inviting to thieves by locking all doors and windows, including the garage. “Thieves want to get in and get out quickly, and especially unnoticed. If you make this difficult for them, they move on to an easier target,” he said.
Use timers for lighting and television in the house so that it appears you are home. Use motion sensors on outside lights. Make sure that you either stop your newspaper delivery or ask a friend or neighbor to pick it up daily. Schedule lawn maintenance while you are gone, as tall grass or a neglected lawn can signal a change in a home’s occupancy. If you have trusted neighbors, ask them to park in your driveway occasionally, so it looks like there’s activity in the home.
Neighborhood Watch programs are also an effective means for keeping crime out of neighborhoods, by enlisting the help of the citizens who live there. The Bryan Police Department Neighborhood Watch Program unites BPD with local organizations and individual residents in a community-wide effort to reduce residential crime.
The Bryan Police Department can assist in starting a program in your Bryan neighborhood, if one does not currently exist, and will have a crime prevention representative available for your organization’s meeting and to discuss specific crime concerns. For more information or to get started, please contact Sgt. Jason James at 979.209.5539 or jamesj@bryantx.gov.
Officer Chris Reyes with the Bryan Police Department also suggests Nextdoor.com. “It’s sort of a neighborhood watch, but online,” Reyes said. Nextdoor.com, which is used in both Bryan, College Station, and the county, allows police officers and neighbors to easily communicate with each other.
If you live in the county, the Brazos Valley Sheriff’s Department suggests you check your locks on doors and windows and replace them with secure devices as necessary. Push button locks on doorknobs are easy for burglars to open. Install deadbolt locks on all your outside doors. Sliding glass doors are also vulnerable. Special locks are available for better security. You may check with a locksmith or hardware store for alternatives. Also, most windows can be pinned for security. Drill a 3/16” hole on a slight downward slant through the inside window frame and halfway into the outside frame — place a nail in the hole to secure the window.
There is a wealth of crime prevention information on the Brazos County Sheriff’s Department website, www.brazoscountysheriff.org/prevention/burglary. You may also contact the department’s crime prevention officer, Deputy Ed Frank at efrank@co.brazos.tx.us or 979.361.4906.
According to the sheriff’s office, an alarm system is excellent for home security, providing peace of mind to homeowners, especially while on vacation. If you have a home alarm system, use it! Many individuals have alarm systems, but do not arm them, because it is inconvenient. Burglars know this and will not be deterred by a window sticker or sign indicating that the home has an alarm system.
If you would like the peace of mind that goes with being able to monitor your property at all times, you may consider having camera installed in your home for 24 hour monitoring ability. Along with monitoring your property for intruders, fire, and other hazards, many companies deploy internet cameras that you can use to check the home or even monitor pets.
One final thought: There are people who have been a part of this community for many years who have now moved out of state, but enjoy extended visits to the area to see family and friends. You may consider reaching out to your social network to find someone to house-sit for you while you are traveling.
I wish you and Margie a blissful summer of travel, family, and love!
Best Wishes,
Jen
Do you have a real estate question? Please feel free to contact Jen at 979.450.0455 or visit Zweiacker & Associates at zarealestate.com for more information.