ACCESS A HOME'S SECURITY...Look at every home through the eyes of a burglas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that 2.1 million burglaries were


committed in 2004. Not all of these situations involved forced entry; many

were the result of unlocked doors and windows. Once you close that

loophole, though, how can you determine if one house is more vulnerable

than another? Well, a residence surrounded by a 15-foot electric fence and

patrolled by guard dogs might be a giveaway, but here are some

more-subtle ways to judge a house’s security.

Entrances should be visible and the exterior well-lit. Thieves don’t like to

be seen. If a home’s doors and most-accessible windows are visible from

the street or a neighbor’s house, they might look for another home. Most

homes have outside lights; make sure those lights are positioned correctly.

Lighting up the front door and driveway is great, but what about the dark

corner of the yard near the living-room window? Use motion-sensor lights

in these areas.

Exterior doors must be metal or solid-core wood. A particle-board or

similarly weak door will break long before most locks give out.

All exterior locks should have dead bolts with metal strike plates. Dead

bolts alone don’t deter burglars. Without a heavy-duty metal strike plate

screwed in the door frame to receive the lock, someone could break open

the door by busting through the wood.

Watch for old sliding-glass doors. Old doors with worn-out rollers can be

lifted off the track, bypassing any lock.

Any fence gates should have locks. Yes, burglars can climb over most

fences, but they risk more exposure by scaling a fence instead of quickly

walking through a gate.

Look for “painful” landscaping. A good way to discourage a thief from

breaking in through a first-floor window is to install a rosebush or other

thorn-covered plant under it.

You can’t keep a determined, professional burglar out of a home. However,

you can make it less appealing for him to try.

This information is brought to you by a proud member of the Texas Association of REALTORS®.

Whenever you buy, sell, or lease real estate, make sure your agent is a REALTOR®.

© 2005 by the Texas Association of REALTORS®. All rights reserved.

For more information about Texas REALTORS® or buying or selling a home in Texas,

visit TexasRealEstate.com.

revised 11/07/05