Here is a list of things to keep in mind when you’ll be leaving your home unattended.

1. Install yard lights if you don’t already have them.  Many burglars prefer to work at night under the cover of darkness.  Motion detection lights are inexpensive and very effective at deterring burglars.  Don’t forget to turn them on when you leave.  Also make sure that none of the bulbs are burned out.
2. This one will seem strange to you but leave your drapes, curtains or blinds open as you normally would.  Closing all the blinds and boarding up the house is like putting a big orange sign in the yard that says “NO ONE IS HOME”.
3. Hire someone to keep your yard maintained.  If you live in a neighborhood with nicely groomed lawns and your grass is five inches tall, the bad guys will figure out that you’re not around.
4. Don’t just leave the living room light on.  Burglars are wise to this.  You can buy inexpensive timers to turn your lamps on and off periodically throughout the twilight hours.  The important thing is to keep the burglars guessing.
5. Don’t let newspapers and mail pile up.  Either have a neighbor pick them up or have the service stopped while you will be away.
6. You could also get someone that you trust to house sit.  This will maintain the “lived in” look.
7. Keep a car parked in the driveway even if you have a garage.  Again, you’re trying to create the illusion that someone is home.  If you will be gone a very long time, you can even have a neighbor occasionally move the car.
8. Have a neighbor turn your automatic sprinklers off if it starts raining.  Most people who are home do this so if your sprinklers are running, it’s another clue to thiefs.
9. This seems like a no brainer but lock all of your windows and doors.  Don’t forget to lock the garage door either. Many burglars don’t break in at all.  You inadvertently, let them in by forgetting to lock up.
10. Don’t leave keys under the little frog in the flower box either.  And you thought you were being so clever.
11. Leave a key with a neighbor and ask them to periodically check on things for you.   They can even change things up for you.  Maybe they can turn the TV on for a while.  Perhaps they can change the position of the drapes.  The bad guys will most likely “case” the house for a while to look for signs that no one is home.

This list could go on and on.  Of course you may not need to do all these things but you may need to do more.  It all depends on how long you will be gone and what kind of neighborhood you live in.

The next time you have to leave your home unattended, do yourself a favor and take a few extra precautions.  Nothing ruins a good vacation like coming home to a ransacked home.

This show is hosted by two former burglars who have changed their ways.  They are Jon Douglas Rainey and Matt Johnston.

The premise of this show is that the two burglary experts pick a home that they think they can burglarize.  They then get the home owners consent to participate in the program.  The producers explain the format of the show.  They let the owners know that Jon and Matt will attempt to break into their home and simulate a burglary.  The owners won’t know when it’s going to happen.

Jon and Doug then break in when the owners aren’t expecting it and ransack the home.  The entire event is filmed.  When the homeowners return home and realize that they have been hit, the producers film their reactions.

The crew then sits down with the family and reviews the footage.

After reviewing the footage, Jon and Doug, give them advice on how to prevent this from ever happening again.  They challenge the residents to make the suggested improvements to their security practices and systems.

Again the homeowners are told that the sudo thieves will try to burglarize the home at a later date.  The nervous participants wait anxiously to find out if their efforts will thwart the bad guys.

The second attempt to burglarize the home is filmed and the results are again shown to the home owners.

The program is really quite educational, interesting, and entertaining.  I definitely recommend that you check it out.

Check your local listings for the times that this program is aired.  Remember, it’s on the Discovery Channel.