How Can You Lower Your Risk of Garage and Home Burglaries?

First, we should get some myths about burglaries out of the way.

• Burglaries only happen at night. False.
• Burglaries only happen in bad neighborhoods. False.
• Burglaries take a long time to happen. False.

Burglaries can happen at any time, anywhere, and rarely do they take a substantial amount of time.

Home Alone's 2 most infamous burglars ever.

Did You Know These Statistics About Burglary?

These are statistics you need to know about.

Aeon Matrix has the facts regarding the false statements mentioned above.

• The most common time for burglaries is between 10 am and 3 pm.
• Most take under ten minutes
• The majority of burglary victims know the perpetrator

Many people consider the garage door to be a burglar-proof area of the home. Compared to the valuables contained inside the primary part of the home, the garage does have items valued on the lower end. However, this doesn't mean the garage is any less of a target. The garage door is easy to pry open. This is one reason burglars target the garage. Second, the items that are in the garage are easy to sell online and at pawn shops.

Safe at Last, a blog about home security, reports these numbers regarding the point of entry for burglaries.

• 34% of criminals like the front door
• 23% are window people
• 22% are back door entrants
• 9% prefer to use the basement
• And 9% use the garage that never gets burglarized

We All Forget the Following

Wake up Call: When we move to the suburbs this does not automatically make us safe. Don't be fooled by the scenery, burglars specifically target these areas.

It's easy to get complacent and let your guard down. These are usually the times when things go wrong. We believe that we are comfortable and at our moment of relaxation, burglars strike out of nowhere.

REMEMBER. THESE PROFESSIONAL BURGLARS CASE HOUSES FOR A LIVING.

99% of the time you will never notice them there.

These Should Be Common Knowledge

You should be incorporating these tips into your daily routine at home. Sometimes things can get so busy that it becomes easy to forget simple security protocols.

• Lock your windows at all times. If you are forgetful, set the alarm to remind yourself. Windows are one of the biggest used entryways for burglars looking to get inside a home. If you have a security system, make sure the glass break is activated. When a home security system isn’t in the budget, you can buy some cheap noise alarms to place on the windows that will sound when their contact point is broken. This is a great alternative to expensive alarm systems.
• Burglars have gotten wise to all the spare key tricks. It's time for you to implement a new strategy. Consider giving the keys to a neighbor for emergencies like when your kids are locked out. It's always a good idea to keep any important activity away from the eyes of burglars. Go over the plan with your children and let them know never to leave the keys in plain sight or hide them anywhere. Get them familiar with your neighbors, so they are comfortable retrieving the key from them.
• Don't label your keys or put them on a key hook near the door. This gives prying eyes a chance to survey what you have available. Labels make it easy for them if they do get their hands on your keys. It's like drawing a roadmap to your valuables.
• We don't want to sound too much like the Home Alone movies but pay close attention to dog doors. These are unchecked points of entry. Maybe a burglar can't fit through them, but at the very least it can get them a step closer to entering. We hate to say it, but you might consider dropping the door altogether. You can easily cover the old opening with a piece of plywood or plexiglass. Plywood is a better idea considering the plexiglass allows burglars to get a good look inside your home.
• Get to know the neighbors if you do nothing else. Important things to inform them of are:
  • Your work and weekend schedule
  • If you are expecting guests when you're not home
  • Any extended vacation periods
  • Your contact numbers
  • Emergency contacts
  • Your children's school telephone number
• When you move into a new place, get the locks changed. You don't want old tenants walking around with a copy of your key. This should be one of the first things on your agenda.
• Curtains are a cheap form of security. Make sure the curtains stay shut in areas with a high number of valuable items. One alternative is purchasing tinted windows. These tints stop burglars from sampling your merchandise.
• Sandblasted glass can make it impossible for burglars to look through the windows also. These work during the day or night and can be a great alternative to tinted windows or curtains. You’ve probably seen this type of glass in a basement or bathroom window.
• Don’t ignore the bathroom windows either. Make sure they have some form of coverage and can be securely locked at all times.
• Take another page out of the Home Alone Book and record some sounds and noises. Make it sound as natural as possible. We know this sounds ridiculous but done properly, this will actually keep away burglars. If you have a smart-home system, these sounds can easily be played back over the intercom by uploading a sound file and playing it back.
• Use timers for your interior lights. This is another Home Alone classic. It keeps thieves guessing, making it tough for them to nail down your schedule. Don't set them up in a pattern that makes it easy for thieves to detect what you are doing. Patterns in how you live and different trends in your schedule are the biggest reason burglars can enter the home when nobody is present. When you throw them a curveball, they don’t know what to expect. This makes it more likely that they will give up on your home and move along. Share this information with the neighbors.
• Motion sensors on major spotlights will send thieves heading for the hills. They might be temporarily blinded too. Consider putting motion sensors along any major pathways so you don't walk in the dark. This takes us to our next tip of using shrubs.
• Use your landscaping to your advantage. Grow the shrubs to act as natural curtains for the outer part of your windows—place cameras inside the bushes to capture unsuspecting prowlers on film. If you really want to take things to the next level, you can add motion-detected spotlights leading up the walkway. Have them on timers, so they only take effect during the late-night hours. You don’t want to blind any of your family members accidentally. The lights only need to be effective against burglars.
• Take a walk around your neighborhood and promote a neighborhood watch. Hit all the houses on your block and notify them that a new program is starting to keep all the residents safer. Encourage them to document strange sightings and call the police.
• Additionally, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a burglar. Walk around your neighborhood and take a look at different areas of your home, making sure to cover every angle. If you spot anything that would make it easier for a burglar, fix it. Broken windows, busted locks, unbarricaded spots on the crawl space, and anything else that looks vulnerable should all be remedied. If you want to beat a burglar, you have to think like a burglar. If you notice anything wrong with the neighbor's home, it's good practice to give them a heads up too.
• If it's possible, keep your expensive things mounted on the same side as the windows so peeking eyes don't notice them. If you are lucky, burglars will take one look and pass on your house when no valuables are in sight.
• Keep your business limited to family and friends. If you are the type to brag on social media and can't contain yourself, at least set your profile to private or friends only.

There are several useful ways to safeguard your home in this blog: Safeatlast blog article

And Now How can you prevent break-ins in your garage?

Should You Cut the Door Release Mechanism?

ColoradoRMN video, has a video explaining how to cut your emergency garage door release.

If the rope is too long, a burglar can easily hook it between 2 door sections, grab it and pull it outside in a few seconds. Photo credit: Image from the video

We cannot begin to express how bad of an idea this is. If you are locked inside your garage, the rope may be the only way to get out. If you cut the rope, you have successfully destroyed your only lifeline.

When the garage door won't open, the rope can be pulled to open it in an emergency.

Why anyone would tell you to cut it is unimaginable.

You could add a garage trolley shield.

This is a suitable alternative to cutting the rope and leaving yourself locked in the garage.

Skip the Gimmicks and Add an Automatic Garage Door Lock

It doesn't take much force or technique to open a garage door. Usually, a crowbar will get the job done.

Adding your own slide lock will just end up weakening the garage door. It doesn't matter if you add ten of them. A much better alternative is installing an automatic garage door lock. Anytime you close the garage door, these automatically lock the door for you.

A great quality garage door will last up to 25 years. Warranties don't cover drilled holes and custom security.

You need an automatic garage door lock LiftMaster is the leader in these types of garage door locks.

Why does my door need an automatic lock?

1. It's hard to beat a deadbolt. You will know your property is secure.
2. The sound of the deadbolt locking is music to anyone's ears.
3. You don't need to remember anything when the lock is in sync with your garage door opener
4. Smartphone monitoring with the MyQ app means you can stay connected with live updates on your garage.

Worry-free Performance. Know that your home is secured from anywhere with the MyQ App and Automatic Garage Door Lock.

Why You Need a Smart Garage Door Opener

Does your garage door opener have two-way audio and sync with your cell phone? Does it operate on a smart wireless network? Well, LiftMaster's do.

Smart LiftMaster 87504-267 can do these 9 amazing tasks

1. Make your own customized alerts
2. Never second guess whether you locked the door
3. Remote open and closing
4. Personalize users and give them their own passwords. You have full control.
5. Smartphone notifications whenever your garage is entered
6. Get in-garage deliveries if they are available in your city.
7. Monitor the garage in real-time
8. Give instructions to other users in your network or answer questions
9. Save 7- or 30-days worth of video to the cloud and backup your garage footage

How does it work?

The Built-in 360 Degree Camera Places You Right There

• Live-streaming high def video
• Full camera rotation
• Night vision that's motion detected

Be Nosey with Two Way Audio

• Microphone available with audio as well
• Turn the microphone on and off

You always know what’s going on with Wi-Fi

• MyQ keeps you updated
• Open/close from anywhere
• Customize alerts, and Grant access
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible

Your Home and Family Are Always Secure

• No problem when the power goes out
• Forced entry is not an issue when we protect you
• Every time you open a door it gets a new code
• Sensors stop the door from shutting on objects in the way
• Lights to always make walking easier

The LiftMaster 87504-267 is a groundbreaking garage door opener. It is the Next Gen Model that replace the former and well-known LiftMaster 8550. This is why you need one:

• Get in-garage deliveries
• This stops your packages from being taken

Here are small steps you can take to protect yourself

• Always lock the car
• Make sure your opener is always out of sight
• LiftMaster accessories should always be reprogrammed. This ensures nobody knows or steals your codes.

We have experts waiting

Contact us now at 1-800-561-7555.

Whether it's for the maintenance, repair, or installation of your garage door or components, we can assist you.

It's time for a new garage door opener or a new garage door?

At Overhead Door of Nova Scotia, we would love to answer your questions. We are here to serve you.

Ask us for a quotation by email.

We can provide these email quotes when you are ready to pull the trigger.

You'd like to shop online a bit first to get inspired?

You can browse our residential photo gallery. This gives you a glimpse of past jobs we have completed. If so, grab your smartphone and try our Design Centre. You can customize your new garage in its true setting.