Planning on travelling this Summer? Consider these tips to help keep your property secure. If you have homes for sale in Fairfield or homes for sale in Vacaville  and will be away, follow these  guidelines to help keep everything safe:

  • Ask a friend or trusted neighbor to bring in the newspaper and mail, remove posted notices, and check on your home. Be sure to let your neighbors know who that person is to avoid false alarm calls to the police. You can also contact the post office and ask that they hold your mail while you’re away.
  • Will you be gone on trash pickup day? Ask a neighbor or friend to put the trash cans away if they’ve been left out. It’s can be a dead giveaway that no one is home, especially if the cans are out several days after collection day.
  • DON’T hide a spare key. You might think the hiding spot is clever, but crooks know where to look. And it’s usually less expensive to call a locksmith if you’re locked out than to replace your stolen property that a thief strolled away with. This is essential too with homes for sale in Vacaville and homes for sale in Fairfield too – your property is precious and you want to keep it in tip-top shape when selling.
  • Put your lights on a timer. An unlit home can alert criminals that your home is unoccupied. Even better, if you have several timers that turn lights off and on at different times, it can appear that someone is home.
  • Make a list during travel preparations - Turn off the heater, latch the windows, lock the garage door, etc. You’re less likely to forget an important task if you have it in writing and more likely to be able to relax and enjoy your vacation.
  • Has it been a while since you replaced the batteries in your smoke detectors or CO alarm? If so, install fresh batteries before you leave so they’re not chirping and letting everyone know nobody’s home.
  • Whether you are going on vacation or not, your valuable assets and documents should be stored in a fireproof safe or in a safety deposit box at your local bank.
  • If you have a garage door opener, unplug it. Some savvy criminals have realized that driving up and down streets with a garage remote can trigger some doors to open. There is also an issue with many garage door releases that can be unlatched with a coat hanger – Search YouTube for “Breaking in through garage door” and you’ll find several videos on how to prevent this simple and effective way criminals can break into your garage.
  • Don’t advertise on social media. Telling everyone that you’re going to be gone for a couple of weeks to enjoy sun and fun may turn that excitement into sadness and anger when you get back home to find that your friends and family weren’t the only ones who knew you would be gone.
  • Let your family and trusted friends know where you’re going, when you’re coming back and how to get ahold of you in an emergency.
  • Unplug unnecessary electronic devices. You’ll not only reduce your electricity use, but also reduce the risk of fires while you’re away.

We spend so much of our adult lives working, so when it comes time to relax and enjoy some stress-free time away, a little planning will go a long way in allowing you to enjoy yourself and not worry about your property including homes for sale in Fairfield or homes for sale in Vacaville while you’re away.