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        <title>Denver Real Estate Blog</title>
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        <description>Denver real estate topics including local metro Denver community news and events.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/measures-to-ensure-a-safe-home-for-you-and-your-family.html</guid>
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            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>Measures to Ensure a Safe Home for You and Your Family</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
It may be a matter of conjecture whether the world is gradually becoming more dangerous or not but what cannot be doubted is the fact that the safety of ones family should be the prime concern for everyone. You may have been a victim of burglary and so may be wary and skeptical or you may be very worried for your kids who are alone at home for the most part of the day. Whatever be the case, you can do many things to bolster the security of your house. Though nothing can be termed as one hundred percent safe or completely fool proof, bringing about few changes can act as major deterrences to potential miscreants and offer you the much needed sense of relief.

Hedges and shrubs should be trimmed in order to keep the walkways, doors and windows clear and do not allow hiding spaces that attract intruders. This also keeps the paths visible at all times thereby enabling you to notice immediately if anything is amiss. Installing lights with motion detection capabilities will automatically illuminate an area if any motion is detected.

Fit your front door with a peephole that covers a wider angle so that you and your family members can be sure of the visitor before opening the door and letting him/her in. Your main door must be of superior quality. Using a door made of solid wood and investing in a high quality frame and a good lock are the best ways to ensure your familys safety. Make sure that you use good door braces and window braces for all possible points of entry in your home.

You may want to get yourself and your family a good dog. Although dogs will not be able to stop all intruders, they can alert your neighbors or even be able to scare away some of the intruders. Everyone knows about signboards that tell people to exercise caution as there is a dog at home. Such signs may act as deterrents even if you may not actually own a dog.&nbsp; You may also consider installing an alarm system that can be monitored regularly to ward off potentials threats. Posting warning signs to declare that your house is equipped with such an alarm even if you dont have one installed may help keep intruders at bay.

Try to change your daily schedule frequently. Such constant changes would act as a deterrent to thieves who might be observing your home. You may also consider employing timers to switch lights off and on to give an impression to potential thieves that the house is not empty. Such timers would come to your aid when you leave home for vacations. Using timers to control radio and television would also help you give an impression that some one is present.

In case you happen to take a vacation, ensure to cancel the delivery of the daily newspaper and request a trustworthy friend to take care of any letters that may arrive. If you plan to go on a vacation during the winter season, ensure that the snow gets cleared regularly in your absence. In case you are far from home during the summer season, ask someone to mow the lawn. Never tell unknown people about your travel plans; however inform your neighbors so that they keep a watch on your house while you are away. Cultivating warm relationships with your neighbors goes a long way towards ensuring security of your place when you are away. When you know your neighbors well enough, it helps you track any suspicious activity in the vicinity of your home or in your area. You may also keep an extra key in you neighbors place instead of keeping it in your property.

Whenever you purchase any home appliances or electronic items, make sure that you dont leave the cartons and packages in full view for all to see. Such inadvertent exhibitions of newly acquired possessions are a sure way of enticing thieves. You should destroy all the evidence that give out inviting signals to potential thieves and burglars and recycle the packaging cases.

Ensure that you store your valuable items where no one can see instead of keeping them out in the open. Keeping your mountain bikes and tools in the yard may attract the attention of thieves who may be encouraged to probe further to see what other valuables you possess.

Make sure that you have a secure place inside your home where you can safely hide your valuables without them getting detected easily. Using boxes that are fire proof may save your items from fire; however you ought to keep in mind that quite a number of locks can be broken with ease. A good way to build safes is to build them inside a wall, thus ensuring that they are out of sight and securely locked. It is a very good practice to make a list of all the possessions and take photographs of all the items listed in order to maintain a record for use by your insurance provider. If you become a victim of burglary or theft, the list and the photographs would simplify the process of your claim.

Oh, Remember&hellip;&nbsp; When you encounter friends or relatives who are considering buying or selling a home and would appreciate the services I offer, I would love to help them.&nbsp; As these people come to mind, just call me with their name and business number.&nbsp; I will follow up and ensure they receive excellent service.
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            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:02:10 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/how-to-choose-door-and-window-locks.html</guid>
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            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>How to Choose Door and Window Locks</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Todays burglars and intruders focus on ordinary homes.&nbsp; They will often keep a watchful eye on any opportunities that present themselves to gain access to a residence. Video camera recorders are top of the theft list, followed by laptop or personal computers, small electronic equipment, jewellery, cash, and antiques. 

Loss of possessions is bad enough but for many burglary also brings vandalism and, in some cases, violence. Making your home secure doesn't guarantee that you won't be burgled - but as most thief like to be in and out quickly and with the minimum of fuss, simple protection can make the would-be-thief think twice.

Thieves do their research well and seek any entrance that they can use to enter the home such as doors, windows, chimneys, and skylights. Most domestic burglaries take place in the late mornings or early afternoon, when working couples are sure to be out and Mums with small children likely to be shopping or collecting youngsters from school. Thieves like to get in and out quickly and only struggle with a difficult lock if they know that the house contains jewellery or antiques. 

Appropriate good locks to doors and windows and using simple deterrent systems, such as leaving a light or the radio on when you are out, makes your home a much less attractive prospect for the thief. 

Although it may seem a little odd for a burglar to enter using the front door, nearly a third of break-ins happen this way. A house equipped with good locks and sensible precautions can reduce this risk. 

The days when a front door could be fitted with a simple cylinder lock are history. If your front door is still fitted with this type of lock, change it immediately. Opening this type of lock with a piece of plastic (for instance a credit card) takes only a few seconds.

The best type of lock to fit is a mortice deadlock which can be opened only by a key. Mortice deadlocks fall into 2 categories; those that are recessed into the door and those with a deadlocking rim which screws on to the door. Recessed locks are used on solid doors, deadlock rims on veneered doors. The more levers the lock has, the more it costs and the more difficult it is to pick. Normally, a simple five lever deadlock will defeat most thieves. If you are worried about the type of lock to buy, or how to fit it, ask a crime prevention officer for suggestion. 

An extra mortice bolts at the top and bottom of the door are worth buying if you live in an isolated area. Bolts are fitted to the inside of the door, usually at the top and bottom, and can be opened only with a key.

Some of burglars are let into the house by the owner. Never open the door without checking who is there first. A door chain allows you to open the door and speak to callers without letting them in. Pick the best quality chain you can afford and check that the plates are securely screwed into the door and jamb.&nbsp; A door viewer allows you to see the visitor without opening the door. The viewer is a small optical lens which screws into the door. It enables you to see callers without them seeing you. A viewer with a view angle of 200 degrees offers the best view.

The burglars favorite to entry the house are windows. About two thirds of domestic burglaries take place because of broken or open windows.&nbsp; A thief between 11-14 years old can entry to your house through an open bathroom or lavatory window, or even through a cat or dog door.

There are many kinds of window lock, all easy on the pocket and mainly easy to fit, which deter thieves. Locks either hold the moving part of the window to the fixed frame or secure the handle or stay bar so the window cannot be opened even if the burglar smashes the glass and reaches through.

Regardless of what area you may live in, you can always secure your home. To better secure your home and know what equipment you need, you should always try and understand the frame of mind that housebreaker use. This way, you will know what you need to shield your home.&nbsp; Home security is a general issue these days and for good reason.&nbsp; With crime gradually on the rise  protecting your home, your children, and your possessions becomes more important.
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            <pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:06:16 -0700</pubDate>
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