With summer comes a jam-packed calendar full of day trips, extended vacations, and weekend getaways. Whether you’re planning a beautiful beach weekend trip, going away to a Lake Michigan cabin for a week, or staying at your summer home in another state for the season, summer is the perfect time of year to travel and create special memories with your family and loved ones.
Have you thought about how to protect your home while you’re gone? Are you in the process of selling your home and need to keep things in tip-top shape? How do you prevent trespassers and burglars and focus on keeping your home safe while on vacation? 23 Legal has the answers to having peace of mind while you’re away, let’s take a look.
In this blog, attorney Ben Weaver covers pro tips for preparing both the interior and exterior of your home for vacation mode. On top of keeping intruders away from your home, these pointers are also great for general housekeeping and maintenance while you’re away on your amazing vacation.
23 Legal’s Guide for Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation
Protecting the Inside of Your Home
When you’re traveling it’s important to keep your home’s interior intact. This includes many details like adjusting the temperature, locking all windows, securing the hallways, and much more…
- Make your home feel lived in – If your house looks empty, that’s like putting up a neon sign that says “please rob me” on your front door. Park your car in the garage, or even ask a neighbor to park there on the driveway when you’re gone.
- Put an interior light on a timer – A timed light is a great deterrent for burglars. It often signifies to them that someone is home and alert every day.
- Be wary of power surges – You never know when a power surge may occur, so be prepared. Disconnect the computer, TV, stereo and other electronics, or make sure they are plugged safely into a surge protector.
- Install motion sensors – Motion sensors can let you know if there’s any unauthorized movement in your home. Most motion sensor systems, like Ring, are able to communicate with the local authorities in the event of an emergency.
- Watch what you post on social media – Be safe about what you post on social media, posting your exact location or letting people know your address is a great way to be targeted for a robbery.
- Take out all of the trash – The last thing you want is to come home to a smelly house after a long vacation. Take out the trash whether it’s full or not beforehand. Dispose of anything that could go rotten.
- Set the thermostat to temperatures closer to what it is outside – Save money and energy by keeping the temp warmer in the summer and colder in the winter. Don’t forget to unplug small appliances!
Maintaining the Outside of Your Home
When it comes to keeping your home safe, the exterior of your home is just as important as the interior. Keep things looking fresh and cared for…
- Keep the grass cut – Arrange for consistent lawn care and landscaping while you’re gone so weeds don’t get unruly.
- Close the blinds – Maintain privacy by not allowing people to see into your home.
- Stop newspapers and mail – Nothing says “this is a vacant house” like a pile of mail and packages on your doorstep. Burglars will be targeting homes like this. Either stop the mail for the time you’ll be gone or ask a neighbor to pick it up for you.
- Ask your neighbors to keep a look out for anything suspicious – Pro tip: If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, ask them to bring in your packages and mail while you’re gone. And in return, give them a gift card to a local restaurant as a thank you!
- Lock the garage and garage door – Many breaking and entering cases happen through unlocked garage doors. The remote in your car that opens your garage should not be in plain sight from your car windows either.
- Remove the spare key – No matter how excellent you believe your hiding skills are, take the spare key away from its spot. Don’t leave any chances for the wrong person to find it. You can even leave the key to a trustworthy neighbor if necessary.
- Install exterior lights – The exterior lights + motion sensor combo is something burglars hate the most. It can alert the neighbors and increases the chances that the perpetrator is caught on camera.
If you’re a new homeowner, we know this is a lot to process and keep track of. But nothing is worse than coming home from a great trip to find your home ransacked. Make sure to follow the steps laid out in this blog before you head out on vacation! Implementing these pro tips can save you and your family money and help you avoid future headaches.
If you’re looking for more home savvy tips, check out attorney Ben Weaver’s YouTube channel! There, you’ll find even more useful tips on home selling, home buying, and estate planning.
Feel free to contact us with any legal questions you have: (847) 447-6004
We wish you safe travels this summer and many fun new memories!
Why Choose 23 Legal
23 Legal offers Real Estate and Estate Planning legal services to individuals, families, community associations and small business owners throughout Chicagoland. We know how intimidating “the law” can be. In fact, when most people think of law offices, they think of stuffy leather chairs, huge wooden desks and pompous lawyers who charge outrageous fees. That’s not us! We believe in 1-to-1; the same lawyer should work with you all the way through. Whether you have an estate planning issue, family trust concern, or you have a legal problem in regard to a new home, business, real estate or remodel, you need a lawyer who cares. That’s where Ben comes in! We are great listeners; more than that, we are lawyers who believe that our clients always come first.
