Tips to keep thieves out of your home

When you lock the door to your house and leave for a quick trip to the grocery store or a week-long vacation, it's natural to expect that everything will still be there when you return. But will it? Is it possible to thwart thieves from entering your home while you're not there?

The Discovery Channel's "It Takes a Thief" showed viewers how easy it was for two former thieves to break into homes where the owner knew someone was going to attempt an entrance. After the break-in was reviewed on tape, the show worked with the homeowners to make their homes more secure and prevent home burglary.

Here are some tips you can use to make your home safe:

* Lock the doors and windows. This may seem too easy, but how often do you open a window and forget to securely close it? Or do you have a doggie door that is unlocked and leads directly into your house? What about a garage side door? If you make it easy for you and your family members to get in and out of your house, then you know it will be easy for anyone else on the street.

* Invest in a security system. A home burglary takes place about every 12 seconds according to 101homesecurity.com. Home security systems are designed for everything from silent alarms connected to police and fire departments in case of a home invasion to blasting sounds that will wake the neighbors.

* Update your property insurance coverage. Having your property insured can help you replace items if your home is burglarized or vandalized in an invasion. You can invest in actual cash value or replacement value policies.

* Keep your yard trimmed. If you keep your landscaping trimmed, especially around the house, you are preventing potential thieves or invaders from hiding right on your property.

* Close the curtains. A person walking past your house won't know if you have a brand new stereo system or a 10-year-old boom box from your college days if they can't see in your home from the street. Keep the curtains closed - especially at night and on the first floor of your house.

Take a look around your house and see if there aren't other ways you might be able to prevent burglary. Review everything about your house, or investigate if you need cameras along hidden access points, for example. Keep your home's security at the top of your mind also when you leave, to help keep invaders out.