Key insights
- To minimize your risk of burglary or home theft, be sure to avoid showing signs that you are away on an extended vacation
- Hire a neighbor or ask a friend to plow your driveway, pick up your mail and check your front step for parcels
- Be sure to secure all belongings in a safe, unsuspecting place — and insure any items of value before you go
Leaving your Minnesota home behind this spring break? Be sure to secure your home and belongings using these expert insights.
Don't advertise your trip
It may be difficult to avoid posting photos of the white sands beach or gorgeous tropical sunset you’re enjoying — especially when you know that your family and friends are busy shoveling out after the latest winter storm! But it only takes one wrong person with your home address and travel schedule to make you a victim of home theft or invasion. Keep your photos and posts to yourself while you’re away, then post a Throwback Thursday, or #TBT post once you’ve returned home.
Set up automatic light timers
One way to ward off unwelcome visitors is to keep them guessing with automated lighting timers. Get clever by turning on some interior lights during the day, then turning on interior and exterior lights for a few hours in the evening. A completely dark home is an open invitation for burglars, while a house with varying lighting timers may throw them off enough to stay away.
Ask for help from the neighbors
Another clear sign of a vacation is an accumulation of mail, newspapers and packages. Ask a neighbor or friend to check in on your mail and front step so parcels don’t build up — and so burglars don’t have an easy way to identify your home as a target.
Pay for snow removal help
If the snow continues through March and even into April, you may want to consider hiring snow removal services for the duration of your trip. If a 14-inch snowstorm rolls in and you don’t plow out for several days, savvy thieves may realize that you are away for an extended period of time.
Hide the valuables
If a burglar does enter your home while you’re away, he or she will likely be checking for big-ticket items in your room versus your kids' rooms, the pantry or basement. Protect your valuables by placing them in a room or space that the intruder might overlook.
Insure your goods
If the worst should happen, it’s important to have backup on your most valuable belongings. To ensure your home and belongings are fully covered, work with one of our experts at Edina Realty Insurance to secure homeowners insurance.
