Whether you’re heading out of town for the weekend or packing up the entire family for an extended vacation, taking the time to make sure your home is protected before hitting the road is crucial. By taking the following tips into consideration, you can go on vacation knowing that your home in Jacksonville NC will be safe and sound while you’re away at Disney World.
1. Make it look like you’re home. Install timers on interior lights so they turn on and off periodically. There are also products available that are capable of varying the time that your lights turn on. You may even want to consider leaving a radio on and tuned to an all-news or talk show station.
2. Disconnect and remove all exterior electrical decorations to reduce the chance of fire and theft. If you don’t already have them, install exterior lights controlled by motion sensors to make your home a more difficult target for prowlers.
3. Discontinue your newspaper delivery temporarily. Be sure to give several days notice so your order can be processed in time.
4. Ask someone to collect any free papers or sales materials left near your house. When fliers and papers are left on a driveway day after day, it’s a sure sign that no one is home.
5. Have the post office hold your mail. You can make arrangements up to 30 days in advance of your vacation; at minimum, two days will be needed to process your request.
6. Ask a friend or neighbor to park a car in your driveway and keep an eye on your place. If police regularly patrol your neighborhood, give law enforcement authorities your schedule so they can watch for suspicious activity. If there’s a crime-watch program, notify the person in charge.
7. If you have an alarm that is monitored, tell the alarm company you’ll be away. If possible, provide a phone number where you can be reached.