Set the alarm system even if you are only running out for just a few minutes. Experienced burglars snoop neighborhoods and learn when people go to work or leave for errands and how long they will be to be gone. They're ready to move as soon you are gone.
Get a zone alarm setup that has room to room settings. You can leave the bedroom alarm armed when you're spending the evening in the dining, for example.
The better alarms offer many layers of protection, motion, heat light sensors, etc.
DON'T:
Posting alarm signs that indicate what alarm company you are using. Burglars can easily buy diagrams on how the systems are wired and can easily defeat them..
DO:
Buy plain signs that read, 'This house has installed an alarm system. As long as it does not give detailed information, it can be a good deterrent.
DON'T:
Keep lights on. A light that stays lit all day and night is no more of a deterrent than a home that is dark. Use timers that turn on an off lights in different parts of the house at different intervals. Web retailers and home-improvement stores sell motion detectors that turn on lamps or appliances if someone enters the house.
DON'T:
Hide valuables in the bedroom. It's the first place burglars look. Most robbers spend 15 minutes or less in each house.Most of the time is spent in the bedroom, checking the obvious hiding spots, an dresser drawer underneath the mattress closets, etc. Don't hide all of your valuables in a single spot. A thief is not likely to get everything if you put things in different locations.
DO:
Keep valuables or jewelry you rarely wear in a safety-deposit box. Conceal other valuables in spots where burglars don't think to look, like the garage, or above dropped ceilings. Or hide valuables in the deep freeze or in diversion safes made for this purpose.
DON'T:
Bother getting a big dog. A doberman or German shepherd might seem scary, but burglars know better. Most big dogs, unless they're real guard dogs, don't bark much. Get a little yap dog, a small dog that makes a lot of noise when disturbed.
DON'T:
Conceal windows with shrubs. Tall shrubs give burglars a safe, dark place to force open windows without being seen. Keep bushes trimmed to below window level.
