A burglary happens in the United States almost every 15 seconds. The average homeowner loses over 1300 dollars in a single one of these burglaries. Most people think this will never happen to them, but when it does, it’s too late and it can cause a lot of damage, especially during our recession. Here are some common tips and tricks I’ve compiled for protecting your home that you can do yourself:

Burglars can only enter your home through a door or window, unless they blow a hole in your wall. So the main thing here is to protect those entry points at all costs. Once you get these places secure, it makes it such more unlikely to have a break-in.

Replace your standard window locks with a sturdier one. The ones that come on your window aren’t designed for too heavy use, only to protect against bad weather, so they have no chance against anyone who wants to get in your home. You can even get keyed versions of these locks.

Install deadbolts on all your exterior doors. If a door has a glass window, install the deadbolt and make sure it is keyed on both sides. This prevents the burglar from breaking the window and reaching inside and unlocking the door. It’s always safer to have more locks, but don’t go overboard, and it can be very troublesome to get in.

Don’t leave your spare keys in obvious places, like the doormat or in a potted plant. Even worse is buying a fake rock to hide things in, they look way too obvious, and some of them even have a logo on them!

Mark your electronics and other valuables in case a burglar does get in your home. Burglars have a very hard time pawning something if it has an engraving on it. Make it “Property of Your Name Here” or whatever you choose. If a burglar cannot sell something, he usually will not take it. Only do this for things that you think are valuable though.

Leave decoy items that look valuable but are actually worthless. Things like fake shiny jewelry work especially well. Or even better, get some fake replicas of items like cell phones or mp3 players. A criminal will usually be happy to see those items, grab them, and scram.

Make people think you’re home. Whenever you leave your house, leave the TV on while you’re gone. The sounds and light will usually cast the illusion of you actually being home, and most criminals only break in when it’s safe and no one’s around.

Starting a neighborhood watch is always good. Get a few people together for an organization. You don’t have to go all-out and get uniforms and weapons. But just the idea of a neighborhood can completely deter a burglar from striking; burglars like to play it safe too. Put up some flyers on trees about it, let the people and the criminals know.

Remember, if you do feel the need to be secure, you should always hire and maintain professional security services. You can never be too safe.