I think it is reasonable to assume that most of us want our homes to be safe sanctuaries. We want to know that we are protected against burglary and home invasion. We want to know that our families are safe whenever they are enjoying the peace, quiet, and comfort of a modern home. With all of that said, do you know the absolute worst thing you could do from a home security and family safety standpoint?
A 2025 post from the Clever Dude website outlines ten things homeowners do that burglars truly appreciate. None of them really get to the core of the issue. However, the post’s last paragraph hits the nail on the head. It talks about the idea of making burglary easy.
That’s the ticket. Whether you are talking about burglary or any other crime perpetrated against residential properties, making it easy for criminals to do what they do only invites them to attack.
The Garage Door Is a Weak Point
One of the items on the Clever Dude list was leaving the garage door open. Don’t do it. If you do, you are inviting any burglar in the neighborhood to help himself to your belongings. But that’s not all. Leaving the garage door open also:
1. Reveals Important Information
A curious burglar isn’t above approaching your home and peeking into the garage to see what’s there. If you approach him, he will simply say that he is looking for a friend and must be at the wrong house. Meanwhile, that quick peek tells him whether you have valuables inside or not. What he sees in the garage might be sufficient motivation to burglarize your home while you are at work.
2. Provides Access to the Home
Unless your garage is detached, it offers direct access to the rest of your home through an entryway that may or may not be secured with a heavy-duty security door. Let’s say you inadvertently leave the garage door open when you and your family head out for the day. You are asking for trouble.
A burglar can quickly sneak into the garage and breach the entryway door without drawing attention to himself. It’s quick, easy, and effective. So much so that companies like Vivint Home Security recommend smart garage door controllers that reduce the risk of accidentally leaving the door open.
Unlocked Doors Don’t Do Any Good
As long as we’re talking about doors and burglary, security experts consistently recommend keeping doors and windows locked at all times. Their reasoning is simple. Unlocked doors don’t do any good in terms of keeping unwanted visitors out. Why have a lock on the front door if you are not going to use it?
Leaving doors unlocked makes burglary one of the easiest crimes to commit. It’s no wonder burglars sometimes case neighborhoods by walking up to front doors and trying the locks. They never know when they are going to find an unlocked door.
Neither Does an Unarmed Security System
Unlocked doors do little to prevent burglary. Ditto for unarmed security systems. If you’ve invested in a home security system, keeping it armed whenever you are away or while you sleep at night is one of the most important things you can do to deter burglars. But a system that remains unarmed is little more than an expensive decoration.
The absolute worst thing you could do from a home security and safety standpoint is to make life easy for criminals. The easier you make it for them to do what they do, the more you are actually inviting them to make you a victim.
Angela Spearman is a journalist at EzineMark who enjoys writing about the latest trending technology and business news.
