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Many real estate professionals have a small cubby-space at the realtor office they work for; however, their primary office may be in their home.  Considering the risky nature of your job – meeting strangers alone in homes or being a high-visibility agent – it is a good idea to ensure that your home and office are protected.  By being proactive and taking the necessary steps to secure your home, you reduce your chances of becoming a victim of a burglary or a home invasion crime.

You probably go into homes everyday that have security systems that you must arm and disarm.  Do you have a security system protecting your home?  If not, why not?  Many people wait until they have had a burglary or someone close to them has before they decide to install a security system.  Don’t wait - look into how you can protect your home, your family, and yourself 24-hours a day.  You may be surprised at how cost-efficient it is to install a really good quality security system.

Courtesy of CA Home Security

One of the great benefits of having a security system is the peace of mind you will have knowing if you experience a home intrusion, a burglary, an attack, or a fire that someone is always on the other end and can get the appropriate authorities to you immediately.

If your home office is in a secluded location like the basement or an upstairs bedroom, you may not be able to hear if someone opens a door and comes into your home.  Your alarm system can be designed to let you know when a door or window is opened either by a chime sound or a voice from the keypad.  That way you will not be surprised or confronted by an intruder.

If you have a remote panic button, you can carry it throughout your house.  If you should need help, just press the panic button to activate the alarm system.  This will set off the loud siren and immediately contacts your monitoring company to send the police right away.  There are several types of remote panic buttons.  You can get one that attaches to your car keys that has an off/on/panic button.  You can activate the alarm from your car, bedroom, anywhere up to 75 feet or so from the main unit in your home.

The remote panic button that I prefer is about the size of a small cell phone and has an off/away/stay and panic button feature.  It also talks to you in a voice when you press the buttons.  That way you know precisely that you either set or deactivated the alarm.  I like to keep mine in my office when I’m working alone.  Outside the panic button works up to  100 feet or so away from the house.

Have you considered the extreme loss should you have a fire in your home?  Many people have battery-operated smoke detectors but they don’t do much good when no one is home to hear them or respond.  With your security system be sure to add at least one or two smoke detectors (whatever your security rep recommends) that will notify the monitoring company to send the fire authorities.  A fire can devastate your entire home if not caught soon enough causing you could lose everything.  In a break-in you generally lose valuables that are replaceable (i.e., TV, stereos, electronics, etc).  Don’t rely upon neighbors to see smoke coming from your home and call the fire department.  By that time it may be too late!

Fire also can kill!  When you are away from home, consider pets or elderly family members that may be left alone.  They may have no way of getting out of the house unless help arrives.  Adding fire protection means someone will always know when you need the fire department and can dispatch them immediately.  This way chances are better that they can get there in time to save your home, your pets or family members.

Your insurance company will appreciate the steps you’ve taken to protect your home against burglary and fire.  They will usually give an insurance break up to 20% off with this type of coverage. (Check with your agent).

Here are some additional tips to strengthen and reinforce the perimeter of your home:

• Re-key all locks if you have just moved in to a house or apartment.  You never know who still has a key.  You don’t want any surprises.
• Place a dowel rod in the track of your sliding glass doors so it can’t be opened from the outside.  To prevent sliding doors from being lifted out of their frames, install shims along the top frames; these fit in the tracks between the top of the door and frame and prevent the door from being raised high enough to be lifted out.
• Check your basement windows. Shrubbery may hide these windows providing a place for criminals to work without being seen.  Consider reinforcing the windows with dowel rods, nails, better locks, or Plexiglas.
• Install a deadbolt lock on the door of your office so that it becomes a “safe room” that you can lock yourself into if you are threatened.  If the office is on an upper floor, plan an escape route out of the room, possibly keeping a rope ladder in the room.  Be sure to have a fully charged cell phone with you in your office.  Program emergency numbers just in case.
• Have good quality deadbolts with full one-inch bolts on all entry doors.  If you have a door with glass panels within three feet of the lock, consider having a double-cylinder deadbolt, which requires a key on both sides so that a burglar cannot simply break the glass and reach through to unlock the door.  If a door has conventional glass panels, consider replacing them with shatterproof glass.

Your personal safety on the job and at home should be a main concern.  You may say “I don’t need a security system because someone is always home, or I live in a really good neighborhood.”  Look at a security system from the perspective that “Personal Security Begins At Home.”  Most break-ins tend to occur during the day when you may just be home alone.  The last thing you want is to confront a burglar with no protection!

The peace of mind you’ll have with your professional security system will be well worth it!!

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