Take a moment to think about your own home security, do you always lock your doors, even when you’re leaving for a second to run to the neighbor’s house or take the dog on a walk? Do you think it’s better to conserve energy by keeping all lights and electronics off in your house while you’re on vacation? Making home security a priority will help keep your home off the hit list for burglars.

As hard as it might be to put yourself in the mindset of a burglar, there are some things you can learn by turning the tables and determining what a red flag for a target home might be. Burglars will look for easy ways to enter the home whether it’s through unlocked doors, windows or open garages; plus they also don’t want to get caught so looking for homes that are easily accessible, dimly lit and hidden by a lot of trees are all things to consider when casing a home to break into. Maintaining over grown shrubbery, installing bright motion detecting lights outside and keeping valuables like television sets out of sight from windows are all good places to start when increasing home security.

Some burglars may even pay attention to details about your family that you tend to unknowingly reveal from maintaining the same daily routine to announcing on social media accounts and your home voicemail or mailbox what your family’s name is. Burglars will also take dumpster diving to a new level, just trying to find out any information they can about your family, whether they’ll use it to trick an unsuspecting child who answers the door or even for identity theft, so a good rule of thumb would be to shred everything that pertains to personal information.

Criminals also notice when you’re out of town, giving them more time to plan their break-in. Try not to be so obvious when leaving home for your next family vacation and having a neighbor keep an eye on your place when you leave is important. Burglars will notice when a car hasn’t been parked out in front of a house for a few days and it’s a dead giveaway when newspapers start to pile up on your driveway. Have your neighbor or a friend park his/her car in your driveway every once in awhile and make sure they pick up your mail and newspapers. You can also manage your home security system while you’re away and control your home lighting from your ADT Pulse™ app on a smart phone or tablet, to trick outsiders into thinking someone is actually occupying your residence.

Fore more information on home security systems visit Connect Your Home online where you can compare major home services retailers for free, or call 888-566-3979. You can also find Connect Your Home on Facebook and Twitter for home services updates and home safety tips.