15 Things That Make Your Home a Target for Burglars

You might be doing things around your home that make it more attractive to burglars without even realizing it. And with the holiday season approaching, when many people are traveling, shopping, and bringing new purchases home, it's a good time to take a closer look at a few things that could make your property an easier target.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I live in Texas, and although I have a great security system, I still think it's worth knowing what might make a home appealing to someone looking for an easy payday at your expense.

Break-Ins Tend to Be a Concern During the Holiday Season

Despite your best efforts, you may be unknowingly making your home more attractive to would-be burglars. According to security advice shared by Prudential Alarms, the holiday season is a time when homeowners should be especially mindful of security, particularly when they're away from home.

That doesn't mean every neighborhood suddenly becomes a hot spot for burglaries. But with people traveling and homes sometimes sitting unattended, it's a good reminder to think about how we protect our property.

What Older Data Suggests About December Break-Ins

Back in 2018, KHOU reported that December 1 was the day Texas homeowners were most likely to experience a home burglary, based on a 10-year analysis of insurance claims by Allstate.

There's an important distinction here: That statistic came from Allstate customers' claims, not every burglary reported across Texas. And it's older data, so it shouldn't be treated as a current ranking of the most likely day for a break-in.

Still, it's an interesting reminder of how much activity can surround the holiday season. Texas Department of Public Safety figures from 2018 also showed that residential burglaries were reported more often during the day than at night that year. That's another reason not to assume your home is only vulnerable after dark.

The Emotional Toll of Even Thinking About a Break-In

Honestly, just the thought of it disturbs me. Even if I know my security system is there to help protect my home, imagining a burglar inside still freaks me out. There's a good chance you can relate.

Getting ready to go out of town is already stressful. You have to worry about the planning, the packing and making sure your fur babies are cared for. On top of that, the thought of a potential home break-in can make you think twice about leaving. Well, maybe.

Why a Security System Isn't Enough on Its Own

I recently came across an article shared by Urban Survival Site discussing ways people may unintentionally make their homes targets.

If you have a security system or a camera with an app you can monitor from your phone, that's great! But that doesn't mean we should stop there. It still makes sense to do what we can to discourage someone from targeting our homes in the first place.

Even if an alarm or camera helps alert you to a problem, most of us would rather not have strangers prowling around our property at all.

15 Habits That May Be Making Your Home a Target

So, let's take a look at 15 things homeowners may be doing, or not doing, that could make their homes more appealing to burglars. Some of these might surprise you.