The statistics on burglaries in the U.S. demonstrate the mind of the average burglar in surprising detail, and can be useful for the average person to consider. Approximately 2 million homes are burglarized yearly across the country, according to Protect Your Home. This means that while you aren’t guaranteed to be burglarized, there is certainly a chance that it could happen to your home during your lifetime.
Understanding the kind of homes that burglars target, and the items they tend to steal, can be useful. By knowing what burglars seek, you can make it more difficult for them to get what they want. Burglars want to get away clean, and the difficult you make it for them to take your things, the less likely they are to target your home.
Favorite Targets
Burglars prefer to steal from actual homes, instead of apartments or other types of dwellings. They hit homes 70 percent of the time, but they don’t just hit any home. Single-family homes that are detached from other buildings are the main targets, and homes that sit in the middle of the block are more likely to be burglarized than those on the end.
Also, homes at the end of the street are easier to observe by neighbors, which may account for why burglars prefer homes in the middle of the street.
As further evidence of burglar’s preference for easy conditions, they actually commit more burglaries in warm weather and prefer to work between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. — while most people are at work.
Preferred Items
Burglars like to take things that are easy to steal and easy to sell. In the end, it’s all about making money, and burglars want to get the most payout for their efforts. Some of the most popular items they steal, according to SimpliSafe.com, include:
- Cash: Cash is an ideal find for burglars. It can be used anywhere without any questions being asked, and it’s possible to carry off a ton of it without much effort.
- Jewelry: Jewelry is the next best thing to cash. While burglars do have to sell your jewelry, it’s easy enough for them to do so. Jewelry usually converts into substantial amounts of money and is usually found in jewelry boxes in bedrooms.
- Guns: Burglars love to find guns in your home. If a pawnshop won’t buy the gun, another criminal might and the burglar is likely to make good money off the sale.
- Electronics: Burglars love to find laptop computers, gaming systems and small electronics. These things can be sold at pawnshops for extra cash, and are small enough to carry out of your home.
Make It Harder
If your home sounds like an ideal target for burglars, you can make it less so with a little work. Remember, burglars like what is easy. Make it harder, and they may look elsewhere.
DIY security systems are now available that almost anyone can setup, according to homesecuritysystem.com. As long as you have a Wi-Fi network, you can install a basic system yourself for an affordable price, and you can expand it or move it as necessary.
Protect Your Home
By understanding the habits and preferences of burglars, you can make robbing your home much more difficult. Keep the things they want out of reach, and make getting into your home a challenge. This will often be enough to drive off those looking for easy targets.
