How to Secure Your Seattle Home This Spring

Whether you are a Seattle native or are preparing to say hello to Seattle soon, how you can secure your Seattle home this spring is a legitimate dilemma. This is especially true if you intend to travel or spend some time away from your home. Luckily, there are several effective ways you can protect your property from burglaries and vandalism.

Seattle is a city which is known for its great entrepreneurial community. Several major tech companies have established their headquarters here, which may or may not be directly related to Seattle's low crime rate. In fact, you will probably be pleased to hear that it is one of the safest cities in the country.

However, some neighborhoods in Seattle are notorious for having problems with crime, burglaries, and assault. These are, for example, the areas around Pike and Pine Street or south of Dearborn Street. The former is known in the city as 'The Jungle,' which is indicative of what you might expect there. Namely, Seattle's homeless have found refuge in this part of the city, which is why it has gotten this moniker.

[caption id="attachment_1249602" align="aligncenter" width="742"] Even though Seattle is generally safe, just locking your door to keep it secure might not be enough.[/caption]

So, what should you do to secure your Seattle home this spring? Read on to find out.

You can set timers

Most modern devices have automatic timers that can turn on the appliance when you are away from home. So, you can set a timer on your TV or stereo and create an illusion that someone is at home watching TV.

In addition, some lamps can turn on and turn off automatically to give off the impression that your home is occupied. However, make sure that you set the timer correctly. So, it makes the most sense to turn on your lamp or another device only for a couple of hours in the evening. Leaving them on throughout the night might even unintentionally draw someone's attention and help them figure out that this is just a diversion and that you are actually not in Seattle at all.

[caption id="attachment_1249603" align="aligncenter" width="740"] Having a lamp turned on automatically in the evening is an excellent way to deter potential break-ins and secure your Seattle home this spring.[/caption]

If you do not want to run up the electricity bill, buying a lamp with a power-saving light bulb should do the trick. Be sure to place the lamps strategically. This means it makes the most sense to place the lamp to light up the entire room. Also, you will want to make sure that the light is easily visible from the street.

Install a home security system

So, you are just about to move to Seattle or to another neighborhood in Seattle. You are probably wondering how secure your new Seattle home might be. Naturally, you want your family to be maximally safe, especially if you have small children or your partner stays alone at home for extended periods of time this spring.

For this reason, the first thing you should do when you finally settle in Seattle is to check your home security system’s battery health. If the house you have bought does not have a security system, you might want to consider installing one as soon as possible.

Admittedly, whether your new Seattle home has a security system or not might not seem to be too important if you are just preparing to relocate. With all the packing, labeling, and other things you have to do to relocate, thinking about your home's level of security might seem like something you can look into after you settle into your new home. However, it is better not to postpone securing your home.

The first thing you can do to make your relocating duties less frantic and time-consuming is to reach out to professionals in the area that can help you move to or within Seattle in no time. This will help you find enough time to check out your new home's security measures. If your home does not have a security system, you can choose between a monitored or an unmonitored security system.

Monitored vs. unmonitored security systems

With a monitored system, you can contact the security company any time of the day. Another benefit of installing a monitored rather than an unmonitored system is that you are protected from potential break-ins and accidents such as fires, floors, health emergencies, etc.

If you opt for this type of security system, be sure to ask them to brief you on their security protocols in case someone breaks into your home while you are away.

[caption id="attachment_1249604" align="aligncenter" width="736"] A monitored security system ensures a very high level of security for your Seattle home.[/caption]

On the other hand, if you do not live in a dangerous neighborhood, you might want to opt for an unmonitored system, which is significantly cheaper to buy and maintain than a monitored one.

Investing in a monitored system is definitely unnecessary if you do not live in a more affluent neighborhood. What's more, you can compensate for not having a monitored system by adding other safety features. You can guard your home with a few security cameras or remotely controlled alarms and timers for appliances that we have mentioned.

Cancel your mail

Planning a burglary is sometimes organized days or weeks in advance. Burglars might scout your home to assess when you usually leave home or when you might be away for a longer period of time. Sometimes, even something as innocuous, such as piled-up flyers or mail, might indicate to the burglars that you have been gone for a few days and that the coast is clear.

If you plan to be away from your Seattle home for more than a few days this spring, we suggest you contact your local post office. You can ask for a service that notifies your mailman that you do not want to have any mail coming in during the given period of time. So, you should be able to temporarily stop the arrival of your mail, newspapers, packages, flyers, etc., in order to secure your Seattle home this spring.