Summertime in Michigan is filled with vacations, family outings, and long days in the sun. Many of those outings require some planning before leaving like packing bags or lining up pet sitters. But what about your home itself? Our homes are meant to be safe and often hold hard-earned valuables, electronics, and irreplaceable memories. Before traveling on your next vacation, consider these tips that can keep your home safe while you travel this summer.
6 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe
The last thing you want to worry about when you’re on vacation is if your home is safe. Instead of letting your mind wander to the possibilities, practice these simple tips to protect your home while you’re away and give you peace of mind.
- Ask a neighbor or friend to keep an eye on your home. Before leaving for your vacation, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around your home. Knowing that someone you trust is keeping a watchful eye on your home can give you peace of mind.
- Hold your mail delivery while on vacation. Mail that’s overflowing from your mailbox is a giveaway that you’re away, as well as something that can easily be stolen. Before leaving for vacation, set up a hold on your mail delivery. This can be easily scheduled by using the USPS website or visiting your local post office.
- Use technology to turn on and off lights in your home. Current technology has made it easier than ever to control the lights in our homes. Whether you use a timer or an app on your phone, you can easily control when lights go on in certain rooms. This security precaution may dissuade anyone who may be scoping the area for an easy target.
- Avoid discussing upcoming vacations on social media. It can be tempting to post your excitement about an upcoming trip but mentioning any upcoming travel plans can put you at risk. While the majority of our friends and followers may have the best intentions, it only takes one person to make your home their next target.
- Turn on motion-activated lights. Keeping your porch light on is a good way to deter any potential threats to your home. Motion-activated lights provide an added layer of protection because they can spook someone who targets your home by drawing attention to their activities.
- Keep valuables and important documents in a safe. Make sure to lock up any valuables and important documents before traveling. This not only protects valuables but ensures that you’ll know exactly where they are when you need them. Many safes are fire and water-resistant, which can protect the integrity of those documents as well as deter theft.
Housekeeping Tips That Can Protect Your Home
Sometimes protecting our homes while traveling means safeguarding them against power outages or leaks. Before leaving make sure to:
- Turn off the water to your home
- Unplug electronics to protect them from power surges during storms
You worked hard for your home, so make sure to keep it safe while traveling this summer. Implementing the simple tips above can ensure that when you return refreshed from your vacation that nothing sours that relaxed feeling. After all, our homes are our castles, and every good castle has a guard at the gate.
About Real Estate All-Star Julie Krumholz
Julie Krumholz has been selected as one of Hour Detroit magazine’s 2022 Real Estate All-Stars! The list will appear in the June 2022 issue of Hour Detroit, the summer issue of Detroit Design, and online at HourDetroit.com.
Julie has over 35 years of experience in the mortgage industry ranging from loan processing, closing, loan origination, underwriting, QC auditing and even co-owned a mortgage brokerage firm. Julie applies her knowledge to help first-time homebuyers and seasoned homebuyers alike navigate the mortgage process and make their dreams a reality.
