The Home Security Plan: Make Your Home a Hard Target

Most break-ins aren't clever.

A burglar walks down a street, looks at the houses, and picks the one that looks easiest. An unlocked back door. A dark yard. A pile of mail that says nobody's home.

You can't make a house impossible to get into. Nobody can. But you can make it not worth the trouble, so he keeps walking.

So that is what I have written. Not a book to scare you. A plan you can finish in a weekend.

Inside, you will discover:

• What a burglar sees from the street, and why a tall hedge helps him more than you

• The 3-inch screw that matters more than the lock on your front door

• Why the back door and the sliding door are where most folks get caught out

• The window latch that was never built to keep anybody out

• The trick that opens many garage doors in seconds, and the zip tie that stops it

• What to do inside the house, so the things that matter most are the hardest to find

• How to leave for a week without your house telling everybody you're gone

• What doesn't work as well as you think, from the fake key rock to "I've got a dog"

• A worksheet, shopping list and weekend plan to print and keep

This is not about turning your home into a fortress. Most of it takes an afternoon. None of it takes a contractor. Every job has a rough time and a box to check off, with notes for renters and mobile homes.

When you finish, you will:

• Know exactly how your home looks to the wrong kind of person

• Have the easy openings closed, starting with the five that matter most

• Sleep better, because you will know the job is done

Do it over one weekend, and your home will be a harder target than it was on Friday.

— Cole

Instant download. 38 pages. Yours to keep and print.