Is your home safe while you are on vacation?

We all get excited right before we leave for a vacation but you want to take a few steps to make sure that your home is secure and still standing when you return.

Here are some tips to give you peace of mind while you are away and make sure you do not make your house as a target of opportunity. These are some simple precautions from the experts.
• Be mindful of who is around when you are discussing your trip - there is no need to let too many people know or draw attention to the fact your house might be empty for a period. This is very important if you use social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. If your friends and followers all know that you will be away, how difficult would it be for someone with other motives to find out where you live?
• The best deterrent is to have someone housesit. If that is not possible, ask a trusted neighbor or friend to take in the newspaper, mail, and any other deliveries and keep an eye on the house. Give them your trip plans and an emergency phone number so they can reach you in case of an emergency. You can also arrange with the post office and newspaper to suspend delivery for the time you are away.
• Lock doors, windows and secure sliding doors (a metal rod or a broomstick in the sliding door track is an inexpensive lock), as well as the garage, the basement, and the attic. Some people even disconnect the power to motorized garage door openers.
• Move any valuables from plain sight.
• Check on your appliances, unplug anything that doesn't need to be on while you're away. Lower air conditioning/heating units to energy-saving levels. You might want to shut off the water to your washing machine. My husband's co-worker came home to a flood of water when the hose to her washing machine burst and the water kept running.
• Set timers to turn on lights if you do not have someone staying at the house.

Above all, enjoy your vacation!