Work a regular 9 to 5? So do the burglars. More often than not, they’re out to rob your house, not the bank or the jewelry store. And they’ll do it during the daytime, not the middle of the night when you’re counting sheep or sawing ZZZs.
According to FBI stats, nearly 3 out of 4 break-ins are residential. And of those that happen in a home, 65 percent happen during the day when you’re out trying to make an honest living.
And yes, one of the easiest points of entry is your garage door. A broken garage door is practically like leaving your front door wide open for thieves to just waltz right in. Get it fixed, immediately, even if you just first notice the damage in the early morning on your way to work. There’s a reason we offer garage door repair 24 hours a day.
Securing Your Garage Door
It’s a good idea to invest in extra methods to secure your garage door. One inexpensive method is to use a zip tie to lock the disengaging arm on your garage door opener. The disengaging arm is the mechanism that allows you to open and close the door in the event of a power outage. However, this also means that a potential intruder could use this same mechanism to bypass the door opener and gain entry to your garage. Buy a SecureDoor that prevents thieves from unhooking the arm and unlocking the door. Automatic deadbolts are another effective way to secure your garage door. These are installed on the inside of the garage and automatically engage when the door is closed. They are intended to make it much more difficult for an intruder to pry open the door. Automatic deadbolts can be installed in addition to the existing locking mechanism on your garage door opener.You want to make sure that garage door won’t open if somebody decides to pry it.
Smile for the Camera
It’s a good idea to install surveillance cameras. Be sure to post signs announcing their presence. This discourages thieves and sends them down the block for easier pickings.
Install a Timer
Mornings can get hectic and it’s easy to forget to shut the garage door. Install a timer to ensure the door closes at certain times every day. A timer can be installed directly onto your garage door opener or as a standalone device that plugs into an electrical outlet. Once installed, you can program the timer to close the garage door at specific times every day. This would be ideally shortly after you leave for work in the morning or before you go to bed at night.
Don’t leave your garage door opener in the car. All that stands between your garage door and a your parked car is a busted window. Instead, use a keychain opener that’s attached to your keys.