Having a vacation home is a wonderful asset for any family. The ability to jump on a plane and take an exotic trip from the comfort of your own second home is invaluable. However, some vacation home owners arrive for their seasonal trip only to discover their beautiful property has been ransacked and vandalized by criminals. A second house or condo is a large investment, and it’s important that you’re able to keep it as well protected as your primary home. At QuickPro Locksmith, we offer premium lock and key services for residents, businesses and drivers in Atlanta, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Suwanee, Roswell and the surrounding metro area. We’ve learned a lot about how to make properties more secure and want to help you do the same for your vacation home.
The first key is to do whatever you can to avoid being targeted in the first place. If it’s obvious that your family doesn’t live there for months at a time, then it won’t be long before local criminals wise up. This can be accomplished by keeping the lawn well serviced at all times, and perhaps even enlisting a trusted local neighbor to check on the home and flip on a light switch occasionally.
Most homes are manufactured and sold with minimum standard locks. These basic pin and tumbler knobs are easily bypassed by any thief with a $10 lock picking tool or bump key. If the criminals realize that your house isn’t lived in full time, and that their first trip went undetected, they could return again and again. This is dangerous because not only will you lose expensive electronics and decorative valuables, but they may decide to strip the home of items that are normally left alone. You could suffer severe financial consequences if you end up needing to replace appliances, electrical wiring and copper piping. Installing tamper resistant, high security locks on all entry doors and windows can help deter the first burglary attempt from ever occurring. Most criminals want an easy target, and won’t bother fumbling with a stubborn lock when there are a dozen vulnerable houses down the street. Locksmith Stone Mountain
You can install high security smart locks as well, with special features that allow you to control access and monitor your homes locks even from thousands of miles away. It’s important that you install an alarm system that will alert law enforcement and scare off attempted thieves. You might also consider placing security systems at all entrances and outside in obvious locations as an extra deterrent.
Even though you aren’t living in your vacation home full time, it can be very helpful to make friends with others that live in the neighborhood. Join the local neighborhood watch and attend meetings when you’re in town. Ask those that live beside you to keep an eye out for you, and to alert you the second they notice any suspicious activity.
Does your Atlanta area vacation property need to be protected? Contact our office today and our professional locksmith’s will happily work with you one on one to find the perfect solution for your unique needs and budget.