What is the most important thing I can do to prevent predators from entering my home?
The best way to protect your home from burglars is to look at it from the burglar's point of view. You're going to start off looking at it from the street; how easy it is for them to approach your house, what kind of cover they have, if there are lots of trees and bushes that allow them to get close to your house without being seen. That's a very important factor for them. The bottom line is a burglar's going to come into your house through either your doors or your windows. Think of a house like a box. It has four sides, a roof, and a floor. There are openings to the box. Those are the doors and windows. Burglars prefer to come through the front door, believe it or not, because that looks most natural; they can approach your house from the street and not look suspicious walking up to your front door. It could be a guest. It could be some sort of service person. They'll knock on the door and they'll ring the bell to verify no one's home. Then they'll start, basically, by checking the door to see if it's open; sometimes it is. Sometimes they'll put their shoulder to it, and the door will simply fly open. Most commonly, they will kick your door. One or two good, swift kicks and most doors will just fly open, and in they come. Once inside, they close the door behind them, and then they think they have all the time in the world, and the privacy of being inside your home. So, how do you make your home more secure? You focus on that front door. You get a good solid-core or metal door, first and foremost. You put good, solid, heavy-duty locks on that door. I like deadbolt locks, grade 1 or grade 2, that are attached to the door jamb with a heavy-duty strike plate. That's a little metal device that screws into the door jamb that holds that deadbolt in place. You want to have long, 3-inch wood screws that go all the way into the door jamb to prevent that door from being kicked open easily. That will stop most burglars in their tracks, just by having that solid entryway door.
