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REALTOR®: Realtors observe Realtor Safety Week by sharing safety tips with homeowners

Monday, September 10, 2007

In observance of Realtor Safety Week on Sept. 9-15, members of the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) would like to share the following safety tips with homeowners. Sources for these safety guidelines are the National Association of REALTORS®, the Nevada County Board of REALTORS®, Home Safety Council and Kwikset.

• Consider investing in an alarm system if you don’t already have one. If you do, make sure you have a panic button feature you can easily use in the room you use as an office.

• Your home should have deadbolts with full one-inch bolts on all entry doors. These should be installed in addition to existing locksets. If you have a door with glass panels within three feet of the lock, you should have a double-cylinder deadbolt, which requires a key on both sides so that a burglar cannot simply break the glass and reach through to unlock the door. If a door has conventional glass panels, consider replacing them with shatterproof glass or with polycarbonate material.

• If you have just moved to a house or apartment, have all locks re-keyed immediately.

• If you must provide copies of your keys to housekeepers, contractors or other workers, be sure to give as few keys as possible—for example, just one key that opens one door. If you terminate a worker who has your key, consider changing the lock, even if you get your key back.

• Place a wooden rod in the track of a sliding glass door so it can’t be opened from outside. To prevent sliding doors from being lifted from their frames, install shims along the top frames; these fit in the tracks between the top of the door and frame and prevent the door from being raised high enough to be removed.

• Pay special attention to your basement windows. Bushes or trees may hide these windows, providing a place for criminals to work without being seen. Consider reinforcing the windows with security bars, wire mesh or Plexiglas.

• Install a deadbolt lock on the door of your home office or den, so that it becomes a “safe room” that you can lock yourself into if you are threatened. Plan an escape route from the upper floor; consider keeping a rope ladder in a room upstairs.

• Make sure all porches, entrance areas and yards are well-lit. Turn on interior lights when you’re away in the evening.

• Prune any shrubbery that hides doors or windows. Remove tree limbs that allow access to second story windows.

• Don’t hide house keys in mailboxes, planters or under doormats. Never put your name on your key chain - this creates an easy way for someone to figure out where you live, and then would have access to your home and car.

• Keep garage windows covered and garage doors closed. There is a lot about your garage you don’t want potential criminals to know about - such as whether someone is home, or if there are tools or ladders available to help break in to your home. If you have an attached garage, make sure the door that connects your house to the garage is a solid core exterior door with a deadbolt lock.

• Even though you have a telephone in your home, keep a charged mobile phone with you at all times. Program any emergency phone numbers as speed-dials on your landline as well as your mobile phone.

• For a detailed security analysis of your home, contact a bonded professional locksmith who is an accredited member of a National Locksmith Association. Finally, your police and sheriff’s department will be glad to help when needed. Call them immediately if you see, hear or have a good reason to suspect that a crime is being committed.

The San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 3,800 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula. SAMCAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in San Mateo County.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Julie Ziemelis, Director of Public Affairs, e-mail , or phone (650) 696-8214.

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