To help put your mind at rest so you can relax and enjoy your vacation, it will be necessary to take some security precautions on your property. Statistics show that in over 40 percent of residential burglaries, the thieves just walked in through an unlocked door or crawled through an unlocked window. Be sure you have locked and bolted all your doors and windows before leaving home. Sliding glass doors need special devices to make them secure. A wooden dowel in the track or a nail inserted through a hole drilled in the sliding door frame and projecting into the fixed frame will secure the door.
Commercial locks are also available.
Double-hung windows can be locked by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each top corner of the inside sash and part way through the outside sash. Window key locks and grilles for basement or street-level windows are available at a home supply store. Garage doors are harder to secure, so it is important to treat the inside door from the garage into the house like an outside door. Lock and bolt the inside door to protect the house from intrusion. Explore the possibility of an alarm system.