Five Tips for Protecting Your Home While You are Away

If you are able to get away on a vacation, you a probably very excited to leave familiar surroundings for something new, but you still want all to be in place when you return.

Here are five tips for vacationers to make sure that when you return home sweet home is all that it was when you left:

1. Request that the post office hold your mail while you are away. You don't want mail that has piled up to clue a burglar to your absence. You can also have packages delivered to your office or to the home of a friend or relative during this time.

2. If you have the newspaper delivered, have the delivery put on hold while you are gone so that newspapers don't pile up at your door.

3. Leave a car parked in your driveway.

4. Put your lights and television(s) on timers. If possible, get one that goes on a off at various times, so it seems as if someone is home.

5. Ask a friend, relative or neighbor to drive by and check on your home. They can make sure everything looks alright and pick up any packages that you may have forgotten.