Most burglars are only in the property for a few minutes at the most.
They are usually looking for items which they can get away with quickly and sell on easily.
These are often things such as jewellery, mobile phones, DVD players, laptops, games consoles etc.
Even things live normal computers and small televisions are easy enough to be carried away.
There are many ways that would indicate to a potential burglar that your home is empty.
Some obvious signs of an empty property are: No vehicles on the driveway.
Curtains and blinds closed day and night.
Post mounting up in the porch.
No lights being turned on.
Generally no movement or sign of life around the house.
There are many simple ways to solve these issues.
You could ask a neighbour to park their car on the driveway.
If possible ask a friend, neighbour or relative to go around in the evening to close the curtains or blinds and open them in the morning.
While they are there they could pick up the post and put it somewhere out of view.
There is more than one way to get around the issue of the lights.
Again you could ask a friend, relative or neighbour to turn the lights on in the evening.
They could leave one light on over night, like the hall or landing for example.
Another way around the problem is to have the lights on a timer and set them to come on in the evening and go off in the morning.
Another possibility is to fit a security light to the front and back of your home.
These have built in sensors so when ever they detect movement on your property the light comes on.
Another option is install CCTV to your home, this way you are able to monitor who enters or attempts to enter your property.
Also have a burglar alarm fitted in your home and make sure it is always set every time you leave the house.
If you go on holiday and your home is going to be empty for a longer period of time, then a good way of trying to prevent a break in is to ask someone to live at your home while you are away.
A family member would probably be the best option or if not ask a close friend that you trust.
Physical security is another option to be considered.
These are things like concertina grilles, burglar bars, security doors and roller shutters.
The most common form of physical security fitted in domestic properties is concertina grilles.
They are not too ugly to look at but still provide a good physical as well as a visual deterrent.
You can get different grades of grille from standard grilles up to heavy duty insurance specification grilles, depending on what your individual requirement is.
They can also be powder coated in a variety of colours so you should be able to get a pretty good match to the surroundings.
Steel doors are not fitted very often on domestic properties.
This would be a good way of protecting a vulnerable back door.
Some steel doors can be made quite decorative so that they look like traditional wooden front doors.
Steel doors can be fitted with much of the same hardware as traditional doors.
They can come with vision panels with different types of glass, different types of locks and locking systems.
You can also choose what furniture you want on the door.
There is a selection of handles that you can choose from.