Recently, we shared the story of a family in a growing Nashville neighborhood who thought they’d never have to worry about home invasion.

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/18912927/woman-injured-in-east-nashville-home-invasion

This family has lived in an East Nashville neighborhood for over twenty years, and said burglaries and robberies are infrequent there. They never thought they would have to worry about home invasions, so the trauma has left residents fearful of what may come.

Home invasion, robbery, and property damage are crimes that many people become a victim of because they are not prepared, or have not prepared their home. Prevention can result in minimizing stress and heartache as well as cost to potential victims. Below we have compiled a list of steps home owners can take to prevent a home invasion..

   Keep your property and home well lit.

           Exterior lighting, particularly around entrances is a powerful deterrent.

   Post decals and alarm signs on the exterior of your home.

          Even fake ones can be helpful.

   Keep trash cans near your back door.

          Be aware of the trash you leave on the curb. Break down boxes from recently purchased items like TVs and conceal them from prying eyes and the trash man.

    Prevent outdoor hiding.

          Trim your hedges to below a height of three feet..

   Make inside your home less visible from the outside to prevent thieves seeing an object of value  

    Don’t stash a key.

   Put away any helpful tools that make a criminals job easier.

          Ladders, stackable items, etc.