Each year one out of every 20 homes will be burglarized. The FBI reported that 12 million property crimes occurred in 1992 costing Americans $3.8 billion.

According to Candysse Miller, executive director for the Insurance Information Network of California, nine out of 10 household burglaries are preventable. It's all in the preparation before you leave home. So before you pile your luggage in the car or get your airline tickets ready for that long awaited vacation, make sure that once you leave, you won't return to an empty house. IINC suggests you follow these guidelines:

DON'T GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT NO ONE IS AT HOME

Suspend mail and newspaper deliveries or arrange to have these items picked up or forwarded to another address.
Use automatic timers to turn lights on and off at appropriate times. You may also consider connecting a radio to a timer.
Arrange to have your lawn mowed.
Leave blinds or curtains open in their usual position.
Lower the sound of your phone so that its ring can't be heard outside.

MAKE YOUR HOME BURGLAR RESISTANT

Secure doors with dead-bolts or double-cylinder locks instead of only doorknobs or spring activated locks which are easier to break into. Dead-bolt locks should fit an inch and a half into door frames and are more effective when used with metal sockets that are more difficult to pry open than simple wood sockets.
Place vertical bolts or a piece of wood (e.g. a broomstick) or metal rod in the tracks of sliding doors.
Make sure all locks on windows are secure. Windows can also be secured with key locks.