Hide your keys in these spots and you’ll get robbed

No one likes to get robbed, and yet every time you leave the house, you likely do passive things to ensure you don’t, like closing and locking the windows and doors. You may even have a great home security system. Little deters resilient burglars, however, so you should probably make sure you’re not leaving easy clues for them to pick up on. How you hide your keys, for instance, is one of the first things burglars pick up on.

Leaving a spare key behind is ideal for those who seem to misplace their regular set a lot. Even if you’re good about staying on top of your belongings, things happen! But if you don’t hide your spare well, then you could be coming home to quite the opposite of a locked door you can’t get into. Find out the 10 hiding spots burglars always look first for valuables.

If you don’t want to walk into an empty home, there are some places you need to avoid stashing that spare key. The first place you should avoid is under the doormat. It’s just too easy, and definitely the first place a thief will look.

Under the flower pot near the front door is another no-no for hiding your key. This is the second likeliest place a burglar will look to. And don’t think that having various flower pots out front will deter them! They’ll have no qualms about hoisting up a pot to find their golden ticket. Check out these 35 things burglars don’t want you to know.

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Fake rocks, called hide-a-keys, may seem like a good idea, but do you really think a burglar isn’t going to notice that synthetic looking bulk standing out against the real deals? Even worse is if you don’t have any rocks around, and simply place the fake rock in a flower pot! Your best bet is to avoid this strategy altogether since fake rocks sold for hiding spare keys are well known to must burglars.

The reality is, hiding your key anywhere near your front door is a bad idea. That includes on the trim of the door, on top of the porch light and anywhere else you could hide something small near your front door.

If you have a magnetic key holder, burglars are going to look out for places around your front door (and even other doors or magnetic areas around your home), for where the holder could stick. This tactic is much like the hide-a-key solution.

Perhaps you think the mailbox might be a good spot since it’s not right in front of your door. Think again. This is another popular spot for burglars to look.

Your best bet is to get rid of the need for a key altogether by installing a keyless lock instead. Here’s everything you need to know about smart door locks, including the keyless entry option.

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Next, find out the 13 signs your house is being watched.

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