According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, the average dollar loss per residential burglary is $2,661, and more than two million burglaries are attempted or completed across the United States each year. Multiple peer-reviewed studies — including the University of North Carolina's widely cited Charlotte burglar survey — confirm what police departments have always known: burglars actively select the easiest targets and move on when a home shows visible security layers. The 12 ranked steps below make your home a harder target than the next one on the block.
How Burglars Actually Choose Targets
Interviews with convicted burglars consistently surface the same decision factors: ease of access, evidence of occupation, visibility from the street, and the presence of security hardware. The UNC study found that a visible alarm sign, exterior cameras, or signs of a dog caused a meaningful share of offenders to abandon the target. Your goal is to stack enough of these signals that your home drops out of the consideration set entirely.
The 12 Highest-Impact Hardening Steps (Ranked)
1. Reinforced Door Hardware
The front door is the single most common point of entry, typically via a kick-in that splits the jamb around the strike plate. Install a 3-inch reinforced strike plate with 3-inch screws (driven into the stud behind the jamb) on every exterior door. Upgrade deadbolts to ANSI Grade 1 or Grade 2 and add a door reinforcement kit to defeat the splitting attack.
2. Window Locks and Reinforcement
Most ground-floor windows ship with flimsy sash latches. Add keyed sash locks or pin locks, install window-break sensors, and consider 3M security film on ground-floor glass. The film holds the glass together after impact, dramatically slowing forced entry.
3. Exterior Lighting
Motion-activated exterior lighting is one of the most studied deterrents. A National Institute of Justice-funded New York City study found that improved outdoor lighting reduced crime by roughly 36%. Cover every approach: front door, back door, side gates, garage, and any dark corner of the yard. LED fixtures with integrated motion sensors cost less than $50 per unit.
4. Landscaping for Visibility
Trim shrubs below window height (about 3 feet) and tree branches above 6 feet. Burglars exploit overgrown landscaping to approach windows unseen. The goal is to eliminate hiding spots between the street and the structure.
5. Visible Alarm Signage
Yard signs and window decals matter. The UNC burglar survey documented that a visible alarm-company sign caused 60% of offenders to bypass a home entirely. Place signs at the most-visible angles from the street and near every primary entry point.
6. Visible Cameras
Doorbell cameras, eave cameras, and driveway floodlight cameras create a visible, recorded record of any approach. A Rutgers-led study in Newark documented a statistically significant reduction in residential burglaries on streets with camera coverage. Pair visible cameras with smart-home integration for real-time alerts.
7. Routines That Hide Absence
- Smart lighting on randomized schedules, not fixed timers
- A radio or TV simulator that mimics occupancy
- Hold mail and packages at the post office or a neighbor's
- Ask a neighbor to park in your driveway periodically while you travel
- Mow the lawn and clear snow on schedule
8. Social-Media Hygiene
Real-time vacation posts are a gift to burglars. Wait until you return to post. Disable automatic geotagging on photos and scrub metadata from listings (home-for-sale photos frequently reveal floor plans and valuables). Remind every family member — particularly teens — see our child safety guide.
9. Garage Security
Garages are frequently the weakest link: automatic openers that can be forced open, pet doors that admit a person, and direct interior access to the house. Upgrades:
- Install a garage-door opener with rolling codes (post-2012 models)
- Add a deadbolt on the garage-to-house door
- Cover garage windows with frosted film to prevent contents inventory
- Never leave the door opener visible on a car dashboard
10. Sliding-Door Locks
Sliding glass doors are a classic vulnerability. Add a keyed sliding-door lock, place a dowel or security bar in the track, and install a sensor that alarms on both opening and movement (glass-break sensors catch forced entry even if the door stays closed).
11. Smart Locks and Access Control
Modern smart locks eliminate hidden keys, shared codes, and lost-key rekey costs. Best practices:
- Unique code per household member, cleaner, dog walker, contractor
- Auto-lock enabled 30-60 seconds after the door closes
- Geofence-based arming for the alarm system
- Notification on every entry, logged in the app
12. Video Doorbell
A video doorbell with two-way talk converts the porch into a screened checkpoint. You can answer the door from anywhere, ask delivery couriers to leave packages in a specific spot, and capture clear video of anyone who approaches. Pair with package-detection features available on many modern doorbells.
Hardening Table at a Glance
| Step | Typical Cost | Effort | Deterrence Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reinforced door hardware | $30-$80 per door | Medium | Very high |
| Window locks and film | $20-$100 per window | Medium | High |
| Motion lighting | $30-$60 per fixture | Low | Very high |
| Landscaping trim | $0-$200 | Low | Medium |
| Visible alarm signs | Included with monitoring | Low | Very high |
| Cameras (doorbell + exterior) | $150-$600 | Low-Medium | Very high |
| Smart locks | $150-$300 per door | Low | High |
| Garage door + interior deadbolt | $200-$500 | Medium | High |
| Sliding door reinforcement | $25-$150 | Low | High |
| Monitored alarm system | $20-$60/month | Low | Very high |
Layered Security: The Principle
No single measure stops every intrusion. Layered security works because each layer independently raises the cost and time required. Five properly layered measures are almost always better than one expensive layer. A visible sign + a reinforced door + motion lighting + a monitored alarm + a video doorbell sends a clear signal: this is the wrong house.
What a Monitored System Adds
Even with perfect hardening, nothing replaces a central-station monitored alarm with Enhanced Call Verification. Monitored systems from ADT, Vivint, SimpliSafe, Ring Alarm, and Frontpoint dispatch police while you are away, and the visible hardware itself is a powerful deterrent. See our monitoring comparison and monitoring models guide for dispatch-time data by brand.
Pair physical hardening with a documented family emergency plan and neighborhood coordination through a watch program for the highest level of protection.