• Keep your doors locked. It sounds simple, but in nearly half of all home burglaries, intruders enter through an unlocked door or patio! Lock your doors even if you are only "running to the store or neighbor's house".

• Get to know your neighbors. Watch out for suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Join a Neighborhood Watch group if it's available. Start one if necessary.

• Keep trees and hedges trimmed. This gives intruders fewer places to hide while they plot to break into your home.

• Replace burned-out outdoor lights immediately. Using the cover of night, thieves generally target homes with poor outdoor lighting. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures with devices that have built-in motion detectors which turn on the lights whenever anyone walks past.

• Don't be predictable. Once inside, thieves do just what you do when you come home: They head for the bedroom. That's where most of us keep our valuables. A jewelry box on top of the dresser is practically a homing signal. But, they also know your "clever" hiding places: dresser drawers, the freezer, under the matters, and the cookie jar!

• Avoid keeping large amounts of cash and jewelry in your house. Thieves are looking for cash and easy-to-carry things they can turn into cash quickly: jewelry, silver, cameras and other electronic devices. Keep small "luxury" items locked in a safe or well hidden. Large items don't scare crooks off either -- TVs, VCRs, computers, and stereos get their attention too. Invest in a simple table/desk bolt for stereos, computers and VCRs. If it's too difficult to steal most thieves, looking to get in and out quickly, won't bother.