Afraid of being cased by burglars

[Anonymous]

Are there women living alone with kids in the suburban houses or with husbands who travel a lot? What do you do to feel safe?
I am new to SFH living, used to live in secure urban buildings before. I feel very exposed despite security cameras and motions activated lights. I hear weird stories and daytime burglaries happening in nice and safe neighborhoods.

What do you do if you have some weird visitors (solicitors, people claiming to be from the county, people showing up claiming to pick up items for donations or sale, etc). I read that sometimes they are burglar gangs operating together trying to case houses to find vulnerable targets. Is this overblown? I know not to open the door for anyone and inquire about their business. I had some county people show up and they provided the paper authorizing them to inspect stuff. Then I had some solicitors who claim to work on neighbors houses selling their services. I had some people who claim to get donations someone posted were avail at my address. I think I am losing my mind. Is this normal?

[Anonymous]

Ignore or talk to them through the camera.

[Anonymous]

Your problem is what/where you’re reading.

[Anonymous]

Alarm system, and use it. We got ours when the kids were little and spouse traveled a lot. It made me feel much more comfortable

[Anonymous]

Secure urban buildings?

[Anonymous]

Scammers are more likely to come around than burglars. The people who come around and tell you they are working on your neighbors home and are offering you the same deal are scammers, not burglars. We get a lot of people doorknocking too for Amnesty International or some other cause, or to ask us to switch to solar power or cable or some other thing. This is annoying but it's not dangerous.

Take it down a notch.

[Anonymous]

I do not like to ignore a door knock. If they are burglars, they might be checking to see if people are home. I have been known to open a side window and yell out that I am not interested in what they are selling.

[Anonymous]

I had some missionaries knock on the door who had looked up our name (which strongly suggests a certain nationality) and they asked if anyone here spoke that language. When asked, they admitted they'd looked up our name. I got rid of them and didn't convert to their religion that day.

[Anonymous]

Don’t answer the door except when you are expecting someone.

[Anonymous]

Get a dog

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a dog

This is my solution.

[Anonymous]

Do you have anxiety about other facets of your life? Your concern is way over blown.
I am not single but my spouse works 4-midnight so I’m alone in the evenings with our kid. I do have anxiety but try not to worry about things I cannot control. So I check the garage door is closed if I’m home, I check the car doors are locked before I go to bed.
I do get rid of stuff on buy nothing but it’s always no contact. I’ve been doing that for years with no issues.
Get to know your neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Get a no soliciting sign. You have a security camera. Get on your neighborhood list serve. Honestly, I'm much safer in my SFH in Silver Spring that in my "secure" building in Columbia Heights. Get some therapy for your anxiety.

[Anonymous]

These people are unlikely to be burglars but they are annoying. Get a no-soliciting sign and a visible camera by the doors, and then ignore them. If you want to show someone's home, lights or TV noise can do that.

Mostly, get to know your house and its noises, and get to know your neighbors. And stop listening crime podcasts or whatever is giving you these fears.

Don't get a dog to feel safe unless you're also going to feel safe walking it alone, letting it out at night, etc. Get a recording of a dog barking if that makes you feel better.

[Anonymous]

A camera system, a dog, and a shotgun.

FAFO.