Summer vacation is here! You’ve packed up the car and the kids and you’re ready to hit the road, hop off that flight, or pitch your tent at your favourite campsite. But have you taken into consideration what steps you can take to keep your home and property safe while you’re away? With a few simple preparations at home, your trip can be worry-free! 

The key to keeping your property safe is to try your best to not appear to be away; the number one tip is to not post on Facebook about jetting off. It’s tempting, I know! But unless your privacy settings are completely locked down, undesirable acquaintances-who-are-friends-of-friends may be tempted to check out your place after seeing your cousin wish you happy travels. 

Hire a housesitter to mow your lawn, water your plants, and check on your property every few days for safety. Or how about swapping house sitting duties with a trusted friend or neighbour while they are out of town? Not only do you want to dissuade intruders, but having someone with access to house keys can check for flooding, burst pipes, or mitigate other disasters. Leave valuables out of sight, both in your yard or garage, and visible through windows.

Why not consider the Shane Homes Smart Home Advantage System: this state-of-the-art home automation package is now standard in all newly constructed paired and single-family Shane homes. Doorbell cameras are a popular and easy-to-install addition to homes, especially as a deterrent to “porch pirates” who want to help themselves to your packages and deliveries. But Smart Home Systems, like the Nest, offer so much more than just a doorbell photo. With 24/7 streaming you can check who is at your door any time of the day and even scroll back to review footage over the course of the day. The Nest camera delivers video in crisp HD images, even at night. It’s designed to show you everything at your doorstep – visitors from head to toe or packages placed on the ground, even your sidewalk or street if your stoop layout allows. In addition, all notifications are sent directly to your smartphone and you can communicate with the person on your porch via the Nest app.

Also included is The Nest Yale Wi-Fi Smart Lock: If you’re sitting at your airline gate concerned that you didn’t lock the doors properly, all you have to do is pull out your smartphone and lock them from the app!

As well, the Shane Smart Home Advantage System also includes the Lutron Caseta Kit, which allows you to remotely control the lighting in your home. With a simple press of a button on your smartphone, you can flick on any number of lights in your home to deter anyone potentially casing your place with the illusion of activity inside. Or set up a schedule in the app to have the lights turn on and off at specific times.

Returning from a relaxing, memorable journey to learn that something has gone seriously wrong at home can be devastating. But running through a quick checklist as you’re on your way out – doors locked, windows shut, garage locked up, garbage taken out, etcetera – and a Smart Home system in place can give you wonderful piece of mind to fully enjoy your trip!