ive been ripped off

[bazzateer]

Insurance company happy to pay out after you left everything unlocked? Wow!

 

[crewchief888]

I walk around my property with a green beret, mirrored sunglasses, and a .45 sidearm strapped to my side. Neighbors and solicitors think I'm a headcase, and stay away

i run off the "door knockers" too. they have a habit of coming around here in nicer weather on the weekends, hoping to catch someone outside. my dog dont like strangers at all, at that alone usually stops them before they ever get close to the house. if they do manage to get close enough, they usually dont hang around long, cuz i'm not "politically correct" with them, and the sight of a 45 usaully send em on their way to the neighbors, with his 3 large dogs, and equally unfriendly disposition.

a previous poster mentioned about craigslist buyers, i always meet em someplace away from the house, just for my own peace of mind.

 

[Kirkz28]

Actually, many homeowners insurance policies don't require you lock your doors (in order for them to pay out on a theft claim). At the same time, many policies for cottages, rented dwellings, etc DO require doors to be locked (got to show proof of unwanted entry). Goofy, isn't it?

 

[Shadowdog500]

Hit the flea markets and auctions in your area as well. A friend of the family had his welding shop robbed twice and found his stuff at a local auction the next weekend both times.

I see several people talking about packing a .45. I have a good friend who is a retired homicide guy. He told me if anyone broke in his house he would reach for the shotgun every time.

Chris

 

[crewchief888]

Hit the flea markets and auctions in your area as well. A friend of the family had his welding shop robbed twice and found his stuff at a local auction the next weekend both times.

I see several people talking about packing a .45. I have a good friend who is a retired homicide guy. He told me if anyone broke in his house he would reach for the shotgun every time.

Chris

my 1st choice is a shot barreled 12 guage, but it's hard to stuff a shotgun in your waistband
"is that a shotgun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

we have guns stashed around the house in several places, kids are older and their friends are VERY respectful.
if i had my choice, the 1st thing i'd grab would be a 12 g when that 9 rounds were gone, the .45 would be next, then a .40, and finish with a .223

 

[Az Scooter]

Shotguns cannot be tracked. Fortunately, I have only had about a grand worth of tools stolen out of my garage. My 18 year old son "forgot" to shut the door. I consider myself lucky.

 

[mechamunch]

forget to lock the doors in the garage from a late night of working and also didnt lock the house when i went to work the next day. ill be damned , some SOB got me. got my mig welder and helmet, hammer drill, brand new set of drill bits, and from the house, my wifes laptop. i always come home for lunch, but not that day. i guess i learned my lesson, always lock the doors even if you go take a pee. thank goodness for insurance. this is just a reminder, take extra care to secure your doors because some mother #*^#++ will help himself. i feel better now, thanks for letting me vent.

I'm really sorry to hear that. My sympathies. =/

 

[tonydanzah]

i run off the "door knockers" too. they have a habit of coming around here in nicer weather on the weekends, hoping to catch someone outside. my dog dont like strangers at all, at that alone usually stops them before they ever get close to the house. if they do manage to get close enough, they usually dont hang around long, cuz i'm not "politically correct" with them, and the sight of a 45 usaully send em on their way to the neighbors, with his 3 large dogs, and equally unfriendly disposition.

a previous poster mentioned about craigslist buyers, i always meet em someplace away from the house, just for my own peace of mind.

i thought you posted before that your shop was broken into?

 

[Mickey O]

Having a dog helps, but not in the garage. People always tell me I go overboard when I sell something because most times I will not have anyone come to my house. I think I am a realist because when I sell something like a motorcycle or snowmobile, I see the buyer or their "friends" looking around my garage. I worry less when they buy what I am selling, but when they don't.... It's even worse with stuff I am selling on craigslist. I will almost never have the person meet me at my house.

I agree with the others... someone knew what was in there. That is not stuff a quick theif takes.

I leave my door to the attached garage open a little bit when I'm not home, just enough for my dog to open it with her snout and she knows how to do it, any intruders are in for a big surprise and it ain't the good kind of surprise.

 

[jonescafe72]

Twice since we moved into our house 6 years ago, I've forgotten to lower the garage door. Twice since we moved into our house 6 years ago, the police have rang the doorbell after I was asleep to alert me. We live in a quiet suburban neighborhood, but it is nice to know that the police do take an interest.
We are currently planning a move and also a garage build. I will take to heart some of the information from this thread when I lay out the floorplan and start building.
I hope you can recover some of your stolen items. We all need to be very security conscious. I know that I don't have alot of expensive tools, but my old rusty motorcycles mean just as much to me.

 

[Johnnie]

We moved into our nice in June and I've become very friendly with all my neighbors. Twice in the past two weeks I've left the garage open and each time two different neighbors knocked on my door at 12:30am. I'm very grateful to have good neighbors. The first time it happened I was looking through the peep hole and I thought my neighbor was drunk knocking at 12:30am.

 

[ddawg16]

This is one of the reasons we wanted our garage in the back yard....

I can leave my door open...but it means you have to walk past the side of the house to get back there....

Getting to know your neighbors is a good thing....so good that it's really the best thing to prevent being a victim....

I would suggest exchanging phone numbers with all of your neighbors....personally, I'm usually too tired to crawl out of bed and knock on a door....