[QUOTE=2BNTV;786634]:agree: But one shaken home owner, and rightfully so. IMHO

MANY MANY more than ONE around here!

great thought
 

this is a wonderful thought....renewal.....

Some years ago, our home was burglarized while my wife and I were at work. We had a large German Shepard in the house, who we thought would be a good deterrent. Not! "They" pulled a package of frozen ground beef out of the freezer, and handed it to the dog as they paraded thru the house taking what they wanted..took the pillow cases off our bed to carry the loose things! We were young, recently married, and the loss was huge for us at the time. The many pieces of sentimental value (family heirlooms, my one-of-a-kind wedding band, etc) that we lost forever was hard to deal with. Still is. But the hardest was the feeling of our space being violated by strangers.

To this day, more than 35 years later, the memory is fresh. That gut wrenching feeling that we felt when we drove up after work and saw the front door wide open.

Another thing we will never forget is what the police told us...First, "they" had probably observed our schedule and knew when we were not home, and when we were likely to return. An alarm wouldn't have helped... as other have said, "they" know how to deactivate them. (granted, the technology today is better...more on alarms, see below**) ...next...the best way to protect our things is: don't put things where "they" might look...not in a safe, not under your socks in the top drawer, etc. There are many places thieves won't look...how about in an empty dixie cup box under the sink the guest bathroom, or in a covered pot in a kitchen cabinet, or an empty soft margarine container in the refrigerator...or in an empty shoe box in the closet amongst other shoe boxes? Just some suggestions...get creative...Leave a few cheap imitations under the socks and perhaps out on the dresser if you want, as a decoy. They are not going to be in your home long. If they don't find what they want in the normal places they look in a few minutes, they are out of there.

The bottom line is if "they" want to get in, they will. The point is to not keep things of value in obvious places.

** We have had one home that came with an alarm system and monitoring was paid for the first year. We dutifully set it and used it for about two weeks, they we got very weary form the feeling that we lived in a jail. We couldn't open windows or step outside without a beeping and having to reset something...

PS. Twelve years ago, wife and I renewed our wedding vows on our 25th anniversary and bought matching rings to finally replace the one that I lost years before.

[QUOTE=senior citizen;786592]I'm very glad you mentioned the old trucks cruising around, etc.
This is what I meant awhile back about the types we saw (non residents) just all over TV.....and that comment was met with disdain; thinking I had alluded to all blue collar workers. NOT. But we did see a lot of seedy looking type individuals / workers / whatever. This thread shows that robberies are indeed POSSIBLE.

Is it also happening in the "older neighborhoods" north of 466?
Or, mainly in the newer, less populated villages....more as a crime of opportunity?
Such as when all the appliances were being taken out of the new homes before residents moved in.[/QUOTE

All criminals are NOT seedy looking. All seedy looking people are not criminals.

[quote=perrjojo;786667]Well said!

.....opps. Need to re post

All criminals are NOT Seedy looking and all Seedy looking people are NOT criminals.

Have you written down information on these old trucks?
Date--Time--Location--Lic Plate #--Vehicle description,
driver/passenger description, etc?

This info could be a huge tip in solving a crime.
A small notebook and pencil is all you need.

:ho:

Thank you all for the encouragement, advice, and suggestions. We are moving forward and will visit pawn shops this week. Security system is in place. Renewing vows is a possibility. Our daughter gets married in January. Maybe at the reception? We will move forward, but will definitely be more aware of our surroundings and will not be lured into a false sense of security again. But when all is said and done, we are not letting this ruin our retirement dreams!

What reason to stop and ask question............because they drive an old truck?

I am also very sorry to hear of your unfortunate event. My wife and I live in Fernandina and have a SimpliSafe cellular alarm system, which you can install yourself. If interested, send me a PM

There are a number of lower cost alarm monitoring companies nipping at the heels of the big established companies.

The cost difference can be substantial.

But I would not make a decision purely on cost, I would do some background research on any company I was considering for that sort of service. State licensing, UL certifications for facilities, BBB, customer reviews, Security Industry certifications, how long in business, etc.

A little digging on the internet will turn up a lot of information that can be used for independent verification. UL Certification for facilities can be seen on the UL Database. State Licensing Information (if the state requires it) is usually publicly available over the internet. So is a lot of other information.

Plus, ask plenty of questions.

Here are some current reviews of home security systems:

Home Security Systems Reviews 2013 - Reviewed and Ranked

Home Security Systems Review 2014 | Residential Security Systems | Home Security - TopTenREVIEWS

Best Home Security System Reviews of 2013 - Reviews.com

Top 5 Home Security Systems | Home Alarm Monitoring & Surveillance

http://www.asecurelife.com/home-secu...stems-reviews/

Many review sites (for any product) are little more than a feature review (brochure compare) that generates ad revenue by click through.

I found a site that has a lot of customer reviews. Mix of good and bad reviews.

Seems like there is good educational info on there too.

Home Security Alarm Systems | Home Security Cameras | Security System Companies