This very situation happens all too often. Families go away for while and then return to a home from which their possessions have been stolen and oftentimes the items left behind are carelessly thrown around and broken. However, with the proper information and planning this does not have to happen to your family. With just a few simple precautions, you can drastically reduce the chance your home will be targeted while you're away from home.
One great way to maintain activity at your home and make sure problems don't go unnoticed is to ask a friend or relative to swing by each day or as often as is practical to bring in your mail, take care of any pets you might be leaving behind, water indoor or outdoor plants, turn on lights or radios in the evening, and look around for any signs of attempted intrusion that would need to be reported to you and the proper authorities as soon as possible. Make sure the person you choose is reliable and responsible enough to take your home security seriously and will follow through with your requests.
It's a good idea to make your home appear lived in even when it isn't occupied. You can accomplish this by installing timers for your indoor lighting and televisions. This works very well at deterring would-be intruders before they ever break a window or door to enter your home.
Use these simple precautions to keep your home safer but remember that nothing protects a home like a monitored home security system from a reputable service provider like ADT.