These simple prevention tips should reduce the risk of suffering from burglary:
Don't hide keys on the property
some homeowners, worried about losing their keys decide to hide their keys on the property. Unfortunately burglars tend to know about the most common hiding places, or may actively monitor the home owner to see where they leave their keys when they leave. Instead consider leaving keys at work, or at a trusted friends house. If your keys are stolen then it is wise to get a new set and replace all doors, this will end up being cheaper than potentially losing all your possessions or irreplaceable family heirlooms.
Lock windows and doors
Any open door or window provides an easy entry point into your property, even though a window may not be on the ground floor this will not stop the enterprising thief from gaining entry into your property. If any locks or windows are broken it is paramount that they are repaired as quickly as possible as they are an open advertisement to any opportunistic burglar. This includes any back doors or any outdoor sheds. A shed outdoors is important to secure especially if it contains tools which can be used to break into your house.
Provide no hiding place
One pillar of protecting your property are your neighbors, they provide the eyes and ears to keep away potential burglars. Don't provide potential cover for a burglar to hide and survey your property for weak points. Keep your garden and trees will trimmed to provide no hiding cover, make sure that ladders and tables are stored away to not provide an easy way to get above the ground floor. Also important is to not provide the cover of darkness, so installing a motion light on the outside of the house will make a potential burglar shy away.
Turn on the burglar alarm
A security system is only useful when it is turned on, so whenever leaving the house it is important to make sure it is active, and that all family members know how to activate and deactivate it. Even if you are only planning to be out of the house for a short while it is still prudent to turn on the alarm. Also make sure that you test your burglar alarm regularly and that the burglar alarm cannot be disarmed easily (e.g. by cutting power to it)
Don't give strangers entry
The key to home security is being cautious, so before allowing any one unknown entry into your house, it is paramount that you ascertain who they are. So ask for photo identification. Don't trust a uniform as this can easily be stolen or faked. Think about adding a chain to a door to be able to open the door, however note that the chain will not hold as well as if the door were shut. Consider instead to get an intercom to be able to talk to the stranger outside if you have a thick door.
Don't display valuables
Many theft crimes are opportunistic, and by leaving your valuables on display you give an open invitation for them to be stolen. Especially leaving expensive, near a window as someone could smash the window and grab the contents and be off before anyone can stop them.
Be Alert
It is important to be aware of your surrounding neighborhood, generally a thief may scout out a location a few times trying to identify the best opportunity to break into your house. Enough is to be aware of anyone who is acting suspicious or someone out of place. Of course this does not mean that every stranger is out to break into your house
See them before they see you
Install a peep hole or a video intercom system, so that you can see who is at the door before you open it.
Vacation time
When you are going on vacation have someone come in an collect your mail and pick up any flyers, as otherwise this will advertise to would-be thieves that no one is home and give them a prime opportunity to break into your house.