Are you ever afraid of your house being burgled? (Don't know where to post this)

Dogbreath - If you're not home, all it would take is for someone to break in and kill the dogs. Then, your dogs are dead, your equipment is stolen, and so are all of your guns.
 
About the dogs vs. alarm thing, I get what you guys are saying, but what I meant was this....

If a dude hears/sees multiple dogs barking in a building and goes and kills them and steals everything, then there is a great chance as well that said dude will also not give two sh*ts about some 3rd-party alarm that will probably take at least 10 mins to get the police to the house.
 
guitaristic said:
About the dogs vs. alarm thing, I get what you guys are saying, but what I meant was this....

If a dude hears/sees multiple dogs barking in a building and goes and kills them and steals everything, then there is a great chance as well that said dude will also not give two sh*ts about some 3rd-party alarm that will probably take at least 10 mins to get the police to the house.
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granted but the fact is that professional burglars say that they bypass houses with alarms.
Although I suppose you could just get alarm signs instead of an actual alarm.
But you're right .... some thieves take a smash and grab attitude and just take what they can get in 10 minutes.
But that would keep them from backing a truck up and taking everything like they did to me.
And, in my house, they wouldn't get anything I cared about since I lock all that stuff up in my music rooms and it's gonna take them more than 10 minutes to get around to figuring that out.
It's not like I have signs saying, "Music gear here" so they'll just be grabbing my living room stereo .... puter ........ DVD recorder ...... nothing I give a shit about.
 
notCardio said:
Dogbreath - If you're not home, all it would take is for someone to break in and kill the dogs. Then, your dogs are dead, your equipment is stolen, and so are all of your guns.
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you made the same rookie mistake I made which is to underestimate the power of his breath.
 
We had our house burgled awhile back. They took all the CD's, but not my 1973 Standard Les Paul ...

One day, after all the arguing with the insurance company was over with and we'd had a damned home security system installed, I realized that they had stolen a plastic baggy filled with my cat's catnip that was hanging in the front hall cupboard, up high where the cat couldn't get it. They kiddies must have thought they'd found the mother lode of stashes.

I hope they got a big farking headache when they smoked it.
 
YellowDwarf said:
We had our house burgled awhile back. They took all the CD's, but not my 1973 Standard Les Paul ...

One day, after all the arguing with the insurance company was over with and we'd had a damned home security system installed, I realized that they had stolen a plastic baggy filled with my cat's catnip that was hanging in the front hall cupboard, up high where the cat couldn't get it. They kiddies must have thought they'd found the mother lode of stashes.

I hope they got a big farking headache when they smoked it.
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Maybe it was a cat that stole your CDs and catnip...
 
I have not burgled anyone in quite a long time so you guys can just relax.... and, um, give me your addresses. :D

My neighborhood is pretty quiet, too. We lock the doors when aren't home, but neighbors will leave their garage doors open and, hence, their house. Kind of drives me nuts that theydo that. It's just asking for trouble.... But I'm retired...... :rolleyes:
 
There was this one time that I took a bunch of stuff of Lt. Bob's stuff back in the 70's as a prank. I vowed to return it all in 2014 - can't wait to see his face when he gets home to find he was "unBurgled". :p
 
I was burgled, the chaps kicked in the double deadlocked front door & they took my fav guitar as well as several grand of various other items. "They" were disturtbed by a neighbours dog & took off with the easier to carry stuff leaving basses, cello etc were lined up in the hall waiting to be loaded.
We were & remain insured. That's good but dealing with replacement is a BIG hassle - stat decs about ownership, recipts, photos etc.
Not to mention that it took me a few years to locate the same make & model guitar.
We live in a quiet area but the house isn't visible from the road so I discovered seclusion brings its own problems.
We have good locks & security on every way in & out, including windows, which is a drag but necessary.
The funny thing is that for 40 years I lived & then also worked in the kind of suburb that is demonized as a nest of thieves and antisocial people yet was not bothered, hindered or robbed once. I moved to a lovely area to work/live & we were knocked over within the 1st 24 months.
I did discover that it was good the wife & I weren't home when it happened as the chaps were on a spree and had previously, as well as subsequently, bashed and tied up folk who were home.
I had a great big two level cake tin 2/3rds full with 100's of band & music badges that they took & apparently spilled ot of their car as they drove down the highway. Bummer!
I discovered through the process that copies of your policy, photographs, receipts, specifically listed items of value, lists with make model & condition are all necessary & need to be stored securely to beat the insurance companies who have as their standard 1st response "You're not covered for that".
Oh, during the process I also discovered that, in my state at least, "collections" such as LPs, CD, DVD, BOOKS etc need to be itemized & copies sent to the insurer or they will only give a partial coverage to them & def. NO consideration for rarity etc. I had a big brawl with the company over this matter & in the end sent them, via fax, a complete catalogue of CDs & LPs (about 3 1/2 thou including artist, name, cat#, label & X ref.) via fax in large font from my computer so it annoyed the hell out of them and cost them a bundle of paper. Small satisfactions are at least some revenge eh?
 
I never think about it myself (until now!).

We leave the house unlocked most of the time and if someone wanted my stuff bad enough to actually steal it from me, they probably need it more than I do.

I am a big fan of trying not to own anything that I can't afford to have stolen. It's very liberating.
 
heatmiser said:
I never think about it myself (until now!).

We leave the house unlocked most of the time and if someone wanted my stuff bad enough to actually steal it from me, they probably need it more than I do.

I am a big fan of trying not to own anything that I can't afford to have stolen. It's very liberating.
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What's your address, again? :spank:
 
rayc said:
I was burgled, the chaps kicked in the double deadlocked front door & they took my fav guitar as well as several grand of various other items. "They" were disturtbed by a neighbours dog & took off with the easier to carry stuff leaving basses, cello etc were lined up in the hall waiting to be loaded.
We were & remain insured. That's good but dealing with replacement is a BIG hassle - stat decs about ownership, recipts, photos etc.
Not to mention that it took me a few years to locate the same make & model guitar.
We live in a quiet area but the house isn't visible from the road so I discovered seclusion brings its own problems.
We have good locks & security on every way in & out, including windows, which is a drag but necessary.
The funny thing is that for 40 years I lived & then also worked in the kind of suburb that is demonized as a nest of thieves and antisocial people yet was not bothered, hindered or robbed once. I moved to a lovely area to work/live & we were knocked over within the 1st 24 months.
I did discover that it was good the wife & I weren't home when it happened as the chaps were on a spree and had previously, as well as subsequently, bashed and tied up folk who were home.
I had a great big two level cake tin 2/3rds full with 100's of band & music badges that they took & apparently spilled ot of their car as they drove down the highway. Bummer!
I discovered through the process that copies of your policy, photographs, receipts, specifically listed items of value, lists with make model & condition are all necessary & need to be stored securely to beat the insurance companies who have as their standard 1st response "You're not covered for that".
Oh, during the process I also discovered that, in my state at least, "collections" such as LPs, CD, DVD, BOOKS etc need to be itemized & copies sent to the insurer or they will only give a partial coverage to them & def. NO consideration for rarity etc. I had a big brawl with the company over this matter & in the end sent them, via fax, a complete catalogue of CDs & LPs (about 3 1/2 thou including artist, name, cat#, label & X ref.) via fax in large font from my computer so it annoyed the hell out of them and cost them a bundle of paper. Small satisfactions are at least some revenge eh?
Click to expand...

I really need to get off my arse and get some new documentation happening... I do it from time to time but it's been a few years...

The thing is, EVERY single year when I get my renewal notice for contents from the insurance company, I ring them up (normally to increase the amount) and say "I have $X worth of musical equipment" included in general coverage, do I need to formally tell you what it is under the Duty of Disclosure clause in the policy?" and without fail they say "No, no, we don't want to know..."

I hope I don't have to find out the hard way. In the meantime I think I'll go and take a few dated photos of gear.... just in case.
 
I worry about it all the time. I live in a decent "upscale" area and most of the neighbors are retired so they know every single thing that goes on in the area - but I don't really trust anyone (I grew up in an "inner city" and I'm ashamed to admit I was involved in various thefts, etc. - so I know there is a little criminal in everyone).

I try to be very, very selective about who I allow in my home (I have a ton of gear and a lot of valuable antiques, etc.). I have dead bolts on every door and the keys to those locks are hidden well (heaven help me if I have to escape a fire). I also have a security system for all my exterior doors and windows - and to the door to my studio. I make sure I have the right type of insurance (an inland rider specific for professionally used music gear). But I still worry!!!!!
 
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