If you want to make your home as secure and safe from burglary as you can, your first line of defense is going to be having good lighting around the outside. Too often, homeowners think of locks and alarms but neglect the very effective and reasonable technique of using outdoor lighting. That doesn't mean that you want to ignore locks or fences, but if you have great lighting for your property you may discourage a burglar from getting so far as your fence or your gate.
Be strategic with placement. Most burglars enter your home through a door. You need good lighting around all of your doorways, even if that's the only place you have well lit. Some light is better than none.
Burglars go for the easy score. If you have good outdoor lighting, they will likely skip your house and head down the block to another house with no lights. Burglars don't like to have lights turned on them, they prefer to be anonymous and invisible.
You can add even more security to your property by putting your lighting system on a motion detector. That way, your lights aren't on all the time, but will come on if there is motion in your yard. This really startles a burglar, and generally they will leave. A burglar does not know if the motion sensor just trips the lights, or if you have a silent alarm system that has also just called the police.
When you are away from home, you can configure your motion sensors with an alarm. When an alarm goes off, burglars run. The noise draws attention and that is not what a burglar wants.
You need to consider your neighbors though when you install motion detectors in your front yard. Scaring off burglars is one thing. You don't want to have so much light set up that you light up neighbors' houses, or sensors so sensitive that every time a squirrel runs across the yard the property lights up like Christmas.
In fact, overly sensitive motion sensors work the opposite way you want. It's like the boy who cried wolf. If your neighbors are used to seeing your motion sensor lights turn on constantly, every time someone drives by or when someone walks past on the sidewalk, they'll start ignoring it.
Invest in some outdoor lighting. It isn't expensive, especially with the new LED lights that are powered with solar panels. Motion detectors are also very reasonable. Putting in these lights is the best way to discourage burglars from choosing your house to victimize.
