Read It and Leave: Prepping Your Home for Vacation

· Move the car. Besides creating a target for car theft, leaving a car untouched in the driveway screams that you're not home. If you don't have a locked garage to leave it in -- or if you do, but don't want to leave the driveway empty -- you can offer your driveway to the neighbor while you're gone. "A lot of people don't think about that," says Alexander.

· Lock up. Lock doors and windows in the house and garage. The best locks are deadbolts that require a key; even better if they require a key from the inside, too. Hopefully you can leave a set of them with someone trustworthy who lives nearby.

The best window lock is one that uses a key. Failing that, you can "pin" the windows on the inside, so the sashes can't open more than a couple of inches. Pinning requires that you drive a nail or screw into the sash; just be sure it's removable and that the pins come out when you return. (Newer windows come with little tabs that, when released, serve the same purpose.) You probably won't want to pin all the bedroom windows, particularly if they're in clear view and if someone is staying in the house while you're gone. A pinned window could keep someone from getting out in a fire.

Also, if you have pets and no air conditioning, you'll need to leave a couple of windows partially open. But AC window units should come out so the windows can be locked, says Alexander. Sliding patio doors should also be secured with a horizontal "charlie bar" so they won't slide and adjusted so they can't be lifted off their tracks.

For more information, many police departments and utility companies will come to your home and offer advice. Detailed advice is also on many police department and utility Web sites; for example, http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/poltmpl.asp?url=/Content/POL/ask/crimePrevention.asp .