The Importance of Feeling Safe and Secure at Home
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
When we lived in a single-family home in Brooklyn Heights, my wife awoke one morning and told me she had a dream that there was a man in our room looking down at us in bed. As it turned out, it was not a dream.
After my wife had gone downstairs to prepare breakfast, I heard her scream. I ran downstairs to the kitchen and there I found that the back door had literally been taken off its hinges and our home was totally exposed to the outdoors. And, indeed, a man had been in our bedroom, looking at us, and in every other room of the house, including our baby daughter’s room, where he had even stolen her piggy bank.
Downstairs we found that all the books in our library had been rifled through – I had never known before that people hid cash in books – and the thief had even helped himself to a meal in our kitchen while he worked.
Immediately after, we had security gates installed over all our doors and windows.
From that point on, we felt that we were living in a self-imposed prison and decided that we were either going to relocate from a single-family home to an apartment building with strong security measures or a home in the safer suburbs. We chose the latter.
I’m glad to say that after enjoying the suburbs for more than a half-century, we have never had an incident where my wife and I felt unsafe.
There was only one incident where a political adversary, arguing online with me about a contested issue, threatened to punch me in the face if he ever saw me. I didn’t feel unsafe but I did phone the police to be on the safe side and, within minutes, maybe even as soon as one minute, police offers were knocking on my door. Amazingly, a patrol car was parked by my condo building and took action as soon as police headquarters sent out the information.
The most important place where any of us needs to feel safe is at home. And fortunately, there are wonderful security systems available to guarantee that safety, from entry systems requiring a password or numerical punch-in to interior motion detectors.
Today I live in a condo building where there is a 24-hour concierge at the front desk. There are those who say that our maintenance charges are higher than they would like, but I don’t mind exchanging some cost for the feeling of safety in my own living environment.
We each have our own ways of feeling safe at home, and anyone who wants further security can contact a local home security provider for an evaluation and a suggested security system.
By the way, when I chose the suburbs to live in, I unwittingly picked a town, Yorktown, which has recently been declared the safest small town in America by MoneyGeek. I guess, unknowingly, I know how to pick ‘em!
Be well and safe.
While Bill Primavera has enjoyed careers as a journalist and publicist, he is also a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate, specializing in upper Westchester and Putnam counties. To engage the services of The Home Guru Team to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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