For all of its beauty and warm weather, Arizona is a fantastic place to live. Unfortunately, burglaries affect residents just as much as those living in other states.

A Sedona homeowner came home to find the glass in her back door smashed on December 9. She called police and waited outside with a neighbor, thinking the burglar may have still been inside the home. When the authorities checked out the house, they discovered that not much had been ransacked and no burglars were inside. They did find, however, that a locked storage room door had been pried open. This is where the burglar got lucky.

Inside the locked storage room, the homeowner had stored rare coins and cash, which were now missing. According to news reports, there were thousands of rare US coins, including silver nickels, dimes and quarters minted between 1920 and 1962, and 7,000 American Eagle 1-ounce silver coins. Also stolen were bars of silver weighing 10 ounces, 6 ounces, and five pounds. The homeowner said that more than $80,000 in cash, stored in bank envelopes, was also missing. The total value of the stolen items has not been determined yet.

Clearly, this homeowner did not have a home security system. If she had one, the alarm would have sounded and the police would have been notified as soon as the back door was opened. Coins are heavy, and it would have taken even the strongest burglars many trips to haul all of the coins and bars of gold out of the house. Arizona residents are advised to look into Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix and Mesa home security systems to protect them from burglars. It isn't unusual for break-ins to occur, but if you have a home security plan, you'll be safer and more protected.

When it comes to protecting your property, family, home and car from a break-in, the key is to make your home look extra secure, visible to neighbors, and to hide anything of value from view. Burglars do not want to get caught before, during, or after a break-in, so they look to find homes without burglar alarms, security lighting, and where entrances are hidden from view. They also only aim for homes where they believe there are expensive items that they can steal. This unfortunate Sedona homeowner learned too late that a home security system may have prevented this theft from happening. It's not too late for all Arizona residents to find the home alarm and security system that is right for them.