Protecting yourself from theft is something everyone needs to do - even when remodeling your home. That's what the owner of a 1954 Seeburg Jukebox found out after going out of town, and leaving the $7,000 record machine in his home on 18th Avenue South in Naples, while it was being renovated. He reported the jukebox stolen when he returned.
"If someone has stolen from you, that's personal," said Bob Unger, a security expert in Bonita Springs. "You want to be able to protect yourself from that."
Unger recommends keeping a home well-lit, even when out of town, in order to discourage thieves.
"I'd want the place lit up," he said.
He said surveillance cameras are an obvious way to catch a thief, but surprisingly, might not prevent them from stealing.
"If you see the camera, they're going to keep that in mind," Unger said. "But honestly, we've put cameras right next to a spot, and watch very clearly somebody steal something."
He said that if a homeowner can't be home during a renovation, cameras should still be in place - with the ability to monitor them remotely with a phone app.
"If you're up north for the summer, you can still keep track of it," he said.
Since homes being built or remodeled tend to attract thieves, Unger also recommends asking contractors to remove or lock up any tools they might use when their work day is over.
