Thieves’ Latest Tool To Rob Your Home Is A Christmas Gnome

Author Morty

September 8th, 2023 11:57 AM

A garden gnome could be a sign that your house will be robbed.

Thieves will do just about anything to get into your home, car or personal space to see what you have and how to steal it. The tools they use range from construction tools to fancy electronic devices. But there’s a new tool they’re using to determine if someone is home or not, especially during the holiday season.

That’s A Cute Lawn Decoration

Police have started to warn homeowners about a new scam thieves are using to know if you’re home or if you’re away for a long period of time. They’re placing lawn gnomes on the lawns of homes they’re targeting. The thieves will then return to the home to see if the gnomes have been moved or removed. If it’s been in the same spot for over a long period of time, they’ll rob the home.

Tips To Help Prevent Burglary

Police are saying if you follow some basic rules when going away for holiday vacations, this could help prevent your home from being targeted. Here is what the Daily Mail suggests you do.

The article says to not publicly announce you’re going away for a vacation. If you do, make sure it’s not made public and only friends and family can see it.

Also leave lights, a radio, and other items connected to a timer. This will give robbers or people the impression that someone is actually home or the property is occupied.

If you have packages, newspaper, or any other type of reoccurring deliveries, you should postpone them or cancel them. They can build up and let people know that someone is not home to retrieve them.

If you have a neighbor you trust have them look over the property regularly. Also keep your curtains closed and maybe have them park their car in your driveway, giving the appearance someone is coming and going.

If you see a Christmas gnome on your property, immediately remove it. Police are saying it’s not starting to take off here in the United States. But the Daily Mail reports this happening in Wales in the United Kingdom. Following the above tips as well as removing the gnomes or alerting a homeowner about gnomes in their yards will make your homes more secure and less likely to be robbed.

We have more on this story in today’s edition of a Few Things You Should Know!

Morty is the Executive Producer of “The Mike And Carla Morning Show” on 96.3 KKLZ. He's been a part of the show and station for 5 years. Aside from producing the morning show, he has served as production director for over 20 years. Those commercials you hear between the music, he produced a lot of them for Las Vegas! He loves music, playing guitar, all things Vegas Golden Knights, the Steelers, and his English Bulldog, Squish! He will talk forever with you on any of these things! Morty writes about peculiar news stories and Las Vegas happenings.

Top U.S. Cities For Home Ownership: See Where Las Vegas Ranks

A recent study released by TheZebra.com cites the top U.S. cities for home ownership, and Las Vegas ranks right near the top!

According to an article posted by Susan Meyer on the TheZebra.com website, the study was conducted for the nation’s fifty most populous cities. Researchers based their rankings on three different metrics:

Average home insurance premiums in the state, since this affects a home buyer’s mortgage payment when paying into an escrow account to cover those premiums.
Contractor availability for those home improvements and home maintenance projects that must get done. This always affects the value of a home.
Market values of the homes within a city. They compared home price increases from the second quarter of 2021 through the second quarter of 2022.

The Las Vegas housing market has cooled off since the second quarter of 2022, but our fair city did make it into the top 5 on this list. In fact, four of the top 5 housing markets on these rankings are located west of the Mississippi. Per Meyer’s article, the Las Vegas market saw housing prices jump up a whopping 24.5% in that 12-month period of this survey.

Here are the Top 5 cities on TheZebra.com on their list of the best cities in the United States for homeowners in 2022.

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5 - Seattle, Washington

Seattle home prices did not rise as much as they did in Las Vegas, settling in at a 14.4% annual home price increase. There is a good number of available contractors in the area, and the home insurance costs averaged around $878 per year, placing them fifth in this survey.
4 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

In fourth place in the rankings, Pittsburgh has a very high concentration of contractors available for home improvement projects. Home values rose by 13.5% between second quarter 2021 and second quarter 2022. Homeowners insurance costs averaged just over $1,000 per year, adding about $83 per month to your mortgage payment.
3 - Phoenix, Arizona

Our desert neighbors in Phoenix placed third on TheZebra.com list. Although homeowners insurance is a bit higher in that region, averaging $1,410 per year, home values increased 21.7% during that 12-month period. The city also boasts a healthy concentration of contractors for home improvement projects.
2 - Las Vegas, Nevada

Here in Las Vegas, home values increased 24.5% between second quarter 2021 and second quarter 2022, with homeowners insurance remaining relatively low, at an average clip of $841 dollars per year. That adds about $67 dollars a month to our mortgage payments. Plus, contractor availability is fairly strong here in Southern Nevada. We took the runner-up spot.
1 - Salt Lake City, Utah

About six hours away on I-15 North, we make a pit-stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, the winner of this particular survey. Plus, this city boasts the highest concentration of contractors in the survey, which makes getting competitive bids much easier for home makeover projects. SLC also has one of the lowest homeowners insurance rates in the nation, averaging about $740 a year.