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

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.

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.

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!

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:

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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