Halloween marks the beginning of all the fun holidays for the next four months. What great beginning! A h0liday that allows you to carve pumpkins into art, dress up in costumes, and fill up on candy… who could ask for more? The other night, I spend time with my girlfriends carving pumpkins in the spirit of Halloween. When I got home on Saturday morning I found that my pumpkin, along with my neighbors pumpkin’s, had been smashed in the street.

Once I got over the frustration that someone had smashed my pumpkin, I did some research and found some very interesting statistics related to Halloween on Intouch.com. Did you know the most common types of crime on Halloween, from most common to least, is theft, destruction and property damage, assault, and burglary. I guess I never really thought that the hoodlum goblins and gooles would be vandalizing homes but they are. So what happens if you and your family spend time decorating your home, carving pumpkins to put on the porch, and putting bowls of candy for trick-or-treaters out and those same goblins and gooles decide to target your home? Well I hope you have home insurance.

Here is a scenario. Some kids are bored on Halloween and they decide to take your pumpkins and smash them on your porch, drop them on the hood of your car, throw eggs at your windows, and spray paint your door. Well who is going to cover it? If you have home insurance than your policy will cover it. Most home insurance policies cover vandalism. This will help you fix your car, windows and repaint the spray paint that has stained your doors.

John E. Peakes Insurance Agency wants to make sure your home is protected, not only by offering affordable home insurance policies, but also by giving tips to keep your home safe this Halloween. The following tips are provided by Shine.yahoo.com:

1. Light up your home: a fully lit home will fend off any Halloween hoodlums that wants to vandalize your home. Appropriate lighting will also illuminate a safe path for the pleasant trick-or-treaters to follow on the way to your front door.

2. Install/reactivate motion lighting: This is something that you should have on your house year around. Motion lights are a great way to protect your house everyday and keep, not only vandals, but burglars from targeting your home.

3. Hide the cans: put your trash cans out of site, it would be a rude awakening to walk outside the day after Halloween and trash has been dumped all over your yard.

4. Bring in the pumpkins: bringing the pumpkins in before you turn of the lights and go to bed will keep vandals from smashing them all over your home.

Making sure your home is protected will allow you to have a great Halloween! Trick-or-Treat!!!