Sneakers by the door. Yep, you read that right. I employed this old trick years ago at a residential property I had recently purchased.
This was a brand new house that I had bought from the builder. It showed; many of the homes on the street were unoccupied. So, as soon as the deal was done and the papers signed, I drove right over and put a pair of sneakers right at the front door.
Believe it or not the next day my real estate agent rang me at 7.00 am. “Are you in your new house?” he asked.
“No, I’m not.”
“Well,” he said in a panic, “there’s a pair of sneakers at the front door. Someone’s in there! Should I ring the police?”
PS – for best effect, use running shoes that are well worn in and a bit scruffy.