A pair of young entrepreneurs bought a small, corner market with a fearsome record of hold-ups and burglaries. Previous owners had covered windows with both bars and posters, assuming that less visibility would result in less attraction to robbers. Seeing the error in this thinking, the new owners cleared everything out of the windows... and the robberies ceased.

For this reason, brightness and visibility are key elements not only to the warmth and cheer a home provides, but also to the safety you experience in it. This is not to say that you should live in a fishbowl, but that you should minimize the ways in which someone unwanted can enter your home unseen.

A few hints:

*Shrubs and trees that make downstairs windows invisible from the street should be trimmed and, in some cases, replaced.

*Motion-detecting lights, judiciously placed, not only bring a bright light to the shadows if someone approaches; their surprise value can deter frightened burglars.

*And, taking one other hint from the young buyers of the corner market, build good relationships with your neighbors. The more eyes there are watching out for one another, the more visible any illicit behavior becomes.

This last point is perhaps best embodied in Neighborhood Watch programs. There is no deterrent in the world like living among friends. For more information regarding real estate, call Beth at (425) 450-5208 and visit her website at www.bethbillington.com.

Beth Billington is a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Bain in Bellevue, WA.