In 2018, Belgians are not only fond of their bricks, they must above all be secure bricks. It is therefore no coincidence that the market for security systems, alarmsystemen for houses and apartments is booming, and even growing every year.
“After energy efficiency, security is really becoming a new parameter that plays a role in the decision process whether or not to buy a home. What’s more, safety is no longer just an issue for owners of rural villas; safety is also a concern for a roof apartment, for example”.
Isabelle Vermeir, CEO Century 21 Benelux
However, most of the buildings on the market today often do not have an alarm system installed yet.
“In those cases, we do see that more and more prospective buyers are looking into the possibilities of making their homes more secure. Sometimes they even have an alarm installed, even before they have actually moved house”.
Isabelle Vermeir, CEO Century 21 Benelux
One in two in Brussels
At least one in ten buyers are already taking the safety aspect into account when deciding whether or not to buy a property. In large cities, such as Brussels, this number sometimes even rises to one in two interested buyers. That’s what Century 21 Benelux says, based on a survey of its real estate agents.
According to CEO Isabelle Vermeir, well-secured homes are also sold more quickly. Although it sometimes weighs a little more into the price. Our country’s largest real estate agent is already responding to the growing interest in high-security properties and is therefore joining forces with Verisure.
Statistics show that Belgians are not wrong to secure their homes properly. In 2017, the number of burglary attempts in homes with an alarm system fell by a good 12 percent compared to the previous year.
Shock sensors
Burglars are getting more and more difficult anyway: while in the first half of 2013 an average of two hundred Belgian families still received unwanted visits every day, in the same period last year there were ‘only’ 140.
“It is clear that it is best not to wait to install an alarm until a burglary has occurred. We see, for example, that Belgians are strongly involved in prevention, by installing monitored alarm systems with shock sensors that detect burglaries even before they take place. A signal is then immediately sent to the control room, allowing the operators to take rapid action. In response to this growing demand from the Belgians, we have entered into a partnership with Century 21. In this way, buyers can secure their new home from the outset and get optimum peace of mind”.
Sven Bols, Managing Director Verisure
Figures from Verisure show that most burglary attempts take place in the Brussels-Capital Region (65%), followed by Wallonia (21%) and Flanders (14%). Monday and Saturday are the most burglary prone days. November and December are the most dangerous months.
The ‘most popular’ day – for burglars anyway – was Christmas Day last year, with no less than 67% more burglary attempts compared to the average. When burglaries take place, jewellery and watches are stolen. Just like cash money, computers and accessories, multimedia and photographic equipment.