# The Best Way to Rob a House



## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

I’d like to share with you what I consider the easiest and fastest way to rob a house during WROL. Some of you may find this useful as a warning, and find ways to prevent it.

Simply burn the house down. Here’s how it works:

Imagine a SHTF situation in which there’s no running water, no phone service, and no help from the local fire department. Actually, it will work almost as well just without phone service.

While you are on guard duty on the other side of your house, a group starts a fire on the outside of your home that doesn’t initially endanger anyone, but extensive enough that you can’t put it out.

What do you do?

First, you make sure everyone is out of your house and gathered in a safe location.

Since the fire hasn’t spread to much of the house yet, you (and maybe your wife) run into the house, gathering your most valuable possessions, dump them in the yard, then go back for more as many times as you safely can.

Then, you stand over your remaining possessions and watch your house burn down. You are weak from all the adrenaline and running in and out, and you are emotionally distraught by your loss and future uncertainty.

Someone shoots you from the tree-line, and the marauder group takes everything you’ve brought out.

Tell me how you would prevent this.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

How can you prevent this? Here's a few ideas.

*Fortify your area to limit avenues of approach that make it easier to guard

*Establish clear lines of sight to make it harder for people to sneak up on your area

*Drill in fire suppression techniques including, bucket brigade, fire blankets, sand buckets, etc.

*Keep really valuable things in fire safes so if a building does catch fire said safe can be opened at a later time.

*If you do have to evacuate don't stand out in the open, find cover and concealment

*Rather than just pile stuff up in the yard for anyone to take, have an idea of when something is a lost cause and be ready to move to a different location with stashed goods

*Shoot them before they shoot you rather than waste energy on saving, "stuff" mount the heads on gen-u-wine Slippy poles and put up a sign saying it was the bad guys home that was burned down to serve as an example for other looters.

I'm sure some the other nea'r-do-wells around here can think of some other ideas.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

You are assuming you have breached the perimeter without tripping any alarms, alerting the dogs or stepping on a landmine. Now you're looking down a gun barrel.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

I don’t plan on robbing a house, depending on a situation I may occupy one if it has been vacated after the SHTF.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

That's what I love about city folk. It's never about how to survive it's what will I need to take. Once I get out of the $hithole city I live in.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

It is just as the realtors always say: "location, location, location."

I suppose if you live in a city, the city suburbs, or even a town, you may have a problem.

We don't.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> We don't.


We don't either.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

That would be a problem if your not part of a larger group. As previously pointed out, some perimeter defenses may give you an alert...or not. Best to make things look run down and not worth while. Lessen the likelihood that your location is worth the effort.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Camel923 said:


> That would be a problem if your not part of a larger group. As previously pointed out, some perimeter defenses may give you an alert...or not. Best to make things look run down and not worth while. Lessen the likelihood that your location is worth the effort.


That's the most practical suggestion I've seen so far. -Just don't look like you have anything worth stealing.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> It is just as the realtors always say: "location, location, location."
> 
> I suppose if you live in a city, the city suburbs, or even a town, you may have a problem.
> 
> We don't.


Good point, I think, -as long as vehicles aren't running. What band of marauders is going to bother going far afield on foot to rob a house?

On the other hand, if motor vehicles _are _running, you're more likely to be hit, because no one will be nearby to witness the crime. Attacking homes out in the boondocks was a favorite with gangs in South America, Russia, South Asia, and other places, because there was no one to come to the victims' aid.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

TGus said:


> That's the most practical suggestion I've seen so far. -Just don't look like you have anything worth stealing.


So...if you're out scrounging after SHTF/WROL - whatcha gonna steal? The ratty looking ball bat... or the really nice gas grill? Not sure the same 'value' standards will apply in an aftermath. Plus...if folks are in relative shock, they'll grab and cling to the strangest things...


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

TGus said:


> I
> 
> While you are on guard duty on the other side of your house, a group starts a fire on the outside of your home that doesn't initially endanger anyone, but extensive enough that you can't put it out.
> 
> What do you do?


It's hard to burn brick.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

KUSA said:


> It's hard to burn brick.


With my bow, maybe I could shoot a flaming arrow under your eaves from some distance away, ...but that would be too far-fetched; where would marauders get a bow?


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

TGus said:


> With my bow, maybe I could shoot a flaming arrow under your eaves from some distance away, ...but that would be too far-fetched; where would marauders get a bow?


A bit to Hollywood. First; from watching first hand, many fire arrows get puffed out as soon as they're released from the string. It's kinda like blowing out a big candle with a big puff of air. Fire arrows can work in theory, but one is also giving away their position by lighting one and bullets fly a lot farther and faster than arrows. Second; if the premise is a night attack, archery gets a lot more difficult at night so hitting the right target to start your fire to smoke out the inhabitants becomes harder too.

A lot of looks cool and flashy on TV or in the movies is just that. Hollywood movie magic.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I would just hope the marauders would get hit by all the rounds going off in the fire.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I for one do not have a house full of preps. I have my various bags that are ready to go, a store of short term (90 days of rations, etc) and certain quantities of Ammo.

What I also have additional ammo and food items cached at points around me that I can get to within a days walk. My house is not brick. so yes someone could burn me out. but I'm not going to grab my stuff and come out to the edge of the smoke and seek to defend the ground. I'm going to go hunting or I am going to be escaping.

Point is...dead people need no provisions....so point 1: Stay not Dead. Point 2: Make Dead those trying to Deaden you, Point 3: Continue being not dead


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

TGus said:


> Tell me how you would prevent this.


I believe in "visual aids," that was my favorite way of learning as a boy.

We have fire fighting equipment, and live in a brick house. My wife can handle the fire, and she carries.

However, I believe in learning hard lessons. I'd shoot one of the marauders in the knees and then tossing him into the fire to warm my hands.

I think my only response to the survivors would be, "Next."


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

How would I prevent it? Simple, you get within 100 feet of the house and the Chihuahua barks his head off. Doesn't matter which side you approach on he finds you. I see you approaching and given the circumstances meet you with an AR-15 in hand and a .40 on my belt.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

TGus said:


> That's the most practical suggestion I've seen so far. -Just don't look like you have anything worth stealing.


We don't flaunt or tell what we might have, I think I just might have done that, you all live far away, if you do show up , tell me your username and most of you would be welcome.....


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

MountainGirl said:


> So...if you're out scrounging after SHTF/WROL - whatcha gonna steal? The ratty looking ball bat... or the really nice gas grill? Not sure the same 'value' standards will apply in an aftermath. Plus...if folks are in relative shock, they'll grab and cling to the strangest things...


I bet they'll collect and hold onto anything that might be useful someday; I know I would in an SHTF situation.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

TGus said:


> I bet they'll collect and hold onto anything that might be useful someday; I know I would in an SHTF situation.


They probably will. Not me; in situations where there's lots of folks around...the less I gather or carry the better.


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## 0rocky (Jan 7, 2018)

To prevent my house from being burnt down around me - and this is a little tongue-in-cheek - I might just resort to living in a shipping container.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

On warm Autumn Sundays, I've been known to consume a few adult beverages and watch some NASCAR. Later in the afternoon, often I'll doze on the porch dreaming of many wild and exotic things to fulfill my life. Bucket list kinda stuff.

Often I dream of some thugs trying shit like this below. The ending is always the same...mounted thug-heads rotting on Gen-U-Wine SlippyMade Pikes. Mrs S says I smile when I nap. Life is indeed good...:tango_face_smile:



TGus said:


> I'd like to share with you what I consider the easiest and fastest way to rob a house during WROL. Some of you may find this useful as a warning, and find ways to prevent it.
> 
> Simply burn the house down. Here's how it works:
> 
> ...


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Slippy said:


> On warm Autumn Sundays, I've been known to consume a few adult beverages and watch some NASCAR. Later in the afternoon, often I'll doze on the porch dreaming of many wild and exotic things to fulfill my life. Bucket list kinda stuff.
> 
> Often I dream of some thugs trying shit like this below. The ending is always the same...mounted thug-heads rotting on Gen-U-Wine SlippyMade Pikes. Mrs S says I smile when I nap. Life is indeed good...:tango_face_smile:


Logged in just to click LIKE on that.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

From where my house is, . . . and where I would be guarding, . . . the perp would have to get through the "guards" on the other side, . . . or attempt to get through me.

Knowing the others, . . . it might happen, . . . but with me, . . . they will get sent packing in very short order, . . . and any overt actions on their part will not be met with smiling faces.

My neighbors are "non veterans" and are generally push-over types, . . . but the stuff hitting the fan may help them graduate out of that. I hope so.

I'm also glad I'm the front man on this guard post.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## White Shadow (Jun 26, 2017)

> The Best Way to Rob a House
> I'd like to share with you what I consider the easiest and fastest way to rob a house during WROL. Some of you may find this useful as a warning, and find ways to prevent it.
> 
> Simply burn the house down.


You're making this too complicated. Why wait for WROL to rob a house and why settle for robbing one house at a time? You can rob them all at the same time before the collapse. All you have to do is vote Democrat.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

WROL, trying to burn my place will be met by grazing fire from the bunker.

Home would be of secondary nature in an event, occupation of the bunker would have been done.

All strategic material would have also been transferred in.


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## phrogman (Apr 17, 2014)

My house is brick and I keep fire extinguishers around the home so that should hold me off for a while. Also, plenty of my neighbors are former or active service members that seem to be gun fanatics. I don't think the marauders will get very far in there adventures in this neighborhood.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

Wife: Hunny... wake up! there's strangers lighting fires in the field.
Me: Thank you Jesus! <snaps FLIR scope onto the AR10>
Wife: Come back to bed when you're done playing.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

whoppo said:


> Wife: Hunny... wake up! there's strangers lighting fires in the field.
> Me: Thank you Jesus! <snaps FLIR scope onto the AR10>
> Wife: Come back to bed when you're done playing.


:vs_clap: ^^^^


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

I'm a big believer in non-violent ways to solve conflicts just as the one posed here. Just imagine what a couple flood lights, a loud speaker, and your best jig saw voice saying "I want to play a game." I wonder how quickly they would vacate?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

TGus said:


> Good point, I think, -as long as vehicles aren't running. What band of marauders is going to bother going far afield on foot to rob a house?
> 
> On the other hand, if motor vehicles _are _running, you're more likely to be hit, because no one will be nearby to witness the crime. Attacking homes out in the boondocks was a favorite with gangs in South America, Russia, South Asia, and other places, because there was no one to come to the victims' aid.


The average criminal will burn up all his gasoline going for the low hanging fruit. 1. The ghetto. 2. The better places in the city. 3. The suburbs. 
Since, in a situation bad enough to have roving bands of mutant biker zombies roaming around it would be pretty sure to assume there would be no gas stations up and running where they could keep their vehicles fillled.

And one other thing, if they spend a week or two walking here, I've been told that most city rats are scared of the deep dark woods. :devil:
You know, with bears, and alligators (this IS Florida), and snakes, and coyotes.:sad2:
Man, would they freak when the 'yotes start singing on a dark night! :vs_lol:


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

There's a huge flaw in this entire scenario that kind points to the OP being nothing but a troll, and not really thinking his own scenarios through.

Somebody sets my house on fire.
The wife and I get the kids and get out.
What we go back for will be things *WE* can't replace.
Family photos, flash drives, binders of important documents.

What will the "marauders" get?
A random family's photos, flash drives with unknown contents, binders of mostly useless documents.

Wow... a treasure trove.

This has got to be one of the dumbest "what if" scenarios I've ever seen.
Nobody is running back into the house to grab anything anyone else would consider valuable.
The stuff this hapless band of idiots will end up getting is charred food, melted water bottles, and completely destroyed medical supplies.
What a terrible plan.


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## Redwood Country (May 22, 2017)

Sprinklers around the property would keep the fire at bay. They have sprinklers that you can mount to your roof for the sole purpose of fire protection. To turn off the water you would have to get to the water pump at which point you would get hit in the chest with a 308. Easy shot. After the failed fire attempt it would would turn into them either leaving or rushing the house... which we are prepared to defend.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Homey don't play dis game LMAO!


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Hanging a body on a slippy pike (TM) with a "LOOTER" sign usually will dissuade other looters


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