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It just takes one break-in for owners to decide "Lets put up some bars."
Usually it's a break-in at the house down the street or further away.
Bars are typically a triumph of the homeowner's fears and ignorance over reality- the last thing a burglar is going to do is go in through your closed windows facing the street- breaking glass makes too much noise and takes too long.
Spending 1/10 as much on better locks and door hardware as those bars cost will make your house far less worth breaking into than the one next door with the bars. This is especially true with side and back doors, which burglars prefer.
I'd even go so far as to take the bars down if I otherwise liked the house and neighborhood. Shelling out six figures to feel like I'm living in a prison doesn't make any sense to me.
Bars are tacky. We lived in Albuquerque from 2001 to 2006 on the NW side. A few neighbors had bars and others had an alarm system. We had an alarm. We had more false alarms and never any trouble in the neighborhood. So, thinking back... I wonder if it was worth the hassle. Anyway... I saw bars installed on a house that was near ours. I was shocked when the even installed bars in the skylight. The skylight... seriously?
I've always thought there are two reasons the bars are so common: 1) As already mentioned, crime. I don't think the bars are justified in most areas of the city, it's more a just perception of crime being "bad" in the Albuquerque area. This has been discussed numerous times in the threads. 2) Great, cool, dry nighttime weather. During the summer, ABQ probably has the best nighttime air in the country to sleep in. Sleeping with windows open leaves people feeling vulnerable. Hence, bars.
Yay for fascist homeowners associations; maintaining bland sameness for all.
Yes a large Bravo for Neighborhood Associations. Bars on your windows is about as stupid as it gets. Yea, your house is on fire. How the hell are you going to get out of 'that prison' you have created?!
So the home owners ass'n is now pretending to be the fire marshal?
Hey, if you have bars on your windows, sorry if I offended you. But they just remind me of Mexico. And we all know why people there have them on their homes.
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