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I have had a similar concern going home to my house when I was home from school. We have a neighbor across the street who we have had problems with before (and by problems, I mean he tried to run over my mom with his car), so whenever I enter the house and no one is home, I am especially aware of any temperature inconsistencies, weird shapes, lights, etc. Basically anything that could be an indication of an intruder. I've thought about the fact that a person on the defense in the house has a big tactical advantage, but I am always ready to draw when I enter the house. As soon as I go in, I go upstairs and check all the rooms, while my dad (another CHL holder) will check the garage and master bedroom. It sucks that we have to constantly be aware of this type of thing, but I guess it's better to be aware and a little bit more secure than it is to be caught flat-footed.

On that note, hearing the front door open is also somewhat of a concern. Our neighbor has, on more than one occasion, beaten on the our front door. We keep it locked, but that doesn't always work as most of us on these forums have read in the papers. Everyone in my family knows to identify themselves as they come in, whether it be my dad stepping on the wood floors with his boots especially hard, or my mom saying that she's home so everyone can hear it.

I don't want to give the impression that as soon as a person enters our house, we immediately have a weapon drawn and are ready to shoot. It's just that we happen to have an extra state of awareness of people entering our residence because we all realize that there is a dangerous person living in the neighborhood. I guess the real key here is more communication among everyone in our family to make sure we're all taken care of.