It is every homeowner’s job to do everything they can to keep their home secure. While an alarm system can be very helpful, there are other steps that can be equally effective. Continue reading to see how you can keep your home’s security.
If someone comes to clean your home, only give them a key if they’re trustworthy. If you do give your housekeeper a key or plan on doing so, it is imperative that they are honest and upstanding. It is best to do a reference check on them. If applicable, call the BBB to inquire about their reputation.
Your dog makes a great hiding spot for a spare key. This can be done if you’ve got an outdoor dog or if you’ve got a pet door. You could simply put a key onto your dog’s collar, so when you forget your keys your dog can let you in.
It can be a good idea to only leave one ringer on in your home when you are away. A burglar might hear your phone ring and ring and ring, then realize that you are not home to answer it.
A good security system has many more features than sounding an alarm during a break-in. Most of them can be set to sound an alert when anyone enters the home. This can be valuable to parents with small children so that they are made aware their kids open or closed a door.
Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. Many people are devising many different schemes to get into homes and burglarize them. Never open the door to anyone you do not know.
Above doors or under doormats are not smart ideas. One idea is to hide a spare key inside the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.
You need to change our locks as your first step to ensuring your safety. Anyone from an old roommate to a former tenant could have access to your home if you leave the old locks in place. It is inexpensive, and most locksmiths will be available for next day appointments.
Don’t make a habit of giving strangers enter your house. Even if they tell you a sob story about needing help, they need assistance or want to sell you something. This is the joint to see if there is home secure.
Find a home security company you can trust. If the installers make you feel uncomfortable, heed your feelings. There is nothing wrong with asking for a different technician if you’re uneasy. The point of having a security system is to make yourself feel at ease.
Police Department
When securing your home, don’t forget about skylights. While they are there to let light in, if you do not care for it properly it could also let in a thief. Any skylights in your home should be secured with strong hardware.
Check with the police department in your town for home protection plans. They may offer neighborhood watch programs, home inspections, and other guidance about securing your house. Call the local police department and see what programs they offer.
Avoid leaving spare keys outside of your home. Though you may think you are giving yourself a way into your home if you lose your key, you are actually inadvertently inviting intruders into your home. Thieves are aware of all these spots. Rather, keep your spare keys with a neighbor you trust.
Put motion-sensor lights around your house. These kinds of lights will pop right on when they detect motion near your house. Just remember and change out the bulbs whenever necessary.
Do you know how valuable the wires within your home are? Often homeowners are unaware of this fact until they find that their wiring has been stolen. The wiring has copper and is easy to be quickly taken off a home. To protect this expensive asset, hide your wires or make them hard to get to.
This is very true when you feel uneasy with those that install your actual system. Ask the company to send a different installer or switch companies.The point of having a security system is to make yourself feel safer after all.
Home security installation technicians should always be in uniform and wearing identification. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This is dangerous for your family and your possessions. You want to use caution to prevent danger.
Hiding Spots
If you want to make your house even more secure, a cheap way to do that is to buy outside lights with motion detectors. During the night hours, these lights help light up the outside of your home, which makes them an excellent addition to your home security strategies. In addition, they are very affordable. With good positioning and properly set motion detectors, intruders will not be able to sneak up on your home unnoticed.
Walls are a great hiding spots. You should think about hiding certain small valuables inside the walls. You can use the opening provided by an electrical switch plate or electric outlets as hiding spots. You can also install a fake unused plates.
Having your home lit up and bright at night is a great deterrent to crooks. Burglars don’t want to be visible. Making your home’s exterior nice and bright will make it impossible for crooks to go undetected. Thus, you should always keep lights on at nighttime.
Don’t hide an extra key under doormats or in planters. These seem like great places criminals will look when you misplace your home. Thieves are familiar with these spots.
As the company that is doing your home security how long they’ve been providing this service. Companies that have been around for years have shown that they know the industry and that their services are reliable and great enough for recommendations. You get better peace of mind if you deal with someone you know you can trust for the long haul.
Security System
If you lose your house keys often, you might want to install a keyless entry system. If you do have areas to lock, consider getting keyless locks that you can open using a code, rather than carrying a huge ring of keys around with you. These can be installed either by you, or a home security company.
Hide your home security system’s wiring. Intruders can disable your home security system by cutting or unplugging the wires. This can make you much safer.
Choose an out of the way place to hide your spare key, not the obvious ones. Fake rocks are very easy to spot. Under your doormat is also a common place burglars will look. The most secure thing you can do is to entrust your key to a reliable neighbor or a friend you can count on. If you cannot do that, try to be creative when it comes to hiding places.
Be certain to read the fine print to any contracts you hire a security firm. There could be fees for terminating the contract or acquiring additional equipment down the road. You are going to want to avoid these kinds of hidden fees, so make yourself aware.
If you’re worried about how you’re going to be able to maintain a wireless system, you may want to opt for a wired one instead. A wireless system is a good option but you will have to replace batteries regularly. Your home security system will not function properly if you do not change the batteries. Replacing all of those batteries will cost a lot, too.
Get a custom-designed plan that fits your home security system custom built for your needs.
Purchase a timer to put your lights on and off during the day. Not only does this save you a step, you can continue the routine even when you are not home.
Although automated electronic systems are powerful, not everybody needs them. In some cases the security system is your best investment, having a good dog and/or learning some self defense may be all that you really need to feel safe. Know what you can make your decisions based on that.
Buying home alarms is terrific, but only in the case where someone will contact the police when they sound. Get an alarm that is centrally monitored to ensure that when it sounds, the police arrive. It is not good enough to depend on your neighbors being able to call for you.
The best way to keep a thief from going into the garage is to ensure no one can see inside. Don’t leave your door hang open when you are working in the garage or yard.
Always lock your second and even third floor windows. Many people don’t think about burglars checking these windows. This may not be what happens. This is the weak point of home security and criminal generally know this.
Your dog is a great tool for protecting your best home from intruders. Dogs become extremely protective of their families and generally make noise when something is wrong. It doesn’t even have to be a huge dog either. Even small dogs can keep intruders away since they don’t want lots of noise will deter a potential crime.
It is better to buy your home security system directly from the security company instead of from a dealer. Dealers just want to make money, and sometimes they do not back up the products that they carry. If you get your product from the company, you will avoid a ton of fees.
You shouldn’t keep your car registration papers in the glove compartment. This is not wise since anybody who gets them will know where you live.Keep them with you or hide them somewhere else in your vehicle. You must have this information on hand if you are pulled over.
External wiring is a simple target for burglars and thieves. Electrical wiring and wiring components contain valuable copper which can be sold by enterprising criminals. Conceal the wiring of your home to keep copper thieves from stripping it and leaving you with a big repair bill.
This will ensure that they turn on and continue to switch even when you can’t be at home.
Don’t leave toys outside when not in use. Toys are like beacons to burglars letting them know a woman may be home alone. Homes with women living inside them are usually targeted more due to the fact that women typically own more expensive jewelry than men.
Replace flimsy doors with solid wood or metal. Doors made of these materials are much sturdier than those that aren’t.A burglar could not kick a hollow door. The cost of replacing these doors is worth it in the end.
Try not to have rooms that can be seen from outside. If there is a huge TV or nice computer visible, then surely a thief can also see it as well. Try installing drapes or blinds so that people outside can’t see what you have inside. If this is not a possibility, keep really valuable stuff in interior rooms.
Women living alone or along with only children are easy targets for burglary. Place something masculine in the front door so it looks like a male lives there.This can discourage burglars from targeting your home.
Check and clean the carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in your home twice a year. Lint and dust can accumulate, making them ineffective. Thus, detectors won’t protect the home against smoke or carbon monoxide.
While locks are useful for sealing the inside, it is useless if you cannot also lock it after you are outside.A deadbolt with keys on both the inside and outside is one of your best choices.
The smoke alarms you use should all be connected to each other. This is when the alarms are connected to each other. When one is tripped, the others will be as well. Therefore, you are sure to be alerted if a fire starts in your home. You’ll be better able to assess the situation and take the proper steps to protect yourself and your household when you learn about a fire as soon as possible.
Always change your locks on a new home. This is correct regarding home purchases and rentals, so make sure you hire someone to help, or do it on your own.
When you move somewhere new, change your locks. Change every combination of the locks and alter the keys as well. New locks mean only your family has access. Replace locks when keys are lost, too.
Now that you’ve read this, you have no reason to be in an unsafe home. It may appear like a tough task at first, but it’s worth it. The advice in this piece really will help.
About The Author
