If you are a home owner, then you know just how important it is to keep your humble abode safe. Nothing is worse than seeing your home destroyed or seriously damaged. You can avoid stressful situations by investing in a quality home security system. Review this article to learn how you can protect your most valuable asset.
Purchase a safe to lock all of the extremely valuable items in your home in one place. If an intruder breaks into your home, at least these valuables will be secure. Your safe should be placed somewhere it is not readily noticeable.
Make your home look occupied at all times. You can purchase inexpensive timers that will control different electronics and lights in your home. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.
See what your local police department offers in terms of home protection programs. They may offer neighborhood watch programs, home inspections, engraving tools for marking code numbers onto items so that they will be easily identified if stolen. Discuss these programs with a local police officer to see if they’re available in your area.
Don’t give the keys to your home to a professional cleaner unless you trust them completely. If you plan on giving them the key so that they can work in your home for over an hour, make sure that they’re reputable, hardworking, and honest. Make sure you check references. If the person is an employee of a firm, call your local BBB to check their reputation.
Make your home safer by storing your car inside the garage. A car kept locked in a garage is much less likely to be stolen or damaged. This will also make it more difficult for burglars to track when you away from home.
Invest in a safe in order to secure very valuable items. You can’t have your valuable personal items and jewelry out in the open for anyone to see. Keep it hidden in a hard to find location.
The walls are a perfect hiding place. If you have valuables that are small in size, you may want to hide them within your walls. You could utilize an electrical outlet, phone jack, or unused switch plate. You can also install a fake one.
Security System
Don’t put your spare keys under floor mats or plants. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. Intruders know about the usual hiding spots. You should have a trusted neighbor keep a spare key.
Even if you have a great security system, it must be checked annually. A security professional should visit to help with the testing process. A number of factors can cause problems with your security system, including wild animals and mother nature. You may not be able to tell there is an issue by yourself.
When in the process of selecting an alarm system, you should select a system that protects more than simply the doors of your home. Each window represents a possible entry for your thief. Be sure your home alarm covers all entry points into your home. This is the pinnacle of safety.
Avoid coming across as overly shy. Be friendly with people that live in the neighborhood. Watch out for their homes, and ask them to do the same for you. Listen for gossip too. You might actually learn a thing or two concerning people that have been hanging around.
Once you’ve moved to a new house, make it a priority to replace all locks. Regardless of how trustworthy you consider the last owners to be, neither you nor they can be sure that there aren’t others out there with keys to those locks. Besides, other tenants or owners might have copies of the key if the previous owners did not change the locks.
If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. Some people feel that rural residents lead riskier lives because they are far away from neighbors. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.
Are you aware of the fact that your home wiring is worth money? This is something few homeowners realize until they become victims of wiring theft. The copper wiring can be stripped and be turned in for money. To protect this expensive asset, hide your wires or make them hard to get to.
If you’ve got skylights, don’t neglect them when ensuring your home’s security. While they are there to let light in, if you do not care for it properly it could also let in a thief. Skylights need to be installed correctly and safely, with hardware that will keep intruders out.
Before you let security company representatives into your home, check their ID. It is very common for thieves to pretend to be company reps in order to get into your home. This is dangerous for your family and your possessions. Trust your gut and if something does not feel right, it is okay to go with your feelings.
Make sure that none of your valuables can be seen from the outside. Although large windows in your home can provide your home with a lot of light, they can also provide burglars with an excellent view of the inside of your home. If your windows are facing the street, make sure you cover them and protect your valuables.
Check someone’s references carefully before letting them come into your home. Try doing a background check to look at their criminal history. You need to be very careful with the contractors, repairmen or maids you trust with being alone in your home.
If you have just bought any pricey new goods, never toss the boxes onto the curb prior to the garbage man’s arrival. Empty boxes for expensive new gear serve as advertisements to potentials thieves; don’t make it easy for them to spot such tempting targets.
Be certain to read the entire contract when you hire a home security firm. Look out for hidden charges and surprises, especially if you need to cancel the contract early. You want to avoid as many of these fees as you can, so read everything.
Always keep your home’s exterior well lit. A burglar prefers to sneak around in the dark, and a well lit house is always a deterrent. Install lighting anywhere a possible intruder might break in. All doors, porches, garages and windows should be well lit.
Having your house lit up during the night is a good way to scare intruders. This will deter crooks from trying your home. If your home is well lit, thieves won’t have any place to hide, so they may not want to steal anything from you. Make sure the lights stay on to keep your home safe.
What do you need to personally feel safe? They can really protect your family, but they’re not something that everybody needs. You could, for instance, invest in an alarm system, some outside lights, adopt a dog or take some self-defense classes. Think about your risk factor when making a decision.
Before signing up for a particular home-security company, find out how long they’ve been around. A company that’s been around for a while has proven that their service is reliable. It can ease your mind when you know you’re not doing business with a company that might not be around tomorrow.
Think about a security system that is hard-wired if you really have concerns about maintenance costs. Wireless systems are of course convenient, but unfortunately you have to change numerous sets of batteries regularly. If you do not stay on top of your wireless security system, you run the possibility of it failing when you need it most. Buying new batteries to replace the old ones can get expensive.
Stand out in your street, and look toward your home. Are you able to see the numbers of your home? If the numbers aren’t legible, police may drive right by. Fortunately, it doesn’t require much to fix this problem.
If you have an established routine for turning your lights on and off, consider investing in a timer. This will ensure that they turn on and off when you can’t be at home.
Do not purchase spring latch locks. These locks can be opened easily with a credit card. Intruders can pick these locks by wedging a credit card in between the latch and the door. If you have spring latches already installed, consider adding deadbolts too.
Always lock your second and even third floor windows. A lot of people forget to lock the windows on the second floor, but intruders will use these windows. This may not be what happens. Experienced criminals know exactly where the majority of homeowners let their guards down, and they won’t fail to check for weaknesses like an open window on the second story.
Keep blinds, shades, and curtains closed when you’re not home. Intruders can look into your house if the blinds are up. If something desirable is visible, you can expect a break in. Your window dressing should also be closed while you sleep.
Be sure to get deadbolt locks with captive key-locks. These type of locks have a latch that cannot be reached through an open window. Any time your are in your home, the key should be left in the lock. This allows you to escape quickly in the event of a fire.
Find out if the company you choose will give you the option of buying or leasing home security systems. While you will pay more to buy, you don’t have to keep paying for it month after month. Leasing is cheaper, but it can involve contracts and pricier monthly fees. Compare both avenues to see which one is better suited for your needs.
If you are a woman, you are much more at risk for a burglary. One way to throw off would-be assailants is to put a large pair of muddy boots on the front porch, to suggest the presence of a big man. This keeps those criminals away for sure.
Don’t make an obvious or easy password for your numeric keypad lock. Anyone can easily get your birthday from a Facebook profile or your driver’s licence. Instead, make it a number which you can figure out through a math equation so you remember the equation instead of the number.
Remember that all external wiring is a tempting target. Copper is very valuable and it may be found in wiring. Conceal your wiring if you don’t want it stolen.
Hard-wired home security systems can help you to cut down on costs. A wireless system is a good option but you will have to replace batteries regularly. If you neglect battery changes, your system won’t work. Additionally, it can be expensive to replace a lot of batteries.
Put all your kids’ outdoor toys away. This makes it fairly obvious that a woman lives in the house. Thieves assume that women are more apt to have valuables like jewelry inside.
If you turn the lights off or on always at the exact time, utilize a timer. This helps the lights stay on and continue to switch even when you’re away from your home.
As you’ve read, keeping your house safe doesn’t need to be hard. Starting with a great knowledge is key. Use the tips you just read to improve your home security. Don’t overlook any of the tips here because they will all help keep your home safe.
It’s very important to close your curtains in the evening, especially where your home faces the street. It’s best to discourage peeping toms. If one happens to be a criminal, they have an instant visual of many valuable items in your home, making you an easy target. Lock everything up and shade your windows to stay discreet.
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