Home security has become a huge market. Burglaries occur everyday, regardless of where you live. Burglars tend to choose houses that are lax when it comes to security measures. If you do not want your home to be targeted, you should read the following article to learn about improvements that you can make on your home security.
Your dog can keep your spare house key for you. This only makes sense if your dog is outdoors a lot or you have a pet door. Hide a key inside the collar of your dog in case you need a spare.
You can hide your spare key on your dog. Of course, your dog has to be an outdoor dog (or you at least need to have a doggy door) for this to work. Just place your key on your dog’s collar.
It’s important to comparison shop for alarm systems. Each company has different rates for their security system. Be sure and get a minimum of three quotes from different companies prior to choosing one.
Make sure you trust your house cleaner before you provide them with a key. Anyone you give the keys to your home to should be unarguably honest. Do a background check on them. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.
Be smart about where you decide to hide spare keys. Above doors or under doormats are much too common to hide them and potential criminals will check them first. A possible solution is to attach a key to your outdoor dog’s collar.
Do you allow your dog to stay in your yard while you are away? They can help you with your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This works very well if you have a pet that is not very fond of strangers. You will get the access you need without having to worry about your safety.
Avoid coming across as overly shy. Talk to the people who live in your neighborhood. Keep an eye out for their houses, and request that they return the favor. You never want to ignore gossip. This might provide you with some valuable information, at times related to security, including information about potential strangers who you might not want near your home.
Buy a safe. You can’t have your valuable personal items and jewelry out in the open for anyone to see. Conceal the safe in an out-of-the-way and not easily accessible spot, such as an attic or a basement area.
Any program to improve the security of your home should begin with complete replacement of your door locks. Has a roommate or ex-lover moved out recently? If so, then you need to change out the locks in order to keep you and your home safe. It is not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.
Buy fire resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling materials. This will make your home more safe, especially if you are in a dry climate that has many power lines. Lowering or eliminating the risk of a fire is an extremely important home security strategy because a fire can cause extreme destruction very quickly.
Walls are a great hiding spot for your valuables. Jewelry and other small items can be protected very well when placed in hiding places in your walls. Target any unused phone jacks or electrical outlets for an easy hiding spot. Installing a false unused plate is very easy to do if your home doesn’t have one.
Never allow a stranger to enter your home. Even if someone has a good story, requires help or has a great product to sell, ignore them. There are people that just want to go into your home to see if you’ve got a type of home security system, and if they see that you don’t, they’ll return when you’re not home.
Whenever you move to a new dwelling, make certain to get each lock replaced. The previous owner may be perfectly respectable, but you can’t know that for sure. Besides, other tenants or owners might have copies of the key if the previous owners did not change the locks.
It doesn’t matter how much money you spent, you should have an annual test. Get a professional in to check it out. There are many things that can reduce the quality of your system. You may not know there’s an issue if you can’t see it.
Replace rotted wood around any door frames. Anyone hoping to enter your home can very easily do so by just prying away the rotted wood. Replace rotting wood with new wood to stay safe.
Try not to have a shy attitude. Build up a rapport with the people who own homes close to yours. Look out for their property, and see if they will look out for yours. Never neglect gossip. You may find out helpful information about strangers lurking around.
If you move to a dwelling that has had prior occupants, make sure you get the locks changed. While you may trust those who lived there before you, you have no idea who lived there before them. You might even install new locks yourself so that you know you have the only keys.
Motion sensor lights on the exterior of your home is a great idea. These kinds of lights will pop right on when they detect motion near your home. You will receive advance warning of any potential issues, and a would-be intruder will probably be scared off. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.
Before allowing any security company reps to come into your home, make sure they have on a uniform and they have valid ID. Criminals can easily pretend to be from a security firm as a means to gain entry to the house. This situation presents danger to your home, family and belongings. Be careful to avoid any potential dangers.
Hide your valuables in the walls. You should think about hiding certain small valuables within your walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). Installing a false unused plate is very easy to do if your home doesn’t have one.
Screen the references of anyone who would have access to your house. Don’t be afraid of conducting background checks to determine if they have a criminal history. Anyone you bring into your home to work could be your worst enemy.
Avoid leaving spare keys outside of your home. While it can help you if you’re locked out, you could be letting intruders inside your home. Potential burglars know the usual hiding places. A better option is to entrust an honest neighbor with a spare key.
One of the best things you can do to protect your home at night is to deter intruders with plenty of exterior lighting. They prefer not to be seen. Ample lighting makes it difficult for would-be burglars to approach undetected, and this turns your home into a less attractive target. At night, keep your lights turned on to boost security.
Always lock your home, even if you plan on coming back within a few minutes. Many home thefts start with the thief simply walking in an unlocked door or window. Thieves can steal a lot of valuable stuff in mere minutes.
The Internet is your friend when searching for a home security company, so you should use it wisely. You can check out their packages and rates and also read some customer reviews. You’ll find it easy to narrow your choice down to three top contenders; your next step is to arrange to meet each of them to discuss your specific security needs.
After making major (i.e. expensive) purchases, don’t dump the packaging out front if your next scheduled garbage pick-up is several days away. If you leave the boxes out all week, it lets people know what type of items you have in your home.
For maximum safety, your home needs bright exterior lighting. Thieves prefer to work in darkness. Be sure all vulnerable exterior areas of your home are equipped with good lighting. This can include the garage, doorways, porches and other areas which invite an intruder in.
You as well as your loved ones deserve a secure home. Crime always strikes whenever it is least expected. Keep what you’ve read here in mind, and go make your home more secure than it is. Do it now. Do something about your home security before it is too late.
Consider your personal needs for safety and your security risks prior to looking for security systems. Security systems are a proven method of reducing your chance of break-ins, but it is not always the right choice. In certain areas, it may be just as useful to learn self defense or buy a dog, whereas other places may require added measures. Be aware of your risks to make an intelligent purchasing decisions.