Having a secure home is something you surely take seriously and something you don’t want to forget about. It can sometimes seem hard to know exactly where to to start. The piece below is sure to offer the direction you need.
Any time you buy a new home, have the locks changed. You never know how many copies of the keys the previous owners made and handed out. To ensure that you are the only one who has access to your house, call a locksmith. Also, if you lose your keys, change the locks.
Keep your most precious belongings inside a safe. If an intruder breaks into your home, at least these valuables will be secure. Hide that safe in a difficult-to-reach place like in a closet inside your basement or an attic.
A good security system has many more features than sounding the alarm during a break-in. Most security systems can facilitate alarm sounds anyone enters. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.
Before agreeing to work with a security company, check with your friends and family for recommendations. You can benefit from the experience of others that have gone before you by paying attention to their recommendations and warnings. Making a great choice is important, so this advice will come in handy.
Check around for prices, reputation, and reliability when choosing a home security provider. Some companies offer comparable levels of protection that can be priced very differently. Before choosing which company to go with, ask for quotes from a minimum of three companies.
If you’re going on a trip for an extended period of time, switch the ringer off on all home phones. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.
You should not let anyone inside your home. Do not give in, even if a person uses a convincing story, asks for help or says they are selling something. This is the first rule of keeping your home secure.
You need to secure your garage if it is attached to your home. There is a way to stop thieves from entering your home from the garage. A C clamp helps for garage doors on a track. The clamp actually keeps the door closed if tightened close to the track roller.
Walls can be a great hiding spot. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). If you have no unused plates, you can easily install false ones.
Home protection program details may be available at your police station. There are many that offer programs that include items, such as home inspection, how to use engraving tools to mark code numbers to identify valuables if yours are stolen, and protective measures advice. If your police department does not offer these programs, find a private security company.
It is not a good idea to hide a spare key on your property. A key that is easily found is a convenience for a burglar, not just for you. Rest assured, thieves have a good idea about these hiding places. Ask a friend, neighbor or relative to keep your extra keys for you.
Make your home safer by storing your car inside the garage. If your car is in your garage there is less of a chance to vandalize or steal it. This will also make it more difficult for burglars to track when you away from home.
Motion sensitive lights are an inexpensive way to increase your home’s security. At night, the lights will keep things bright round the house, but they are also efficient and cost-effective ways to help your security. If the lights are positioned correctly on your home, then it makes it much less likely for a burglar to enter.
Stashing your most precious possession right inside the walls of your home can be a great idea. You don’t have to cut out pieces of the wall to do this. There are many locales that are already around your home. Remove the wires from an electric socket you do not use so you can hide your valuable jewelry.
You should find out how many years of experience your home security service has. Companies with a long history can give you the best service for many years. You get better peace of mind if you deal with someone you know you can trust for the long haul.
Don’t hide an extra key under a rock or in a planter. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. Burglars are well aware of these hiding places. Ask a reliable neighbor or a friend to keep your spare key.
Maintain the exterior areas in your house so they are well lit. Burglars like using darkness to hide. Motion sensor lights can work great because they can also alert you when someone does come onto the property. Over doors, near windows and especially your back yard need to be lit.
Expensive Items
If you do not already have a paper shredder, you may want to think about investing in one. You will be astonished at how burglars find important information from loose paper that they could use to break into your house. If you can’t get a paper shredder, try ripping papers into smaller pieces.
If you have purchased any large and/or expensive items, do not throw the boxes away until the day before the trash man is scheduled to come. If you set these boxes out with the trash, thieves will know you have expensive items in your house.
If you will be away from your home, arrange to have whoever is collecting your mail to also pick up fliers placed inside your door. Sometimes burglars leave fliers in an attempt to see if anyone is home to remove them. Intruders can get a good idea of what your schedule is like or figure out that you are on vacation if the flyer stays on your door for a long time.
If you are new into a house, replace all the locks. Regardless of how you feel about the sellers, you never know someone’s true intentions. Bear in mind that other people may have lived in the home before the previous owner.
Consider installing a surveillance system for your home. Setting up hidden and visible video cameras is a good way to keep your home secure. Visible cameras deter many intruders, but if they disable the cameras that they can see, your hidden camera can record the action. A lot of surveillance systems are accessible using your cell phone, so you can monitor your home while you are out of town.
Believe it or not, the wires on your house are worth stealing. Some intruders could strip your home of every bit of copper. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home. Make sure the wiring is concealed or difficult to access in order to keep this valuable item safe.
When you purchase an expensive item such as a computer or TV, be sure to take the cardboard box to the recycling center rather than leaving it on your curb for all the world to see. A burglar may see the box and decide to target you as a result. When you have emptied the boxes, make sure you cut them up.
Get flashlights with good batteries, and have them in each room in case you lose power. Flashlights are very important, as they will give you the ability to move around in the event of an emergency. Teach your children how to use the flashlights so that everyone in your household can help.
Is your street number on your house visible from the street? If an emergency happens, the police can’t get to the home as quick if your numbers are obscured in any way or are too small. There is a cheap and quick fix if you see an issue.
If you have roommates or kids who you do not want in certain areas of the house, you do not have to lock the doors and carry around a ton of keys. Use a code-access lock for any door you don’t want others opening. You can have your home security company install it for you, or you can do it yourself.
If you live with children or others whom who don’t want entering some parts of the house, keys and lock sets aren’t the only option. You may have locks without keys that need a code. You could install these locks yourself. Or, you may have a security company to do it for you.
Always keep your shades, curtains and blinds closed when you are not at home. You don’t want potential intruders to be able to look inside. They may break in if they see things they like. Keep them down when you’re asleep, too.
See if your firm gives you the choice of leasing and/or buying security equipment. Buying equipment can be pricey upfront, but it’s a single cost versus a monthly cost. Leasing is cheaper, but there may be hidden fees and contracts. You must review both options carefully to determine which will best suit your needs.
If you keep a spare key outside, make sure it is not kept in an obvious location. Fake rocks are very easy to spot. Hiding a key under the doormat is even worse; this cliched tactic will fool no one. It is best to simply ask a neighbor or trusted friend to hold on to an extra key for you. This will reduce the chances of a burglary.
Put some extra thought into concealing your spare keys. If you place it under a rock, a good robber will find it. The first place a person will look is a doormat. Just leave your key with someone you trust. If you must keep it elsewhere, be creative with your hiding spot.
Always close your curtains, especially if a passerby can easily look in your windows. Don’t let anyone see inside. If burglars spot the expensive items in your house, they may want to hit you next. Be careful about what you expose to the public so that your likelihood of a burglary will decrease.
Don’t make an obvious or easy password for your numeric keypad lock. Anyone can find your birth date in your mail or on your social networks and can then access your home. You should choose a number no one else will be able to guess and change it regularly.
Your alarm will only work if the police are notified. Get an alarm that is centrally monitored to ensure that when it sounds, the police arrive. It is not safe to assume the neighbors will call the police.
Ask the security company if they’re currently offering an motion sensitive lighting. Many companies do offer this and it makes lights outside the home turn on just as soon as a person approaches them. This can provide extra security when you enter your house, and can also hinder an intruder.
The most secure sort of lock is a deadbolt that includes a captive keylock. Deadbolts have thumb latches that prevent people from reaching around them to open it. Leave a key inside the lock in case there’s an emergency.
As a matter of course, you should install new locks any time you move into a house or apartment. Always make sure that the lock is switched at least once a year.
While locks are useful for sealing the inside, they won’t be that useful if you can’t lock them from outside. The best lock that you can choose are deadbolt locks, and the ones that have keys on both sides so that it cannot be opened by thieves are the ultimate choice.
Regularly clean carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. If they become clogged with lint and dust, it will interfere with their sensors. These devices could be rendered useless if not properly taken care of.
You will have a better peace of mind when your home feels safe. This is a fact of life. Learning all you can about home security will assure you have a safe home and peace of mind.
You must keep your trash secure in order to keep your home secure. Putting out boxes for expensive electronics is like sending out an invitation to burglars. This is true of large appliance boxes, too.
The above article has, hopefully, provided you with the blue widget advice you were looking for; use it to your advantage. When you keep learning, new doors are always opening! The more you know, the better off you’ll be.
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