Every homeowner ought to know how to keep both their homes safe. Home invasions can be quite common, and other thing like flood and fire can damage your home. Read on to learn how you family is safe from these threats.
Don’t give the keys to your home to a professional cleaner unless you trust them completely. Make sure you know they are legitimate before giving out the key. All references should be checked. If the cleaner has been sent by a company, call the Better Business Bureau to check on the company’s reputation.
Make your home look like it’s always occupied. You could purchase timers and have your TVs, lights, power on or off at varying intervals. This will make your home appear that someone is home. This is a great way to keep your home secure.
Don’t let strangers enter your house. While their story may seem legit, that doesn’t mean it is true. Some folks will enter to scout for security systems, and upon seeing you lack one, will resolve to return at a later time.
Your dog can actually safeguard an extra key. This really only works if you have a dog door or an outdoor dog. You can purchase a special collar that will hold your spare key, so it is always handy.
Don’t be shy. Speak with your neighbors. Watch their homes for suspicious activity and get their word that they will do the same thing for you. Don’t disregard gossip either. You never know what sort of security issues you might become privy to.
Check out their references fully.If you’re hiring from a company, call your local BBB to check their reputation.
Install lights that use a motion-sensor. The lights will be triggered when someone gets too close to the house. Then you will know someone is present, and if the person is a burglar, he or she will be very likely to turn around and leave. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.
Do you keep your dog outside if you aren’t home? Your furry friend is also a great storage place to hide your extra key. Put it on the dog’s collar.This is especially useful if your pet does not respond well to strangers.
Your home may be equipped with skylights, and if so you must not neglect them in your security planning. Although a skylight can bring light into one’s home and look good, it’s also a common entrance way for burglars. Any skylights in your home should be secured with strong hardware.
Home security systems offer other features besides having an alarm that goes off during a break-in. The majority of systems will give an audible alert when someone enters the home. This can be valuable to parents that have small children so that they are made aware their kids open or close doors.
Walls make the perfect hiding spot. You should think about hiding certain small valuables within your walls. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. Anything not used currently makes a good spot for hiding.
Above a door frame or under doormats are not smart ideas.One good place to hide your key inside the collar of your outdoor dog.
Hide valuables in spaces in your walls. You do not have to damage your walls to keep your valuables safe. Find a place where there is already a hole to get in through. You could removed the wiring from an electric socket that you aren’t using, and stash jewelry inside it.
Local Police Department
When selecting an alarm set-up, think about getting one that protects not just the doors in your home. Each window represents a possible entry for your thief. Be sure your home alarm covers all entry points into your home. This helps ensure your family stays safe.
See if your local police department offers in terms of home inspection or other protection programs. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, home security training and more. Call the local police department and inquire as to what is available.
Believe it or not, the wires on your house are worth stealing. The majority of people aren’t aware of this fact until a burglar steals these wires. Wiring can be removed from the outside of a home in a heartbeat. To keep the wiring safe, be sure that the wire is hidden from view.
Make sure that none of your valuables cannot be seen from outside the home. Large windows allow you to keep an eye on who is approaching your home, but it can make it easier for criminals to see inside.
If you are entering a house that has already been occupied, you should first change your locks. While you may trust those who lived there before you, you have no idea who lived there before them. You can do your own installation to make sure that no one else has a key.
Replace all the locks in a new house.Even if the previous owner or tenant seems trustworthy, you simply can’t know for certain.
Before letting someone from a security company into a house, get some sort of official identification. Thieves may say they are from a certain company to get into your home. Don’t allow this to happen, as it is a direct threat to your house and its contents. Make sure you are as cautious as you can be.
If you are moving into a new home, you should change the locks right away. The person who used to live there may still have made some copies of the key. You can even buy and install the locks on yourself so you can be sure no one else has a key.
Checking out security firms online is a great idea. Check out different websites, and read through package details and customer testimonials. Make appointments with the three best companies, and take the time to go over the details and compare them.
Keeping your house bright and lit at night can help keep the burglars away. They prefer not want to be seen.Keep your lights shining brightly at night.
Get your home security system custom built for your needs. Every homeowner has specific needs for their home and their family. You will get the best home security system possible if you use a service willing to work with you to create a tailored system.
Landscape around your home with safety in mind. If these things can be seen by the naked eye, people will not hide there and attempt a break-in. This should be planned in advance for your home additional safety.
Make sure the outside of the house is well lit. Burglars tend to commit crimes at night. Install lights by each and every entryway to your home. This includes doorways and porches, the garage, and windows on ground floors which may invite intruders.
Ask your home security company about how long they have been in business before you sign up for service. A company that’s been around for a long history has proved they can survive and provide great service to people. Knowing you are not dealing with a shady company can keep you calm when making this crucial decision.
If you lose your house keys often, you might want to install a keyless entry system. Instead, key-less key code locks can work just as well. They are fairly simple to install, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing so yourself, you can ask your home security company about it.
Make sure that your address numbers are visible from across the street. If your numbers cannot be plainly seen, it will take longer for the police to locate your home if the numbers are concealed in any way or too small.
Do not use locks with spring latches. They give intruders and easy time breaking in, since they can be unlocked with a credit card. Burglars just slip a card between the latch and the door, causing the lock mechanism to open. A deadbolt should be added for security purposes if you have locks that are spring latch.
Spring Latch Locks
When you’re not in your house, all of the window coverings (blinds, curtains, shades, or what have you) should be tightly shut. By failing to do so, you are granting a prime view of your house and your belongings. They may break in if they see things they like. Always close your curtains and blinds while sleeping.
Don’t use locks of the spring latch locks installed. These locks are the easiest for criminals to open with a credit card. Intruders can pick these locks by wedging a credit card in between the latch and door for the door. Add a deadbolt if you do not want to replace your spring latch locks for maximum security.
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. The system will cease to work properly if the batteries are not fresh. Replacing batteries can get costly.
Don’t put your key in an obvious areas. It is easy to find fake rock. The first place someone will look. A better plan is to ask someone you trust to keep your extra key holder than an inanimate object. If you can’t, find a spot that’s not obvious.
A house alarm is a great option, as long as you call the cops when it alarms. Get an alarm that is centrally monitored to ensure that when it sounds, the police arrive. An isolated alarm that just wakes up your neighbors is far less reliable, especially after a few false alarms.
Family Photos
Women stand a much better chance of being the victims of home invasions, particularly if they live alone or with kids. A pair of recently worn workmen’s boots on the front porch can give an impression of a strong man living at home. This is sure to scare criminals off from your house.
Always keep your valuables you can’t replace secure. Items such as family photos, family photos, legal documents, expensive jewelry and legal documents are best kept in a secure location. A floor safe could be a great place to keep these items within the home. You could also look into getting a safety deposit box.
Outdoor wiring is attractive to thieves. The copper and other metals found in electrical components, wires, and plumbing is valuable enough as scrap metal to make it worth stealing. Concealing wiring can keep thieves from stripping copper from your things and leaving you with expensive repair costs.
Being friendly will bring you right away.
Always change the keys and locks on a new home. This is equally important if you’re renting. If your landlord won’t change the locks, do it yourself.
You want to always keep second-floor windows locked. Many folks forget this since they don’t think criminals will not bother with those windows. This is not be further from the case. This is often a weak point of home security and criminal generally know this.
Do not allow rooms in your home to be visible while looking from outside. If there are valuables visible from the outside, thieves will be aware of this. Consider putting in drapes or blinds in order to prevent people outside your home from seeing your interior furnishings. If you don’t want to do that, try moving a few things around instead.
Deadbolts featuring captive keylocks are the best locks on the market.These have a thumb latch so that no one can reach around and open the lock via a broken window. When you’re at home, keep the key inserted inside the lock so you can leave if there is a fire.
A good video surveillance system will keep most intruders away. Real burglars do not resemble the ones in the movies. The average burglar wants to avoid coming into contact with the homeowner or anyone else. Burglars who see a surveillance camera in place usually beat a hasty retreat.
Because of all the threats to a home, every homeowner should take steps in protecting it as much as possible. This article has many quality ideas about protecting your home from threats. Make the most of these great tips for the best in home security.
You should seek a security company that offers customers more than security systems. A great company will visit you at home and give you recommendations that will keep you and your family safe. You may be advised to install windows that are more secure, trim your shrubbery and/or beef up your security locks. It should be obvious whether or not the company cares about your safety or is just trying to make a quick buck off of you.
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