What are you willing to pay to keep your home and family safe? Do you think that most major security companies are too costly? Do you need something more affordable? Thankfully, now there are! The following article has some cheap ways to increase your home security.

It is important for your home to always look lived in. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. This makes it appear that someone is home. This is an effective deterrent against burglars.

Is your dog outside when you are away? You might consider leaving your spare key with your dog. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This is an especially good idea if your dog doesn’t like strangers, and gives you easy access to get in your home.

Protect your spare key by using your dog. In order to make this work, your dog either needs to stay outside or have access to a pet door. Hide a key inside the collar of your dog in case you need a spare.

Do not tell anyone that you are going on vacation out of your friend circle. Though trips are always fun to talk about, you may be doing little more than telling burglars the best times to visit your house.

Does your dog like to play in your yard? You might consider leaving your spare key with your dog. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This is a good way to ensure easy home access, especially if your pet does not associate well with strangers.

Contact the local police department to find out more about the protection programs they offer. The police can offer you some great advice, help you engrave valuables and even come check out your home. A quick call to the non-emergency number at the police station in your town will tell you all you need to know.

Setting off an alarm during a burglary is just one of the valuable functions a good security system can perform. Most systems could sound an alarm when someone enters the home. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.

It will not benefit you to be shy. Build up a rapport with the people who own homes close to yours. Watch out for their homes, and ask them to do the same for you. Don’t ignore any gossip either. You may learn some great information about security, such as if any strangers have been hanging around.

Buy a safe to contain everything of great value. This is important, since you don’t want your valuables exposed to a potential intruder. Put the safe somewhere difficult to get to, like the attic.

Put motion sensor lights around your house. The motion sensors turn on the lights whenever anyone approaches your home. This lets you know something is moving and also drives off criminals. Be sure to keep these lights working, though.

Don’t post online when you’ll be away from your home. While these platforms are there for sharing, this is announcing to the world that your home is an open target.

Your risks of being the target of home intruders really doesn’t depend on the area in which you live. Some maintain that rural dwellers have greater risk since their neighbors live farther away. Some think that there are less burglars in rural areas.

Solicit word of mouth recommendations from friends, colleagues and family members to find a great home security company or system. They probably have both positive and negative things to tell you, and those comments will help you make your own decision. Ask around so you’ll have as much advice as you need in order to make a sound decision.

You could hide some valuables within your walls. This does not mean that you should make alterations to your walls. There are many places in your home that are pre-cut and available. For example, you could take the wiring out of an electric socket that is not in use and put your valuable jewelry in there.

Do not let people you don’t know in your house. There are some people who are very convincing and good at getting you to let them into your house. Some criminals will come in, case your house and then come back when you are away.

Spare Key

In the summertime, you should rid your yard of dead bushes and vegetation. These can be fire hazards and can cause damage to your home. Make sure your yard is clean for the sake of your safety – and that of your family!

Never place a spare key in a plant box or under your welcome mat. While you may feel that you are keeping yourself safe by allowing a way in for yourself, you are also allowing everyone else to visit whenever they want. Thieves are aware of all these spots. Rather, give your spare key to a neighbor or friend that you trust.

You should regularly check your home security system, regardless of how reliable you believe it is. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. Mother nature can sneak in and cause many problems. Sometimes it is very difficult to see the problem if you don’t know where it is.

Plug a rechargeable flashlight into an outlet in each room of your house in the event of power outage. Power outages are common to all sorts of emergency situations, so having flashlights handy will enable you to maneuver in the dark. Your whole family should be trained on the proper use and maintenance of flashlights.

End your shyness. Meet your neighbors. Watch their houses, and ask if they’d do the same. Never neglect gossip. While this is unorthodox, it may clue you into a possible home security threat.

A great way to achieve extra security is to install exterior lighting equipped with motion detectors. In the evening, lights will help keep your home safe, and will add little in the way of extra expense. If you position motion detectors properly, it is very hard for someone to sneak onto the property.

Put motion-sensor lights into your home. They turn on only if someone is nearby. 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 that you must change the bulbs often in order to keep the lights working in order.

You should find a home security company that will inspect your home and put together a customized system. The needs and wants of each family and the configuration of each home are quite individual. When you don’t want to compromise in any way on the safety and security of your home, a custom-built system is usually the way to go.

Always lock your house, no matter how briefly you expect to be gone. A lot of times, burglaries happen due to carelessness. A burglar can steal a lot of expensive stuff in a short amount of time.

If you get home and your door is open, do not enter ti investigate. Your home and the area surrounding it may still be in danger. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

If you move to a place that was occupied before, you should change the locks right away. Although other tenants might not have a key anymore, they could have copied it. You might even purchase and install your own locks so that you are assured of having the only keys.

Buy a paper shredder. Thieves often look through garbage, trying to find credit card information or other important documents. If you can not afford to purchase a paper shredder, just rip the paper into smaller pieces.

Before letting someone from a security company into a house, get some sort of official identification. Having the name of the technician coming to your house ahead of time can help to ensure you are allowing someone who really works for the company into your home. This means peril for what you own as well as your loved ones. Caution is always advisable if dangers like this are to be avoided.

Visible Cameras

You can make your home safer by investing in some motion detectors and outside lights. In the evening hours, this lighting can provide extra security and an economical way to light your front entrance way when you arrive. If placed strategically around the house, motion detectors can make it very tough for criminals to get to your property.

Install a home surveillance system. A wonderful way to make your home safer is by putting in hidden or visible cameras. Intruders will stay away from your home if they notice cameras and hidden cameras can help identify intruders if they disable the most visible cameras. You can sometimes access security systems using your cell phone, keeping you informed on the go.

If you arrive home and you see that your door is ajar, never enter to investigate on your own. This is dangerous since the thief may still be on your property. The best thing to do is call the police and wait for them to arrive before doing anything else.

Your budget will tell you which security measures you can put in place. If you don’t have a large budget, there are inexpensive methods you can try. This article should have inspired you to think about your options. These tips will be very helpful down the road.

If you will be going out of time, have someone you trust get your mail. Also, have them look for fliers stuck in your door. Canny burglars will often produce and distribute their own fliers so that they can see whether or not anyone takes them down. If the flier is not removed, they will know you are not home.