If you are a home owner, then you know just how important it is to keep your humble abode safe. When you home is damaged or destroyed, you can feel very violated. Your home holds your memories, your sense of security and represents a major monetary investment. Go over this article for more details on home security.

Change the locks after buying a new house. You don’t know how many keys have been handed out previously. To ensure that you are the only one who has access to your house, call a locksmith. Give a key to someone you trust in case you get locked out.

Make your house look occupied all the time. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. This gives off the appearance that someone is home. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.

Don’t give your keys to a house cleaner unless you totally trust them. 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. Do a background check on them. If you’re hiring from a company, call the BBB for more information.

If you need to leave a key for a maid service, make sure that that whoever cleans your house is professional and trustworthy. Before you give a cleaner full access to your home for extended periods of time, you have to be certain that they’re trustworthy and reliable. Make sure you verify all references. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

Talk to people you know for referrals when choosing home security systems. You can learn a lot from people who have already dealt with these companies. Ask around so you’ll have as much advice as you need in order to make a sound decision.

Never open up your door to a stranger. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. Enforce a rule within your house that no one opens the door to unexpected people.

Request information from your local law enforcement agencies about home protection packages. 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. Speak with the police in your area to see if they have these things.

You should not be shy. Speak with your neighbors and friends in the area. Keep on eye on their home and ask neighbors to return the favor. You never want to ignore gossip. You may end up hearing about things such as odd folks roaming about the neighborhood.

If you’ve got a garage, make sure to use it for your car rather than extra storage space. Keeping the car inside is a good way to keep criminals from stealing or harming it. This can also keep people from knowing your schedule.

Trust your instincts when it comes to hiring a home security company. This is especially important when it comes to the company employees who will be installing your system. Don’t hesitate asking for another technician or get another company. Your security system is supposed to help you, not cause you more stress.

Motion-sensor lights can alert you of a robbery before it even happens. These lights turn on if someone walks closely to your house. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Do not forget to change a bulb when it burns out.

When securing your home, don’t forget about skylights. Skylights have a good function, but unfortunately they also often provide a way for a burglar to enter. Skylights need to be installed correctly and safely, with hardware that will keep intruders out.

Find a home security company you can trust. This is doubly true when you feel unease about the installers. Don’t hesitate asking for another technician or get another company. You want your new system to protect you, not be the way the thief gets into your home.

Walls are great for hiding things. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Use an old switch plate, outlet or phone jack. A security store will sell fake plates you can install anywhere.

If you’ve got skylights, don’t neglect them when ensuring your home’s security. Skylights are excellent for beauty and light, but it’s easy for burglars to gain access to your home through them. Be certain that skylights in your home can be locked securely.

If you have just bought any pricey new goods, never toss the boxes onto the curb prior to the garbage man’s arrival. Having these boxes outside of your house will give robbers the temptation of robbing your house.

Walls can be a great hiding spot. This is a great way to hide jewelry, for example. You could utilize an electrical outlet, phone jack, or unused switch plate. If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

Were you aware that your home’s wires are valuable? A lot of people do not know this until a thief steals them from the house. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home. To keep the wiring safe, be sure that the wire is hidden from view.

If you bought any big or expensive things, wait until trash day to throw away the boxes. Letting such packaging sit out will signal to criminals that there are good things to be found in your house.

Checking out security firms online is a great idea. Check out reviews you find on the web. With this information, you can contact the companies you feel comfortable with and compare the rates to each other.

If you’ve recently moved into a house, get any locks changed out. The previous owner may be perfectly respectable, but you can’t know that for sure. Aside from that, other people lived in the home even before the ones from whom you purchased the home.

Get some professional assistance by asking a home security company to come to your house and work up a plan for a customized security system. Every person has specific needs and wants when dealing with securing your family, home, and items. A good company will tailor your security plan to the needs of you and your family.

You need flashlights and plenty of batteries in each room just in case your power ever goes out. Flashlights are very important, as they will give you the ability to move around in the event of an emergency. This can come in handy if someone has cut your power and is attempting to break in.

Consider your security risk and safety needs before purchasing home security systems. Although these systems can protect you and your family, not everybody needs them. Depending on your neighborhood and your household, you might well be better served by a reliable guard dog or self-defense training than by high-tech gadgetry. See to it that you understand the risks involved in making these purchasing decisions.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. Be sure to perform a background check and look for any criminal history that might be in evidence. You can’t know for sure about the integrity of people you hire, and blindly giving them access to your home can be a huge mistake.

Make sure that your garage is not visible from the outside in. Add frosting to your window glass to keep folks from looking in the house. Don’t leave the door unlocked for a long time, either.

The outside of your house should be well lit. Burglars prefer the cover that night provides their criminal activities. Be sure all vulnerable exterior areas of your home are equipped with good lighting. Having these outdoor lights installed can really work as a deterrent to criminals who are considering your house.

As stated in this piece, making sure your house is safe need not be tough. Take the time to learn as much as you can about home security. Utilize these great ideas in order to maximize the security of your home. Don’t neglect anything you read here. Make your home as safe as possible.

Are you able to see the numbers on your house from the street? If your numbers cannot be plainly seen, then the police will struggle to locate your home very quickly in case of emergency. Happily, it’s quick and easy to fix this problem.