It’s every homeowner’s duty to do all they can to make sure their house is safe. While you may believe it is only necessary to install an alarm system in your home, you have many other choices. Read the following article for more detailed information about making your home secure.

Always have the locks changed when you buy a new home. This is because you really have no idea who has keys, and therefore access to your home. Get a locksmith in right away. This is also the thing to do if you lose the keys.

Make sure you trust your house cleaner before you provide them with a key. If they will be there over an hour and you are thinking of giving them your home key, be certain they are honest, reputable and hard-working. All references should be checked. Contact your local Better Business Bureau to find out more about the reputation of the cleaner you hired.

Do not give the key to your home to your cleaning person unless you are certain they are worthy of your trust. Only select service people who are totally trustworthy. One way to do this is to check their references. If the person is an employee of a firm, call your local BBB to check their reputation.

When you set out to purchase home security equipment, remember to comparison shop. Wild variations in pricing can exist for similar security products. Ensure you talk to a minimum of three companies to obtain quotes before deciding the one that you believe is best for you.

Do not post on your social media accounts regarding when you will be away on vacation. It’s natural to be excited about your trip, but this is as good as throwing out the welcome mat for people who know your home is unoccupied.

Don’t announce your vacation agenda on your social networks. This is especially true if you have lots of unfamiliar “friends”. Although your first instinct is to share the news about an upcoming trip that excites you, the info may well fall into the hands of people who’d be interested in burglarizing your home while you’re away.

Before agreeing to work with a security company, check with your friends and family for recommendations. Your loved ones likely have dealt with this situation before. Make sure to ask neighbors for advice too.

Before selecting any home-security company, talk to your friends to see who they suggest. They have likely had interactions with home security providers that they can tell you about, saving you time and stress. Be sure you seek out advice by asking those people.

Never allow str4angers to enter your house. Even people who claim to need help may be out to harm you. Some people will knock on your door simply to see whether you have a security system.

Attached Garage

If you own a garage, be sure to use it to place your car, as opposed to using it as a storage. Keep the car within the garage will make sure no one harms or steals it. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.

Secure your attached garage. Often people are concerned that burglars can enter the home via the attached garage . Happily, there is a solution to this problem. A C-clamp is very useful for garage doors that lift on tracks. It will prevent garage doors from opening up whenever it is near the roller and is tight on the track.

Changing the locks is a fundamental part of adding security to the home. Changing the locks will ensure that you are the only one who knows the combination. You can change the locks in a single day, and the hardware is not very costly.

In summer, take care to trim back branches and plants near the house. These can pose a fire hazard due to heat and storms with lightning. Regularly clear away your yard to keep your home in good standing and safe for your family.

The walls of your home make for great hiding spots. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. Any phone jack or electrical outlet that isn’t being used is a great place to hide valuables. You can also just put in a false plate to cover a hiding place.

A wall is a great hiding place. You can hide small valuables inside the walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). You can also just put in a false plate to cover a hiding place.

You should always lock up your house, even if you’re only planning to be gone for a short time. Most real-world burglars aren’t master lock-breakers; they simply stroll in through a door left carelessly unlocked. It doesn’t take long for a thief to steal thousands of dollars worth of stuff.

Criminals often pick houses where they can see the valuables inside. Large front windows are great, but they also allow others to peer into your home. By reducing visibility into your home, you protect your belongings, safety, and you improve the interior beauty of your home.

If you have just moved into a new home, have every single lock replaced. You don’t really know the people you purchased the house from or all the folks they shared keys with, so don’t place too much trust in the old locks. Many other people could have keys to the property, and you probably don’t want them to all have access to your home.

Security System

Were you aware of how valuable your house wires are? Many folks are not aware of this until a thief steals it. Copper wiring is quite valuable, and it’s quick and easy for criminals to strip it right off the outside of your house! That’s why it’s important to hide your wiring, or make it hard for criminals to have access to it.

Make sure the wires of your home security system are completely hidden. Many intruders bypass a security system by cutting the wires. Never make things easy for them. Ask the person installing it to bury the wires or hide them inside the walls. This will add security.

Make sure to have flashlights with fresh batteries in all rooms within your house in the event of a power outage. Having these in an easy to find place will allow you to see in the dark much quicker. Make sure your whole family knows where to find them and how to operate them.

Plug a rechargeable flashlight into an outlet in each room of your house in the event of power outage. Flashlights are key because they allow you to move around if an emergency should arise. Teach your children how to use the flashlights so that everyone in your household can help.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. A background check which includes any criminal history is warranted. 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.

When you are trying to hire a home security contractor, read all the small print on your contract before signing it. There are sometimes fees if you break a contract or need additional equipment. These are costs you’ll want to avoid.

If you need to make the outside of your home secure, you can achieve this relatively inexpensively by installing lights with motion detectors. In the evening, lights will help keep your home safe, and will add little in the way of extra expense. This is a great way to deter prowlers and potential intruders at night.

If you have your home brightly lit, burglars are likely to avoid it. Burglars don’t want to be visible. Thieves have a hard time stealing things when there are lots of lights around. At night, keep your lights turned on to boost security.

Talk to any companies you’re considering hiring to install a security system about how long the company has been around. Companies with a long history can give you the best service for many years. Knowing you are not dealing with a fly by night company gives you extra peace of mind when making this important decision.

Look into wireless security systems. A wired system is probably less expensive, but wires are a hassle. Also, you will have a very easy time installing them.

You need to think about what you need as far as home security before you look at different systems. Although they can be very helpful, security systems aren’t always necessary. It may be better for you to take a self-defense class or buy a dog. The neighborhood you live in makes a difference. Be sure to understand the sorts of risks you face before deciding what sort of security is best for you.

If you purchase pricey, new electronics, don’t place empty boxes on the curb. Burglars will instantly take notices of these boxes and what used to be in them, making you an easy burglary target. Break the boxes down, or take a scissors to them to help them fit in your trash can.

A great security system for your home is a dog. Dogs will bark at the sign of trouble or intruders. Keeping a huge and ferocious canine is not necessary. Small dogs even scare off intruders as they don’t like anything to make noise when breaking into a home.

A dog is a great alarm system. They are protective about their territory, plus they make noises that keep burglars at bay. You don’t even need a huge, vicious dog. Even small dogs can keep intruders away since they don’t want lots of noise when committing crimes.

Avoid storing car registration in your glove compartment. These valuable documents provide criminals with information about your home location. Hide them somewhere else in the car, or carry them with you. If a cop pulls you over, you will need them anyway.

There’s an easy way to secure interior doors (if there are areas you want to keep housemates and children out of) without obliging you to carry a key-ring around at all times. Use a code-access lock for any door you don’t want others opening. You can either install these locks by yourself, or have them professionally installed if you are not that handy yourself.

Replace your doors with some that are solid wood or metal. Those materials will hold. If a thief tried to kick the door, he would not be successful in doing so. You are probably able to replace your exterior doors for a small price, so do that soon.

Having read this article, you now know what it takes to create a safe and secure home. You must realize that these precautions are necessary in order to protect your family. You can do this by applying what you’ve learned here.

Always lock the windows in your home, no matter what floor they are on. A lot of people assume criminals won’t try these windows. This may not be what happens. Experienced criminals know exactly where the majority of homeowners let their guards down, and they won’t fail to check for weaknesses like an open window on the second story.