Safety should be priority number one for a homeowner. Burglaries are a common occurrence in homes. In addition, there are other issues that homeowners must deal with, including fire, flood, carbon monoxide, etc. Read on to learn some useful advice to keep your family and home safe from nearly any threat.

Make your house look occupied all the time. You can purchase timers that can control your household electronics such as lights, TVs and radios. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This is an excellent method for avoiding burglary and keeping your home secure.

Have your home always look occupied. Buy timers so that lights, radios, TVs and all other electronics turn on and off at various times. This will make it look like someone is home. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.

Think very carefully about where to hide your spare key. It is very common for homeowners to hide them under a mat or above the framing of their door, and intruders know this. You should hide it in your dog’s collar.

Be sure your roof, floors, and ceiling are fire resistant. This ensures your home won’t be a tinderbox. Fire prevention should be taken seriously because it can stop a major disaster from happening.

If you will be gone for an extended period, turn the ringers off on all telephones in the home. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.

You should talk to your friends and family about advice concerning certain home security companies. Others may have had bad and good experiences that they share with you so that you may be able to save time and stress. Making a great choice is important, so this advice will come in handy.

Don’t overlook your garage as a potential access point for thieves. You can prevent this from happening easily. A C-clamp placed on the garage door track will stop it from opening when you don’t want it to.

Security System

Do you live outside the city? You might be less worried about home invasions than if you lived in an urban area. There are differences between large cities and homes located in the countryside. Some think that there are less burglars in rural areas.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to have it checked each year. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. Your security system’s quality can be impacted by numerous factors, such as the weather and wild animals. If you cannot see a problem, you might not know one exists.

A skylight is another area that needs to be protected for home security. Skylights are a great addition to any home, but they are also tempting entryways for crooks. Make sure that you use safety hardware when the skylights are installed and maintained.

Changing your locks first can help make your home much more secure. This could be an ex-spouse or roommate you got into a fight with. It is not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. Small valuables fit nicely inside walls. All you have to do is place them behind any unused phone jack, electrical outlet or switch plate. You can also install a fake one.

When dealing with a company installing your home security system, it is important that you trust your gut. If the installers give you the heebie-jeebies, it’s not a good sign. Don’t hesitate to request a different technician or to hire a new company altogether. The purpose of using the company is to calm your uneasiness, not worsen it.

It is not a good idea to hide a spare key on your property. These are the first places criminals will look when they try to enter your home. Thieves are familiar with these hiding spots. Rather, give your spare key to a neighbor or friend that you trust.

Even if you’re not going to be gone long, keep your home locked. It may shock you to know this, but a lot of intruders get inside homes through open doors. Thieves can steal thousands worth of your belongings very quickly.

Make sure that your valuables cannot be seen from outside the home. Large windows let in light and give you a great view outside, but that works both ways. By reducing visibility into your home, you protect your belongings, safety, and you improve the interior beauty of your home.

The wiring on your house is valuable to burglars. People often don’t think about this until they have it stolen from their home. The copper component of wiring is very valuable and may be stripped from the outside of your home in a fairly short amount of time. This is why the wiring should be hidden or difficult to get to.

Never throw out boxes for expensive items until the day your trash is picked up. If you leave the boxes out all week, it lets people know what type of items you have in your home.

Make sure all the wood around your doors is in great shape. Rotted wood causes a serious weakness in your home’s security because it makes it easy to pry open doors. Always replace rotting wood with fresh wood immediately to keep your house strong and secure.

You should change all the locks if you just bought or rented a new home. Although the person you purchased the house from might seem good, you really have no clue as to who they really are. And, other people could have lived in the home previously to them as well.

Purchase flashlights that have good batteries, and keep them in every room in your home in case the power goes out. 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 properly use flashlights.

Equipping each room in your house with a reliable flashlight (charged with good batteries, of course!) is an excellent safety investment. They will help you get around in case your entire home is dark. Show your children how to use them so everyone in the family is involved.

Alter the locks and the keys when you change homes. They previous occupants may have made copies of the keys. You can also put the locks on yourself so you can be sure no one else has a key.

As the company that is doing your home security how long they’ve been providing this service. A long-standing company has a track record in the industry that people can attest to. Being in the hands of a good company helps you have peace about your decision.

Add motion detector lighting to the exterior of your home for increased security. This is a fairly inexpensive way to provide light and security to your property. If positioned correctly on the exterior of your home, the motion detectors make it virtually impossible for an intruder to sneak onto your property.

You want the security company to actually come to your house and install the system according to your needs. You need some features which other families may wish to do without. A good company will tailor your security plan to the needs of you and your family.

When you landscape your house, make it safe. There should be no plants or greenery in front of doors or windows. These types of places provide the perfect cover for prowlers. For a beautiful yard that’s also safe, keep the landscaping separated from the house.

You should invest in a timer to turn lights on and off at regular times. This will ensure that they turn on and off when you can’t be at home.

Ask your home security company how long they have been in business before you sign up for service. A long-standing company has a track record in the industry that people can attest to. Realizing you at involved with a stable firm will give you a sense of calm that is important.

A home alarm system is a terrific investment, but make sure someone is there to call the cops if it happens to go off. The best bet is to invest in an alarm which is centrally monitored so you can be sure that any time it goes off, the police will show up. You don’t want to have to rely on just your neighbors.

Ask your home security company about coming to your residence and creating a system that is tailored to your personal needs. They should take your concerns seriously and address any issues you have. By locating the company that will create the best plan for you, you will be assured you are receiving the best possible home security.

It can be tough to provide the proper level of security in a home equipped with sliding glass doors. They can be simply unlocked with a lift and a shake. If a security system isn’t attached to these doors, then insert pipe to place into the door channel. Doing this will help keep your door closed tighter, making it more difficult for burglars to break in.

If you’re planning to be out of your home for a period of time, have a neighbor remove any fliers placed on your door. Burglars sometimes place fliers as a means 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.

Make friends with a talkative neighbor who is home a lot. The nosy neighbor may not make for good company, but he or she is likely to notice suspicious individuals near your house. By befriending this person, you will always have updates on the latest neighborhood news and threats.

If you just purchased electronics, do not leave empty boxes outside. Burglars will instantly take notices of these boxes and what used to be in them, making you an easy burglary target. Remember to cut up the boxes when they’re emptied.

Always lock second story windows. Many folks forget about these, thinking ignorantly that burglars don’t check. This simply isn’t the case. Never underestimate the ability of an intruder to get into your home if they are really determined.

Keeping a dog provides a great way to boost your home’s defense. Dogs are very protective of their turf and usually make noises when something is amiss. You will get good results even if you do not have a large or vicious dog. Even tiny dogs that make a ton of noise will deter a potential crime.

Locks from the inside can be helpful, but it’s not real useful if you are unable to lock your door from the outside. Deadbolts that use keys on both sides are the most secure locks.

Homeowners should do everything under their power to make their home safe. You should know more about home security after going over this article. Apply what you’ve just learned, and keep your home safe.

Buy security systems from a company over someone reselling it. People reselling it care more about money than the product. The manufacturer will give you a good deal and ensure your device works as it should.