Don’t be one of those homeowners who neglect the security of their home. To learn all you can in order to create a solid plan, it is important for you to do your research. The following article will give you some great tips regarding home security and how it can benefit you.

Man’s best friend can also be trusted to secure a spare key. Of course, your dog has to be an outdoor dog (or you at least need to have a doggy door) for this to work. Keep a spare key around the dog’s collar.

Do you have a dog that stays in your yard when you’re not at home? They can help you with your spare key. Simply put the key onto your dog’s collar so that robbers cannot locate it. This is a good way to ensure easy home access, especially if your pet does not associate well with strangers.

Does your canine stay in the yard while you go out? She or he is actually a good place to keep the spare key. Attach the key to the dog’s collar so that it is hidden from view. This is quite effective if your pet does not respond well to strangers.

Don’t just hide your spare key anywhere. Under the doormat or above the door frame are all too common spaces that will be checked first by potential intruders. A better place to keep your key is inside your outside dog’s collar.

Buy a safe. This ensures during a break in that the most important things are not stolen. Keep your safe in your basement or attic to make it hard to find.

Security System

Don’t just hide your spare key anywhere. Too many people put their extra key under the mat in front of their door; burglars know to check there. An example would be to attach a key to your dog’s collar, if he stays outdoors.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to have it checked each year. The security company should have a specialist come to look at it. Wild animals or plain old nature can wreak havoc on your home security system. There are always ways your home is vulnerable, even if you don’t know it.

Get advice from your friends before selecting a provider for home security. They have likely had interactions with home security providers that they can tell you about, saving you time and stress. Keep asking to get the advice that will help you make the right choice.

Motion sensor lights on the exterior of your home is a great idea. These lights will come on if someone walks near your house. This is a good way of knowing who comes near your home and keeps you safe if you ever come home late. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.

If you have an attached garage, make sure it is secure. There is a way to stop thieves from entering your home from the garage. Using a C-clamp on the garage door will prevent it from opening by staying on the door’s track.

If you live more out in the country, you may think that you’re not at risk. Nonetheless, people in the country may be at greater risk due to being far away from neighbors. Some think rural areas see less burglary.

Remove all of the vegetation outside in the hotter months. These could catch on fire during the summer, especially if you live in a dry area. Keep your family and your house protected by regularly clearing out your yard waste.

Walls can serve as a handy hiding place. Hide valuables inside of your walls. You can use phone jacks or electric outlets as hiding spots. You put in a fake plate if there aren’t any unused in your home.

There’s no security system so durable that it can go without regular maintenance and inspections. Have yours checked out once a year. Have a worker from the security company take a look at it. There are quite a few things that can negatively impact the effectiveness of home security equipment. For example, adverse weather conditions or pests such as raccoons can cause problems. You may not be able to tell there is an issue by yourself.

You can hide certain valuables within your walls. It is not necessary to cut out pieces from your wall. There are many locales that are already around your home. You could removed the wiring from an electric socket that you aren’t using, and stash jewelry inside it.

Install motion-sensor lights. When a person approaches your home, the lights will blaze. This will discourage would be thieves and alert you to any movement on your property. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

Don’t put spare keys inside plant boxes or beneath the welcome mat. You might think that you are providing yourself a safe way into the house if you misplace your keys, but you are really inviting attackers inside. Rest assured, thieves have a good idea about these hiding places. Instead, give your extra key to a neighbor whom you trust.

Before doing anything else, install new locks in your home. Perhaps you aren’t sure who owned the home before you or maybe an old roommate has a key and never returned it. Regardless, changing the locks will ensure your security. It is usually inexpensive and can be done in less than 24 hours.

You want all wires of an installed security system to be hidden. One of the ways an intruder can get around a security system is by disconnecting or cutting the wires. Never make things easy for them. Ask the person installing it to bury the wires or hide them inside the walls. That will make you safer.

Your home may be equipped with skylights, and if so you must not neglect them in your security planning. Skylights are nice to bring extra light into your house, but they are also easy ways for burglars to enter your home. Be certain to have skylights that incorporate strong, durable hardware.

Your door frame should be replaced if the wood around it is rotting. An intruder can simply pry away that rotted wood and enter your home. Replace it as soon as possible.

Hide your valuables in the walls. If you have small valuables you want to protect, consider hiding them inside your walls. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. Installing a false unused plate is very easy to do if your home doesn’t have one.

Having your house lit up during the night is a good way to scare intruders. Intruders will avoid being noticed. When your home is lit well, the crooks have nowhere to hide, making it difficult for them to steal from you undetected. This makes it a good idea to keep the lights on.

Replace all the locks in your newly purchased home. Though you may not suspect that the seller is up to something, you still need to be careful. Keep in mind that other people may have lived in the home prior to the seller.

Invest in a high quality paper shredder. Thieves can use this information to figure out your schedule and determine the best time to break in. If you can’t afford to buy a paper shredder, tear your papers up into tiny bits before throwing them away.

Be sure to replace rotten wood in the frame of your front door. The rotten wood will be simple to remove, allowing a thief access to your home. Find a reliable contractor who can replace the door frame for you.

The best method to maintain a thief from going into the garage is making sure nobody can see inside. Be sure and shade your windows with window frosting, something that you can purchase at any hardware store, so as to keep people from looking in your house. Also keep your garage door closed whenever possible, especially if you will be stepping away from it for an extended period of time.

Don’t let any service people into your home without checking their references completely. A background check may also be a good idea. You don’t know whether the contractor, maid, or repairman that you’ve hired is trustworthy and handing them your keys could be a costly mistake.

Make sure that your house number are visible from the street. Make sure they are large in case emergency personnel need to find your house. Fortunately, it doesn’t require much to fix this problem.

Take advantage of the Internet while comparing your home security options. Look at many websites and read customer reviews about the various services. Then, you can set appointments to make price and service comparisons before you choose.

Your dog is a great tool for protecting your home from intruders. They are protective about their territory, plus they make noises that keep burglars at bay. A big, vicious guard dog isn’t necessary. Even small dogs can keep intruders away since they don’t want lots of noise when committing crimes.

Make sure a surveillance system is part of your home security system. Both hidden and visible video cameras can help keep your home safe. Visible cameras have a deterrent effect, and if they are disabled, hidden cameras can capture the events that unfold. Some security systems are accessible via mobile phone, which lets you look in on your house when away.

Credit Card

Don’t hide your keys in obvious places. The classic fake rock is too common and too easy to detect. The first place a person will look is a doormat. A better idea is to have a friend or neighbor keep your emergency key. When this isn’t an option, you should at least use your imagination when choosing a hiding place.

Don’t get spring latch locks. These type of lock is the easiest lock to pick, it could even be opened by a credit card. A thief only needs to skip the credit card in between the lock to make it open. Add a deadbolt to doors with spring-latch locks.

If you have a door that isn’t solid wood or metal, change it for either one. Metal or solid wood doors cannot be broken. If a robber tried to break in, it would be hard for him to do that. A strong exterior door is a good investment, (they’re very durable!) so make sure all of your home’s doors are tough.

Always keep your shades, curtains and blinds closed when you are not at home. If you leave them open, potential burglars can look in and case the joint. It could be enticing to break in if they notice something that’s nice. These should also be kept down while you’re sleeping.

A sliding glass door is not very safe. A quick heave is usually enough to open these doors, even if they’re locked. If a security system isn’t attached to these doors, then insert pipe to place into the door channel. This will make the door a lot harder to force open.

It is crucial that home security is taken seriously, however it is a topic that many people are not familiar with. Everyone should study it to find out how to stay safe. Use the advice from this article to help beef up your own home security.

While many people avoid the neighborhood busybody, you should be friendly with them. These individuals are aware when anything suspicious happens in the neighborhood and can alert you if strangers have been hanging around. When you’re on good terms with them, you are more likely to receive word of any unusual activity.