For the sake of your family, your home should be as safe as you can possibly make it. Whenever you leave, your home should remain secure until you return. Reading the advice in this article will give you a great start in securing your home.

Does your dog remain outside while you’re gone? This pet may be an excellent storing spot for your spare key. Secure the key on the inside of the dog’s collar. Your dog is an especially good key hiding spot if he doesn’t react well to strangers, since they won’t approach him, but the key will be there if you need it.

Do you have an outdoor dog? You might consider leaving your spare key with your dog. Hook your key to the dog’s collar in a place that is shielded from view. Your dog is an especially good key hiding spot if he doesn’t react well to strangers, since they won’t approach him, but the key will be there if you need it.

Do not post on your social media accounts regarding when you will be away on vacation. 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.

Feel Comfortable

You should mute your land line phone if you are going on a vacation. If a burglar keeps hearing your phone ring, they’ll know the home is not occupied, making it more likely for a break-in to occur.

When choosing a home security firm, trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable with the technician, don’t allow them access to your home. If you don’t feel comfortable, go with someone else. Remember, the new security apparatus is meant to make you feel safe and secure.

Don’t open your door if a stranger is on the other side. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. Create a rule where you only allow those you’ve invited to your home inside.

Don’t think you’re not at risk just because you don’t live in a big city. People who live in the country may even be more vulnerable because they do not have nearby neighbors. Some people think burglaries are less prevalent in rural parts.

Request information from your local law enforcement agencies about home protection packages. Some police departments offer things like code numbers to help find your valuables should they get stolen. Call the local police department and inquire as to what programs they offer.

Skylights should be secure. While they are nice and help with lighting, they also provide the burglars help with access to your home. The hardware that secures your skylights should be sturdy and durable.

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 not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.

When moving into your new house, change every lock. The old owners may seem nice, but you don’t know everything about them. Don’t forget that there were likely other owners and residents in the house before the last set.

When dealing with a company installing your home security system, it is important that you trust your gut. This is particularly true if you feel uncomfortable with a company you are dealing with. Do not hesitate to ask for a different person to install the system or even consider hiring a different company. The purpose of using the company is to calm your uneasiness, not worsen it.

Are you aware of the value of your home’s wires? People don’t realize this until it is stolen. Wiring can be removed from the outside of a home in a heartbeat. To protect this expensive asset, hide your wires or make them hard to get to.

Those living in rural areas often don’t worry as much about intruders compared to city dwellers. Others think that living in the country is more risky than other areas because houses are so far apart. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.

Equipping each room in your house with a reliable flashlight (charged with good batteries, of course!) is an excellent safety investment. If the power goes out, you will be able to see everything. Teach your children how to use the flashlights so that everyone in your household can help.

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. If your house has street-facing windows, make sure they are always covered and your make sure your valuables are hidden away.

Security Company

Lock the house, even if just going away for a short time. It may be shocking, but many home invasions and burglaries occur by intruders walking through the front door that was left open. A thief can steal lots of stuff in a little amount of time.

Before you give a security company employee access to your home, make sure they’re in uniform and that they present acceptable identification. Potential burglars can easily claim they are security company representatives so that they can enter your home. This situation presents danger to your home, family and belongings. Be careful if you want to avoid danger.

After moving into a pre-owned apartment or home, change the locks. Though the prior occupant may have relinquished their keys, there may be copies out there. You can purchase the locks and install them yourself to ensure you’re the only person that has a key.

Safety should be kept in mind when you are planning your landscape. All of your windows and doors should be unobstructed by plants, shrubs, trees or fences. Keeping these features free of vegetation robs would-be burglars of concealment and hiding places. Landscaped features should be set further away for safety, yet keeping beauty in mind.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. It is simple for a thief to pose as a representative of your home security company as a means of gaining access to your house. This can lead to harm befalling your family and possessions. Make sure you are as cautious as you can be.

Make sure the outside of the house is well lit. Darkness allows for all sorts of nefarious activities. Put a light anywhere where an intruder can enter your home. This can include the garage, doorways, porches and other areas which invite an intruder in.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. For a relatively small fee, you can also run a background check for their criminal history. It is impossible to know if the newly hired maid or one time repairman might be a crook unless you check them out. Providing them with your key might be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.

Don’t let anyone peek into your garage. Go to a hardware store and buy some frosting so you can cover your windows. Also, don’t leave your door open for long periods of time when you work there.

If you arrive home and you see that your door is ajar, never enter to investigate on your own. This is very dangerous due to the fact that the thief can still be inside your property. It is best to call the police right away and go to a safe place until the police check your home.

If there are certain rooms you want to keep unoccupied, then you don’t want to keep track of all the keys and locks. You can instead get key-less locks that work using a code. You can either install these locks by yourself, or have them professionally installed if you are not that handy yourself.

Consider buying a paper shredder for your home. Thieves often find the trash cans to be a gold mine of pertinent information about potential victims. If a paper shredder is not in your budget, consider tearing your documents into tiny pieces or even burning them.

Speak with your security company about contract lengths and any options available. There are usually pros and cons in each contract. You might pay less each month for longer contracts, but it has its deterrents as well. Shorter contracts may offer greater freedom at a higher cost.

The best method of preventing a burglar from breaking into your garage is preventing people from seeing inside. Cover windows using frosting, which you can buy at large hardware stores, to keep people from peeking in your window. Keep your garage door closed as often as possible, too.

Spring Latch

If you purchase a new, pricey electronic like a TV or computer, don’t leave the empty box near your curb. If the burglars see the empty boxes, then they will realize you have the items in your home. As a result, they’ll be more likely to break in so they can steal it. Cut the box up and hide the writing when you put it out.

Don’t fit your exterior doors with locks of the spring latch variety. Defeating a spring latch lock is a trivial endeavor; experienced burglars can get through one using nothing more than a credit card. A card can be placed between the latch and the door, and this will open it. If your locks are spring latch, either replace them or put in a deadbolt to protect yourself.

Your pup is a great crime deterrent. Canines are notoriously protective of their family and domicile. There is no need for a guard dog. Even small dogs can deter criminals just by making noise when something is afoot.

Think about getting a hard-wired system if you have concerns about maintenance issues. Wireless security systems are great, but need frequent battery changes. Forgetting to add new batteries can cause your system to not work as it should. Furthermore, it can be costly to replace multiple batteries.

Your security company might give you the option to lease and eventually buy your security equipment. Buying it may cost more, but this means there are no monthly charges. While leasing might be less expensive, it also comes with high monthly fees and contracts. You must review both options carefully to determine which will best suit your needs.

Replace flimsy doors with doors made of solid wood or metal. Those are the doors that last. The heavier sturdy doors make it much harder for an intruder to gain access to your home. It shouldn’t be too expensive to replace all exterior doors, so do it immediately.

Hard-wired security systems can be a sound choice. Wireless security systems are great, but need frequent battery changes. If you forget to change the batteries, your system will not work correctly. Replacing all of those batteries will cost a lot, too.

The best advice is at your fingertips. How can you use it to protect your home? The tips provided here can help you make the decisions you need to move forward to secure your home as well as your peace of mind.

Keep your drapes closed at night. You don’t want to attract peeping Toms. A glimpse of tempting valuables may convince burglars that your home is worth a visit in the near future. Make sure your valuable items cannot be seen from the outside of your home.