This is your chance to learn all you want about home security. Keeping your home safe and secure is one of the most important thing you can do. Being informed can really help you to make informed and smart decisions regarding home security. Keep reading to find out your options.

Turn off your phone’s ringer when you go on vacation. If your phone rings and is not being answered, criminals will realize that you’re away.

Spare Key

Don’t open up your door for someone who is a stranger. Burglars have many clever ways to convince householders to open the door. You should only open the door to people you were expecting.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you are away from home? You might consider leaving your spare key with your dog. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. If your pet does not get along with strangers, this will ensure your spare key stays safe.

In the summertime, you should rid your yard of dead bushes and vegetation. As the summer heat rolls in, there is a higher chance that these can catch on fire, putting your home at risk. Keeping your plants and bushes trimmed will benefit your family’s safety as well as the appearance of your home.

Compare different systems when looking into home security. The prices can vary a great deal for the same level of protection from company to company. Get a quote from several companies before making a final decision.

Changing your locks first can help make your home much more secure. There are many different people who might have keys from your past, and removing the potential of them accessing your home can be a very good idea. Most locksmiths can accomplish the job within 24 hours.

Secure your 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 can prevent a garage door from even opening if the clamp is tightened on the door track near the roller.

Meet with representatives from the security company you are considering to determine if they are trustworthy. This is doubly true when you feel unease about the installers. Ask for someone else to come out or switch companies. After all, you’re investing in a system that helps you to feel safe, so make sure the process involved in obtaining that system does the same.

You should regularly check your home security system, regardless of how reliable you believe it is. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. There are many things that can be problematic with regards to home security systems, like wayward wild animals and the environment. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

You could hide some valuables within your walls. You don’t have to cut out pieces of the wall to do this. There are lots of places around the home that have pre-cut areas that you can use. Perhaps you can use an old electricity socket as a place to hide your valuables.

The first step in making your home more secure is to change out your locks. There are many different people who might have keys from your past, and removing the potential of them accessing your home can be a very good idea. It is pretty cheap and the job won’t take more than a few hours.

Don’t put your extra key under you doormat, in a planter, or in a cleverly disguised false rock. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. Thieves are aware of the best hiding spots. A better solution is to give your key to a neighbor you trust.

Avoid leaving spare keys outside of your home. These are the first places criminals will look when they try to enter your home. Thieves are aware of the best hiding spots. A better solution is to give your key to a neighbor you trust.

Make sure the wires of your home security system are completely hidden. Exposed wires make it easy for an intruder to cut them and disable the alarm. You don’t want to help them by doing this, so make sure you have the wires within the walls. This will help to deter intruders that are looking to quickly disable your alarm system.

Lock the house, even if just going away for a short time. A lot of times, burglaries happen due to carelessness. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.

Be sure to replace all locks on a home you have bought. As nice as the previous person may seem, you don’t really know them. Bear in mind that other people may have lived in the home before the previous owner.

Entry Points

Safety should be kept in mind when you are planning your landscape. Your doors and windows should not be obstructed by shrubs or fences. If they can be seen, there will be no place to hide. Landscaped features should be set further away for safety, yet keeping beauty in mind.

Choose an alarm which monitors other areas outside your doors. Windows are all potential entry points for burglars. Make sure the alarm is attached to all of them, and that monitoring is offered for all possible entry points. With this method, your family will be safer.

Shred any documents and junk mail that contains identifying information. Your trash contains so much personal information a thief would love to have. You can also simply tear papers with personal information into small bits before you discard them.

Don’t throw away boxes for expensive or valuable items until the garbage collection day. These boxes sitting outside your home serve as a flag for thieves to target your home.

You need to get a good home surveillance system. Adding video cameras on the property can be a good idea. Cameras that can be clearly seen have a powerful deterrent effect, while concealed cameras are difficult or impossible for intruders to disable. Find a security system that gives you the option to view the video feed from your phone so you can check on your home at anytime.

Do you know how valuable the wires within your home are? Lots of people fail to appreciate this until they are hit by thieves. Copper wiring can easily be removed. Keep your wiring hidden or inaccessible to potential burglars.

Do not hide your key in obvious places. It is easy to find fake rocks. Doormats are the first place people look at. Talk to a neighbor or someone that you know to hold your key. If you have no trustworthy neighbors, try to be more creative.

Rotted Wood

If your door has a numeric keypad lock, never make its password your birth date. Your birth date is pretty easy to come by, especially for seasoned thieves. Use a random number instead.

Check each spring for any rotting frames on your doors and windows. Replace them immediately if you spot any problems. If a person wants to enter your home, rotted wood can easily be pried away. Be sure and replace rotted wood with fresh wood in order to ensure home safety.

If you turn the lights off or on always at the exact time, utilize a timer. You will not have to expend as much energy taking care of the lights, but you will still be able to make sure your house is illuminated when you want it to be.

Get flashlights with good batteries, and have them in each room in case you lose power. Flashlights are key because they allow you to move around if an emergency should arise. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the flashlights are.

Make sure that your valuables are kept in a secure location. Important legal documents and passports, family photos, expensive jewelry and financial records should always be protected. Floor safes make for great places to hide such items. For ultimate security, of course, such items can be kept in an off-site location like a bank’s safe deposit boxes.

The outside of your house should be well lit. Burglars seek darkness so that they can stay hidden. So it’s smart to put a light in typically darker corners around your home. This will include doorways, porches, your garage, and ground floor windows that criminals can use.

Make sure you have the curtains drawn if your windows are faced toward the street. It’s best to discourage peeping toms. If possible burglars get a look at what you own, they might target you next. Reduce the risk of being burglarized by being careful about what people can see.

Think about your personal security needs before you purchase a home security system. You might find that an alarm isn’t necessary at all. Some individuals are more comfortable with a canine alarm, while other people enjoy the feeling of security that a sophisticated alarm system can bring. Understanding your needs will help you make a good purchase decision.

If you want maximum security, make sure that your exterior doors are either solid wood or metal. These doors will hold. This makes it much more difficult for a burglar to kick in the door and break in. Make sure to replace exterior doors for the cheapest amount possible.

If you don’t own a paper shredder, get one. You will be astonished at how burglars find important information from loose paper that they could use to break into your house. Rip paper into tiny pieces if you can’t afford to purchase a paper shredder.

Seek out home security companies that offer security systems along with other things. A reliable company will inspect your home, and give you ideas about improving its safety. This could mean adding additional locks, trimming back some bushes or installing windows that are more secure. You want a company that is genuinely concerned about keeping you safe, and any company that discusses these things with you really cares.

Now that you’ve read this article, make use of this information so that you can be on the right track towards protecting your home. It’s time to put that knowledge to work. Use this information to find a security system that will ensure your family’s safety.

If you have air conditioners in your windows, make sure they are securely screwed in or have bars around them. An air conditioner that’s not fastened tightly can be removed easily, giving intruders easy access to your home. Take them out in the winter, too.