The market for home security is huge. No matter where your home is, there is always a burglary somewhere each day. Thieves pick houses that appear to be easy targets. Read on for ideas and insights into protecting your home, your family, and your valuables.

Make your home look occupied at all times. Buy timers that will make your TVs, radios and other electronics turn on and turn off at various times. This way it will always look as if someone is home, even when you are away. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.

Don’t ever let it be apparent that there is no one at home. You can buy timers to have radios, TVs, lights and other electronics go off and on at different times. This will make your home look like someone is in it. This will help safeguard your house to the best of your ability.

Beware giving keys to your maid unless the service has your absolute trust. Make sure you know they are legitimate before giving out the key. Check out their references thoroughly. If the cleaner has been sent by a company, call the Better Business Bureau to check on the company’s reputation.

Do you have an outdoor dog? If so, the dog can be a terrific spot to keep a spare key. Attach the key inside their collar and make sure it can’t be seen. If your dog doesn’t like strangers, it’s even better.

Do you keep your dog outside when you aren’t home? They may provide you with a useful place to hide your key. Hook your key to the dog’s collar in a place that is shielded from view. If your dog doesn’t like strangers, it’s even better.

A spare key must be carefully hidden and not in the obvious spots that a person might think. Placing a key above a door or under a doormat is quite obvious! A better place to keep your key is inside your outside dog’s collar.

Security systems are more than just an alarm. Some give offer the option to monitor all entries into the house. Parents riding herd on small children will be thankful for this feature which makes it harder for kids to sneak outside without supervision.

Eliminate dead vegetation and rotting wood from the yard each summer. 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.

Turn off your phone’s ringer when you go on vacation. A ringing phone that goes unanswered may signal to a burglar that nobody is home.

Be sure to secure the skylights to your home. Skylights are excellent for beauty and light, but it’s easy for burglars to gain access to your home through them. Fix your skylights so they cannot be accessed as an entry point by intruders.

In summer, take care to trim back branches and plants near the house. These can be fire hazards and can cause damage to your home. Keep your family and your house protected by regularly clearing out your yard waste.

You can hide your valuable items inside your walls. You needn’t tear down your walls to do this. Instead, you can use the small spaces that are already there. Unused electrical sockets can be great for hiding expensive jewelry.

See if your local police department offers any home inspection or other protection programs. Several in various jurisdictions have programs which entail providing a home inspection, what protective measures will help your home and even how to engrave valuable items to make them easier to recover. Talk with local police to see if they offer these programs.

After installing a security system in your home, make sure any wires are hidden. A burglar can easily cut and disconnect wires that are left visible. Keep the wires hidden in the walls or underground to keep intruders from getting in. This way, you will be safer.

You should regularly check your home security system, regardless of how reliable you believe it is. Get someone from the security firm to inspect it. There are many reason why a home security system can have problems, and it might be the weather or wild animals that cause it to malfunction. You may not even know there is a problem if it is not visible.

Maintaining a secure residence is important to ensure the safety of your family. When you aren’t expecting it, an unfortunate event can happen. What you’ve read here will help you to prepare. Start doing some research right away. Get to work today!

Use the space in walls to store your prized possessions. You don’t have to damage the walls to do so. There are many places in your home that are pre-cut and available. How about unwiring an electricity socket and using it as cover for a place to stash valuable jewelry?