You, of course, consider your home security a very important aspect of your daily life. Unfortunately, just getting started in this important area is sometimes confusing. This article will be your guide, so read on.

Do you have an outdoor dog? This is a good spot for keeping your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This is the perfect place to store a spare key, especially if your dog doesn’t care for strangers.

It is important for your home to always look lived in. Use timers to make electronic devices and lights turn on and off at intervals. This gives off the appearance that someone is home. This helps you keep your house burglar-free.

It is important to invest in building supplies that are as fire resistant as possible. This will add an extra protection layer for your house, particularly if you live near power lines or in a dry location. Preventing fires is the best way to deal with them.

Provide the house key to your professional house cleaner, but only if you fully trust them. If they need the keys and plan on being in there for more than an hour, try to ensure that they are honest, hardworking, and reputable. Check the housekeeper’s references very carefully. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

If you will be vacationing for an extended period of time, turn off the ringer on all the phones in your house. 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.

Buy a safe and use it to hold all of the valuables in your home. This is important, since you don’t want your valuables exposed to a potential intruder. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.

See what your local police department offers in terms of home protection programs. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, like on self-defense or other things related to your home. Call the local police department and inquire as to what programs they offer.

When looking to purchase a good home security system, it is best that you look at many companies. The prices can vary a great deal for the same level of protection from company to company. Ensure you talk to a minimum of three companies to obtain quotes before deciding the one that you believe is best for you.

Your home security system ought to be checked each year. This is a job for professionals; get a security firm to inspect your equipment. 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. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

You should mute your land line phone if you are going on a vacation. If the phone continues to ring while you’re gone, this lets an intruder know that the home is empty.

Use motion sensors on exterior lighting. They will illuminate your property if they sense any movement near your home. They will signal movement to you but will also serve as deterrents to the thieves. But keep in mind that the bulbs to the security light should be routinely changed to ensure that the deterrent system functions properly.

You never want to open up a door to a stranger without proper identification. Folks are always thinking up new schemes to get people to open the door so that they can commit their crimes. Create a rule where you only allow those you’ve invited to your home inside.

Walls are great for hiding items. Small items of value can be hidden for safety in your home’s walls. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. You can also install a fake one.

Put up motion activated lighting. These lights will come on if someone walks near your home. This lets you know something is moving and also drives off criminals. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

You can hide certain valuables within your walls. This doesn’t require tearing into your walls, of course. Your home should have a few pre-cut areas that can be used. Perhaps you can use an old electricity socket as a place to hide your valuables.

After moving into a pre-owned apartment or home, change the locks. Although it’s normal for owners / tenants to surrender their keys when they leave, there’s no way of knowing who else might have copies. You can change the locks yourself if you’re feeling really industrious.

Your valuables should not be easily seen from outside your home. A big front window gives you a good view; however, it also gives burglars a good view of the interior of your house. If your windows are facing the street, make sure you cover them and protect your valuables.

Always check references before letting anyone work on your home. Try doing a background check to look at their criminal history. 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.

Regardless of how long you plan on being away from your home, always lock all the doors and windows whenever you leave. You may be surprised to know that many burglars simply turn the doorknob and walk right in. It does not take long for thieves to steal a lot from your home.

A great way to achieve extra security is to install exterior lighting equipped with motion detectors. This is a fairly inexpensive way to provide light and security to your property. If the lights are positioned correctly on your home, then it makes it much less likely for a burglar to enter.

Look for an alarm system that does more than protect your doors. All windows can be entry spots for thieves. Be certain they are also alarmed and monitored. This is great for keeping the family secure.

Make sure a surveillance system is part of your home security system. Setting up hidden and visible video cameras is a good way to keep your home secure. Intruders can be deterred to visible cameras, but hidden cameras are better if criminals damage the other cameras. You can often view these feeds over the Internet, too.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. Don’t be afraid of conducting background checks to determine if they have a criminal history. You can’t know for sure about the integrity of people you hire, and blindly giving them access to your home can be a huge mistake.

Put the boxes of any expensive electronic items in your trash can so would-be burglars won’t know see them. If thieves see these type of boxes outside your home, they may want to break in to steal the items. Cut the boxes and wait until the garbage truck comes to put them outside.

Always use online resources to identify the very best home security firm. Many websites feature reviews, testimonials, and package details from home security services. Once you do this, make appointments with the three best companies you find so that you can compare pricing and other important details.

If you want peace in your life, you must keep your home secure. Your home is your castle, and you should always feel at ease there. But, unless you know are educated on home security, you may not know how to make your home safe. Hopefully, the above tips gave you the information you need to make it more secure.

Have a home security company come to your house and come up with a system that best suits your needs. Different people require different plans. Most companies will create an individual plan to meet your needs so you can have a high level of security to assure your peace of mind.