The home security market is rather large. Burglaries are commonplace in neighborhoods across the globe. Burglars generally target houses that appear lax in their security measures. If keeping your house safe is a priority, reading this piece is a must.

When you buy a new home, be sure to have the locks changed. This is because you really have no idea who has keys, and therefore access to your home. Call a locksmith as soon as you can for maximum security. When you lose your keys, have your locks rekeyed.

A spare key must be carefully hidden and not in the obvious spots that a person might think. Too many people put their extra key under the mat in front of their door; burglars know to check there. A better place to keep your key is inside your outside dog’s collar.

Ask friend for any advice they have prior to purchasing a security system or service. You can benefit from the experience of others that have gone before you by paying attention to their recommendations and warnings. Ask around so that you can have the advice that you need to make a good choice.

Do not open your door for strangers. Burglars are getting creative, and they will do anything they can to gain access to your home. You should only open the door to people you were expecting.

Motion-sensor lights can alert you of a robbery before it even happens. These are lights that turn on whenever any living thing gets too close to your home. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.

If your garage is attached to your house, make it secure. Often people are concerned that burglars can enter the home via the attached garage . Happily, there is a solution to this problem. Use a C-clamp to secure the door if it’s off track.

Annual check-ups are important for alarm systems. Have a worker from the security company take a look at 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. There are always ways your home is vulnerable, even if you don’t know it.

Always lock your doors, even if you are just walking down the street. In a lot of cases, home intruders enter through unlocked doors. It does not take long for thieves to steal your expensive stuff.

You can hide things in your walls. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. If there are no unused plates, you can easily install fake ones.

Do not place your spare keys under your mat or even in plant boxes. Though you might think that you’re giving yourself something you could use to get into your house when you’ve lost your keys, you’re actually inviting intruders inside your house. Thieves are aware of these hiding spots. Ask a friend, neighbor or relative to keep your extra keys for you.

Keep your home security system’s wires under cover. Burglars can easily cut the wires if they are visible. Instead, make sure the wires are hidden. You will be much safer.

It is important that your alarm system wiring is not exposed anywhere. A burglar will simply cut the wires if he can see them. Do not make entry into your home easy. Make sure the wires are not exposed either inside or outside your home. This makes it much less likely that your system will be compromised.

If you bought any expensive or large items, don’t throw the boxes out until the day trash is scheduled to be removed. Having these boxes outside of your house will give robbers the temptation of robbing your house.

If you are moving in your new home, ensure all the old locks are replaced. Regardless of how you feel about the sellers, you never know someone’s true intentions. Don’t forget that there were likely other owners and residents in the house before the last set.

If you scheduled an appointment for a member of the security company to come to your house, ask them to show you some identification first. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This represents a danger to your possessions and your family. Proceed with caution.

Before allowing anyone into your home, check their references carefully. Don’t be afraid of conducting background checks to determine if they have a criminal history. Avoid giving keys out to contractors, maids and repairmen.

Always check references before letting anyone work on your home. A background check is also a good idea, so that you know what their criminal history looks like. You can never be too sure about anyone you hire to enter your home, and giving them access can work against you.

If you want to make your house even more secure, a cheap way to do that is to buy outside lights with motion detectors. These lights will keep your property well lit and give you a good idea of who approaches your home. By carefully placing them around the outside of your property, you create a perimeter that cannot be breached.

Make sure the inside of your garage isn’t visible. Use frosting to cover the garage window, so people cannot peer inside. If you use your garage for working on projects, don’t forget to lock it when you’re through working for the day.

If you wish to boot your home’s security, one cheap way to do this is to buy exterior lights with motion detectors. In the evening, lights will help keep your home safe, and will add little in the way of extra expense. With good positioning and properly set motion detectors, intruders will not be able to sneak up on your home unnoticed.

Your precious pooch is one of your best home security weapons. Dogs are protective of turf and generally make noise when something is wrong. You do not need a large, vicious guard dog. Small dogs even scare off intruders as they don’t like anything to make noise when breaking into a home.

If you must hide your key outside, do not put it someplace obvious. It is easy to find fake rocks. Another obvious location is underneath the doormat. This will be one of the first places that a burglar will look for your spare key. It is best to simply ask a neighbor or trusted friend to hold on to an extra key for you. If that option isn’t available to you, be creative with your hiding spots.

If you see that the door is open, do not enter the house. This is very dangerous due to the fact that the thief can still be inside your property. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

Make sure your valuables, or things that can’t be replaced, are safe. Items like passports, family photos, financial records, expensive jewelry and legal documents are best kept in a secure location. Floor safes make for great places to hide such items. A better idea could be to store these inside a box outside of your house.

Motion sensitive lighting can be provided by your security company. Most companies will provide customers with this luxury. When anyone gets too close to the entry way, the lights turn on. This is a great way to protect the outside of your home.

Put up video surveillance. Video cameras are a great deterrent. Intruders can be deterred to visible cameras, but hidden cameras are better if criminals damage the other cameras. Many surveillance systems will allow you to access them through your cell phone; therefore, you can ensure your home is safe even when you’re gone.

Home alarms are a good investment, but only when someone who hears it calls the cops. The best strategy is to buy a centrally monitored alarm so that the police always show up if it is triggered. An isolated alarm that just wakes up your neighbors is far less reliable, especially after a few false alarms.

Buy security systems from a company over someone reselling it. People reselling it care more about money than the product. When talking to the company, make sure you don’t have to pay hidden fees and that someone will fix the equipment if needed.

From the road, are your house numbers visible? During an emergency crisis, smaller numbers prevent emergency personnel from finding your home quickly. There is a cheap and quick fix if you see an issue.

Safety starts with home security. Crimes can occur at any time. What you’ve read here will help you to prepare. Don’t put it off. Do what you can as soon as you can.