Intruders might be interested in your valuables, especially if you recently purchased a new car or came home with some new appliances. Guard against burglaries by increasing the security of your home. Read the following article for some great tips on how you can make your home more safe and secure.

Your dog can actually safeguard a spare key. This is a great idea if your dog is outside all the time, or they can get out through a doggy door. Keep a spare key around the dog’s collar.

Make your house look occupied all the time. Buy timers that will make your TVs, radios and other electronics turn on and turn off at various times. This makes it look as though people are home no matter what. This is an excellent method for avoiding burglary and keeping your home secure.

Make sure that you change the locks once you’ve taken possession of the house. You will want to have a unique combination to stay secure. Get a locksmith in right away. When you lose your keys, have your locks rekeyed.

If you keep a spare key outside to prevent yourself from being locked-out, think carefully about where you hide it. It is very common for homeowners to hide them under a mat or above the framing of their door, and intruders know this. Rather, think about putting a key on your outside dog’s collar.

Home security systems have additional features to just being noise alarms. They can actually be set to chime whenever a monitored door is opened. This is a good way to know if your small child has opened a door or closed it.

Talk to people you know about their security systems. Your friends have gone through both bad and good experiences and they will be able to share them with you. Ask a number of people to get a several different opinions.

When looking to purchase a good home security system, it is best that you look at many companies. Prices can be very different from one product to another. Be sure and get a minimum of three quotes from different companies prior to choosing one.

Secure your garage. A common concern expressed among homeowners is that someone might enter their garage and use that as an entrance to their home. There is a solution, however. Use a C-clamp to secure the door if it’s off track.

Fire-resistant building materials are the way to go, both inside and outside the home. Your home will get added protection, especially if your environment is dry and has power lines. Fire prevention should be taken seriously because it can stop a major disaster from happening.

Rid the outside of your home from dead wood, vegetation and overgrowth during the summertime. These could catch on fire during the summer, especially if you live in a dry area. Make sure your yard is clean for the sake of your safety – and that of your family!

During the summer, remove all vegetation and dead wood from your yard. These can pose a fire hazard due to heat and storms with lightning. Keep these cleared away regularly to maintain your home’s safety and to keep it in good shape.

If you own a garage, be sure to use it to place your car, as opposed to using it as a storage. A car kept locked in a garage is much less likely to be stolen or damaged. Hiding your car away from plain view is a good way to keep intruders from knowing when you are at home or not.

If you reside in the country, you may be less worried about break-ins than urban dwellers are. With neighbors so far away, it may seem like a tiny risk. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.

Put motion-sensor lights into your home. These lights will turn on if anyone walks too closely to your home. These lights will not only let you know when someone gets too close, they will also stop potential burglars from breaking in. After all, burglars don’t want anyone to know they are there. Just do not forget to replace the bulbs periodically to keep them functioning at all times.

Understand certain safety precautions when it comes to having skylights for your home. Skylights have a good function, but unfortunately they also often provide a way for a burglar to enter. Keep them secure with heavy duty hardware that closes them off to potential thieves.

Walls are great for hiding things. You can hide small valuables inside the walls. Simply take advantage of an unused switch plate, electrical outlet, or phone jack. If you have no unused plates, you can easily install false ones.

Hide your valuables in the walls. Jewelry and other small items can be protected very well when placed in hiding places in your walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

Never place a spare key in a plant box or under your welcome mat. Instead of letting you into your home in the event you are locked out, you are providing criminals with easy access to your home. Thieves aren’t stupid and also know common hiding spots. Try having your trustworthy neighbors hold spare keys.

Use your walls as hiding spaces. You do not have to damage your walls to keep your valuables safe. Find a place where there is already a hole to get in through. Why not take the guts out of an electrical socket you’re not using? You can convert it into a convenient and covert little wall safe.

Make sure your flashlights have charged batteries and are found throughout your home. They give you and your family the opportunity to move around should the electricity go out. Teach everyone in your home to use the flashlights so all family members can see and help each other.

Get flashlights with good batteries, and have them in each room in case you lose power. The flashlights are important because they make you able to get around the house in an emergency. Also show your children how to use them so they can help out in emergencies.

Before letting someone from a security company into a house, get some sort of official identification. Burglars are creative, and they often pose as a member of the security team to get inside. This is a danger to your belongings and your family. Be cautious to stay away from those potential dangers.

If you need to make the outside of your home secure, you can achieve this relatively inexpensively by installing lights with motion detectors. During the night hours, these lights help light up the outside of your home, which makes them an excellent addition to your home security strategies. In addition, they are very affordable. If the lights are positioned correctly on your home, then it makes it much less likely for a burglar to enter.

You should think about your own safety when comparing different home security options. While alarm systems are great, they aren’t necessary for every family. Sometimes just taking a class in self defense or adopting a loud dog is enough, while at other times a full fledged security system might be the way to go. Make sure you understand your risks so you can make wise purchasing decisions.

A wireless security system could be a good option. While systems with wires are cheaper, you have to rewire your home and worry about power outages. The easy of installation and maintenance when it comes to wireless set-ups makes them the best bet.

Never assume that burglars won’t target your home. Be prepared. This is why it is important to always be proactive when it comes to your home security. Read through this article as often as necessary so that you are well versed in the basics of home security.

If you are out of town for awhile, ask a friend to take a look at your door for any fliers. Robbers will place these on your door and may invade your home if they are not removed. Fliers that are not removed let the burglar know that the home is vacant.