As a homeowner, you want to make sure that your house is protected. While an alarm is a good place to start, there are other steps that can be equally effective. Read on for some tips to boost your home’s security.

Always have the locks changed when you buy a new home. The previous owners or tenants might have made several copies of the key. To ensure that you are the only one who has access to your house, call a locksmith. This is also the thing to do if you lose the keys.

Always change the locks after moving into a new home. The person who previously owned the home may have made copies of keys. Having a locksmith replace the locks will ensure that no strangers have a key. You should also do this if your keys ever get lost.

Turn off your phone’s ringer when you go on vacation. If the phone rings without you there, burglars will suspect that you’re not home, and that can make your home a target for an attack while you’re gone.

Don’t post information about an upcoming vacation anywhere on the web. While you may want to shout it from the rooftops, you’re letting everyone know that your home will be vacant and easy to rob.

Your garage should be as secure as your home. Intruders can enter your home through an unlocked garage door. Place a C-Clamp on the door track near the roller. This will prevent the door from lifting.

Turn off ringers on land line phones while you are on vacation. 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.

Alter the combination of the locks in your home. Whether you just bought your home or someone just moved out that you were living with, this is an important step to any new situation. It is usually inexpensive and can be done in less than 24 hours.

Never allow a stranger to enter your home. Do not give in, even if a person uses a convincing story, asks for help or says they are selling something. There are some people who will just come in to see if you have a home security system, and if you do not, they could come back later when you are not home.

Don’t put extra keys under doormats or in planters. While you may feel that you are keeping yourself safe by allowing a way in for yourself, you are also allowing everyone else to visit whenever they want. Burglars are well aware of such hiding places. The wisest course of action is to leave a spare key with a trusted friend or a reliable neighbor.

If you have a stranger at your door, do not open it. People often think of ways to trick others into letting them in so they can steal from them. Create a rule where you only allow those you’ve invited to your home inside.

While choosing your alarm system, ask about protection for windows and motion detection as well as doors. It should protect the windows too. Make sure the alarm is attached to all of them, and that monitoring is offered for all possible entry points. This is just one more thing you can do to protect your home.

Rural Areas

When installing your home security system, make sure to hide the wires. Many intruders bypass a security system by cutting the wires. Keep the wires hidden in the walls or underground to keep intruders from getting in. It will keep your family safer.

Those living in rural areas often don’t worry as much about intruders compared to city dwellers. On a different note, some people believe homeowners in more rural areas are more likely to experience robberies because of the lack of nearby neighbors. Not everyone believes this, though.

If you buy expensive electronics or appliances, throw the packages away the day that your trash pickup occurs. They show the world you have money and lots of valuables inside.

Don’t forget skylights when doing a security sweep for your home. As nice as they look, they’re a prime target for thieves. Any skylights in your home should be secured with strong hardware.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. Conduct background checks if necessary. 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.

Hide any valuables in wall spaces. You don’t need to cut out segments of your walls by the way. Find a place where there is already a hole to get in through. What about un-wiring an electrical socket which isn’t used to utilize as a cover to hide your jewelry?

Keeping the home illuminated during evening hours helps keep criminals away. This will deter crooks from trying your home. Making your home’s exterior nice and bright will make it impossible for crooks to go undetected. Keep your home lit up all night long.

Keep valuables out of sight of windows. While having huge windows may be good for letting in light and viewing what is outside, it also gives potential thieves a good look in your own home. Be sure to put curtains on your front-facing windows so people can’t see your valuable belongings.

The Internet is great for searching for home security companies, so use it to your advantage. Research the possibilities, check out package options and pricing and analyze customer feedback. Once you do this, make appointments with the three best companies you find so that you can compare pricing and other important details.

You can make your home safer by investing in some motion detectors and outside lights. These lights are not only handy when you get home late, they also help deter criminals from entering your home. When they are positioned correctly, they make it pretty much impossible for intruders to get to your house unnoticed.

As you work on your home’s landscape, don’t forget about safety. Make sure that there is nothing obstructing your doors and windows. This way, no one can hide there if they are attempting to break into your house. If you want to have a garden around your home, keep trees and shrubs away from your house.

Look online for a reputable home security business. Check out different websites, and read through package details and customer testimonials. You can then make three solid selections and make appointments with them.

Light up your home’s exterior. Thieves like to commit crimes when no one can see. So it’s smart to put a light in typically darker corners around your home. Don’t forget that this includes ground-level windows as well as doors, garages, and porches.

Wireless System

If you will be away from your home, arrange to have whoever is collecting your mail to also pick up fliers placed inside your door. Some burglars place fliers to see if they’ll be quickly removed. The more flyers pile up or the longer they are there, the more likely it is that the house is empty.

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. A wireless system is easy to install and to maintain. Besides, you will still be able to count on your wireless system in case of a power outage.

Make sure no one can look inside your garage. Frosted windows will keep a burglar from being able to see inside. The material needed to do this can be found at home improvement stores. Also, don’t leave your door open for long periods of time when you work there.

Invest in a good paper shredder. You would be surprised at how often thieves look through trash to find personal information to find out when you will be away from home so they can break in. You could also simply take care to tear up your discarded papers.

If you’ve got guests that you don’t want in particular areas of the home, close the area off so it is not accessible. You can have key-less locks which require a code. You can install them yourself, or you can have a home security service install them.

Credit Card

Keep blinds, shades, and curtains closed when you’re not home. By failing to do so, you are granting a prime view of your house and your belongings. If they spot an item they’re interested in, they will most likely try to enter. You should keep them closed while you are asleep.

Don’t get spring latch locks. This type of lock is extremely easy to break. Anyone with a credit card can do it. Intruders simply use a credit card inside the latch, making the lock open. If this is the kind of lock on your doors, strongly consider adding a deadbolt for safety.

If you have an established routine for turning your lights on and off, consider investing in a timer. They will go on when you need them, plus they’ll also go on when you’re not home.

Ask whether companies offer options to lease or buy your security equipment. It may be more expensive to buy equipment at the outset; however, you may save money in the long run if you are free from monthly payments. Sometimes it’s more affordable to begin with a lease, even though a continued lease may be costly in terms of ongoing higher monthly fees. Look at both of these to see what works for you.

Your alarm will only work if the police are notified. Having it centrally monitored is your best bet. Don’t rely solely on your neighbors to notify the police.

Always keep your irreplaceable valuables secure. This may include things like pictures of your children, heirloom jewelry or birth certificates. You can keep these things in a floor safe placed in a secure area of your home. To be even more cautious, you can get a safety deposit box at your local bank.

Make sure you lock your second floor’s windows. Burglars may not use the front entrance, so this is important for you to do. This could not be further from the truth. This represents a flaw in any home’s security scheme, and criminals know they can take advantage.

You should be able to put the suggestions provided above to good use in your quest to improve the security of your home. There is a lot of information to take in, but you are better prepared to create your security system. These tips can make this possible.

Buy a security system from a reliable company instead of a re-seller. Re-sellers are after making a profit; therefore, they don’t have your best interests in mind. Also, the manufacturer will not add on extra fees, and will provide consistent service for their equipment.