Although any homeowner can benefit from a well-thought-out security plan, many fail to give their home’s safety adequate consideration. To fully understand a great home security plan, studying and researching is necessary. Read on and learn how to properly secure your home.

Home security systems offer other triggering features besides having an alarm sound. You can have your system alert you of any movement in certain areas of your home. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.

Be sure your home always looks occupied. You can purchase timers that can control your household electronics such as lights, TVs and radios. This way it will always look as if someone is home, even when you are away. This will help safeguard your house to the best of your ability.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. Enforce a rule within your house that no one opens the door to unexpected people.

Protect your spare key by using your dog. This is only true if yours in an outdoor dog, or your house is equipped with a doggie door. You can attach a copy of your key to the dog’s collar, so when you need that spare, you’ve got one handy!

In the summer, remove all the dead trees from your yard. They pose a fire risk. Always clear the yard to ensure safety.

When you buy a new home, be sure to have the locks changed. You cannot be sure of the number of key copies that the former owner gave out. To make sure you are the sole person with access to the home, engage the services of a locksmith. This is also the thing to do if you lose the keys.

Be bold. Build up a rapport with the people who own homes close to yours. Keep an eye on their houses and yards and request that they return the favor. Don’t discount what sounds like idle gossip. You will learn a lot from your neighbors, including details about recent break ins in the area and the shady individuals they noticed.

Does your canine stay in the yard while you go out? You might consider leaving your spare key with your dog. Hook your key to the dog’s collar in a place that is shielded from view. Especially if your dog is not very friendly, this will help keep your key safe.

Walls are great for hiding things. If you need to protect expensive items in your home, put them inside the walls. You could use a phone jack, electrical outlet or a switch plate. You can easily install fake unused plates.

Is your ceiling resistant to fire? What about your flooring or roofing? This can provide additional safety to the home, particularly in dry regions. Investing in fire-resistant materials will help you save a lot since a fire can cause extensive damage.

Get creative and hide valuables inside your walls. It is unnecessary cut space into your wall. There’s plenty of places in a house with pre-cut areas that can be used. For example, place jewelry in an unused electrical outlet.

Don’t allow a complete stranger to come in your home. Burglars have many clever ways to convince householders to open the door. Make it a rule in your home that you only open your door to people who you were expecting.

Replace all locks in a new house. Even though the person who sold your home to you may seem honest, you simply can’t know for certain. Bear in mind that other people may have lived in the home before the previous owner.

In the summer, remove vegetation and dead wood from your yard. When summer heats up, such debris can catch fire. Regularly clear away your yard to keep your home in good standing and safe for your family.

The number one thing you must do if you’re moving into a new place is have the locks changed. The previous tenants may have returned the keys, but they could have a copy. It is possible to purchase and put in locks on your own so you can be assured you have the only keys.

Be more proactive when you are determining the safety of your neighborhood. Talk to your neighbors. Watch their homes for suspicious activity and get their word that they will do the same thing for you. Listen for gossip too. You may stumble across valuable security information, like if someone has noticed a stranger lurking around the neighborhood.

If someone from the security company comes to your home, ask to see their ID before allowing them in. Intruders could disguise themselves to inspect your home. This could be quite dangerous. Use caution to stay out of danger.

Install lights that use a motion-sensor. These lights will come on if someone walks near your home. This is a good way of knowing who comes near your home and keeps you safe if you ever come home late. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.

If you sign a contract for a security company, read all the fine print first. They sometimes have hidden costs if you let go of them prior to the contract expiring. It is best to know all you can about a service you sign up for.

Walls are excellent hiding spots. You can hide small valuables inside the walls. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. If you do not have any unused plates, it is easy to install a false one.

Keeping your house bright and lit at night will deter many crooks. They don’t wish to be seen. Thieves have a hard time stealing things when there are lots of lights around. Keep lights on during the night.

Always lock your home when you leave it, no matter how soon you plan to return. Break-ins are often the result of unlocked windows and doors. It doesn’t take long for a thief to steal thousands of dollars worth of stuff.

Get a custom-designed plan that fits your needs by having the security company do a site visit in your home. All homeowners and homes differ. A custom set-up will make sure you’re as safe as can be.

Whenever you move to a new dwelling, make certain to get each lock replaced. Although the person you purchased the house from might seem good, you really have no clue as to who they really are. Don’t forget that there were likely other owners and residents in the house before the last set.

Dogs are an excellent way to protect your home. Man’s best friend is very territorial and makes a lot of noise during anything happening out of the ordinary. That is not to say that a big, scary dog is required. Even tiny dogs that make a ton of noise will deter a potential crime.

Make sure that the person analyzing your home for a home security system is who he says. Many thieves use this tactic to enter a house. This leads to danger. Act cautiously in order to stay away from potential dangers.

Try to stay away from spring latch locks. Spring latch locks are the easiest locks to gain entry with, as they can be opened with a simple credit card. This isn’t a difficult maneuver either. If you are already using locks that operate on spring latches, improve your security by adding a deadbolt.

You want to know what is included in a contract if you’re signing up with a security company. There could be fees for terminating the contract early or acquiring additional equipment down the road. You can easily avoid these fees if you do your research.

Don’t put the registration to your car in your glove box. Anyone with access to your car can find out where you live, so it is not a smart thing to do. You ought to keep them with you or store them in an alternate spot in the car. You should have easy access to them if you should be pulled over.

Home security is an extremely important topic; unfortunately, not many people are knowledgeable on it. Learning about home security should be a main item in your life if you’re seeking to protect your property and the people that you love. The above article has hopefully given you a start to learning about home security.

Make sure that your key is in a hidden place. It is easy to spot a fake rock. Someone is going to look under your doormat. Talk to a neighbor or someone that you know to hold your key. If you cannot do that, try to be creative when it comes to hiding places.