Take care to protect pricey valuables, such as jewelry, fine art or cash. A good home security system is the best way to protect yourself from thefts. Review these ideas for making your home safer.

Do you allow your dog to stay in your yard while you are away? If so, the dog can be a terrific spot to keep a spare key. Attach your key to your dog’s collar, ensuring that it can’t be seen. If you have a pet that does not trust strangers, this can help you get into your house if needed.

Make your home look occupied at all times. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. This makes people think you’re home. This is a simple way to improve your home’s safety and make it less attractive to criminals.

Buy a safe to keep all of your valuables in one place at home. You need this because you would not want burglars to see these valuable items around in your house. Keep it hidden in a hard to find location.

It is crucial that you change the locks as soon as you move into a new residence. There is no way to ascertain how many keys the previous owner handed out. Call a locksmith as soon as you can for maximum security. Also, if you lose your keys, change the locks.

Walls are the perfect place to hide. You can hide small, valuable items inside the walls of your home. Any phone jack or electrical outlet that isn’t being used is a great place to hide valuables. Even if every single plate in your home is being used, you can purchase a fake one purpose-built for concealing valuables.

Security systems are more than just an alarm. Many systems can alert you whenever anyone has entered your home. This is a good way to know if your small child has opened a door or closed it.

Keep your most valuable possessions inside your walls. Don’t make it obvious by cutting out big chunks of drywall. You can find areas in your walls that are pre-cut and use those. For instance, consider using an electricity socket that is unused, and stash your precious jewelry in there.

Solicit word of mouth recommendations from friends, colleagues and family members to find a great home security company or system. Other people will probably have personal experience with these companies that are either good or bad. They can share their experiences with you, which will greatly assist you in making the best decision. Making a great choice is important, so this advice will come in handy.

Always lock your house, even if you are only going to be away for a few minutes. This is often a surprise, but the majority of burglaries are due to someone just waltzing right into an unlocked home. It does not take long for thieves to steal your expensive stuff.

Police Department

Hide your security system’s wiring. You don’t want a burglar to get access to them and disable your system. Don’t let this happen; bury or hide the wires. Keep yourself safe.

Consult with your police department to find out about good programs for home protection. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, like on self-defense or other things related to your home. Your police department will be able to help you find out what is available in your town.

Replace all locks in a new house. While the person you bought the home from may seem on the up and up, you have no idea who they really are. Many other people could have keys to the property, and you probably don’t want them to all have access to your home.

It is important that you check your home security system periodically, at least once a year. Get a professional in to check it out. Wild animals, domestic pets, and weather are all factors that can affect the reliability of your home security system. You may not even know there is a problem if it is not visible.

If you move into a home or apartment that has been previously lived in, the first thing you should do is change the locks. The person who used to live there may still have a key. If you own, you can have the locks replaced and only you will have had the key.

Use motion sensors on exterior lighting. If someone enters their proximity, they will light automatically. You will be alerted when there is activity outside, and any potential burglars will be deterred because they do not want to be seen. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

The most useful tool for finding home security is the Internet. Check out reviews you find on the web. From there, you can make appointments with your top three selections to compare final package pricing and specific details about plans and monitoring.

You need to change our locks as your first step to ensuring your safety. Has a roommate or ex-lover moved out recently? If so, then you need to change out the locks in order to keep you and your home safe. Changing the locks can typically be done very cheaply and quickly.

Think about your specific needs and risks prior to investigating security systems. Security systems are a proven method of reducing your chance of break-ins, but it is not always the right choice. You could, for instance, invest in an alarm system, some outside lights, adopt a dog or take some self-defense classes. Before you sink a lot of money into your home’s security, make sure that you’re properly addressing your particular risks.

If you live more out in the country, you may think that you’re not at risk. Due to the distance between neighbors, some think rural areas are more likely to have intruders. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.

A paper shredder can be a good security investment. Thieves are likely to steal documents that include your personal information if they can find them. If a shredder is too expensive, at least tear relevant paperwork into small bits.

Err on the side of caution when you are dealing with home security. You do not need to live in fear, but you must be cautious. Keep these tips in mind if you want to improve your home’s security in order to protect your family.

Put up video surveillance. Setting up hidden and visible video cameras is a good way to keep your home secure. Visible cameras have a deterrent effect, and if they are disabled, hidden cameras can capture the events that unfold. Find a security system that gives you the option to view the video feed from your phone so you can check on your home at anytime.