Even though home security means a great deal to virtually every homeowner, many of them are woefully under educated on the subject. A good way to guarantee a safe home is to review the topic in a thorough manner. Give this section a read for tips on home security.

When placing your spare key outside for emergencies, give careful consideration to where you put it. You don’t want to put them in common spots, such as above the frame of the door or under the doormat. Rather, think about putting a key on your outside dog’s collar.

Make your home look occupied at all times. Buy timers so that lights, radios, TVs and all other electronics turn on and off at various times. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This is a great way to keep your home safe and avoid burglaries.

Buy ceiling, roofing and flooring which is resistant to fire. This can help your home be safer. You can enhance home safety with excellent fire precautions.

After getting a new home, make sure to change its locks. You cannot be sure of the number of key copies that the former owner gave out. To make sure you have the only access to the home, hire a locksmith. Do the same thing if you happen to misplace a key.

Be sure to keep your car in your garage rather than filling your garage with stored belongings. In this way, your car will be safer. Keeping your car secured will prevent people from vandalizing it. Hiding your car away from plain view is a good way to keep intruders from knowing when you are at home or not.

Buy a safe to contain everything of great value. Doing so can protect your valuables in the event of a robbery. Hide the safe in a very hard to reach place like the attic or a closet in the basement.

It doesn’t matter how much money you spent, you should have an annual test. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. 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. If you aren’t paying attention, you may not be aware of these problems.

When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. Prices can differ a lot among companies for the same type of protection. Before choosing which company to go with, ask for quotes from a minimum of three companies.

Walls are great for hiding things. If you have valuables that are small in size, you may want to hide them within your walls. Simply take advantage of an unused switch plate, electrical outlet, or phone jack. If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

Be smart about where you decide to hide spare keys. Intruders will more than likely check under your doormat or above your door frame. An example would be to attach a key to your dog’s collar, if he stays outdoors.

Don’t throw away boxes for expensive or valuable items until the garbage collection day. These boxes sitting outside your home serve as a flag for thieves to target your home.

During summer, remove your landscape’s dead vegetation and wood. These are vulnerable to fires and put your home in danger. Therefore, you need to regularly clean your yard so that your home is protected.

Are you aware of the value contained in your home’s wiring? A lot of people do not know this until a thief steals them from the house. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home. Make sure your wiring is hidden or hard to access to keep this valuable property safe.

Use exterior lights that have motion sensors. This type of light will come on when they detect motion within a certain distance of your home. They help notify you of any movement around your house and deter burglars too. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.

Rotted wood in your door framing should be replaced. Rotted wood can be easily removed by thieves. Replace any wood that has begun to rot with new wood so that your house stays safe.

Be sure to replace all of the old locks as soon as you move into a new domicile. It may seem as if the former owners of the home are honest, but really you don’t know much about them. Bear in mind that other people may have lived in the home before the previous owner.

Flashlights in your home should always have newer batteries if your power goes out. Having these in an easy to find place will allow you to see in the dark much quicker. Make sure your whole family knows where to find them and how to operate them.

Keep flashlights in your rooms. These items will help you remain safe when there is no electricity. Your kids should know how to work the flashlights so that everyone can help.

If you are seeking home safety ideas that are simple and inexpensive, you should buy outdoor lights with motion sensors. These lights will keep your property well lit and give you a good idea of who approaches your home. Positioned correctly, these lights can make it impossible for intruders to get on your property undetected.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. Thieves can pass themselves as workers, which can end up in a robbery of your home. Intruders could disguise themselves as home security representatives to inspect your current security system. Trust your gut and if something does not feel right, it is okay to go with your feelings.

Have your home security company inspect your home and suggest safety improvements. Each customer wants certain things as far as home security goes. When you don’t want to compromise in any way on the safety and security of your home, a custom-built system is usually the way to go.

You can make your home safer by investing in some motion detectors and outside lights. In the dark hours, these lights will provide the illumination necessary to protect your home and also save money by staying off when they’re not needed. Positioned correctly, these lights can make it impossible for intruders to get on your property undetected.

Consider all of your individual security needs before looking into any alarm systems. They can really protect your family, but they’re not something that everybody needs. In some cases the security system is your best investment, in others you well-served with an alert dog or reinforced locking systems. Know the risks so that you can make a better decision.

Your landscaping should be designed based on what will be safest for your home. Do not obstruct doors and windows with plants or furniture. If windows and doors can be easily seen from all areas, then burglars cannot hide as well, which will hinder their plans. Keep this in mind as you design.

Consider purchasing a wireless security system for your home. Systems that are wired are cheaper, but they need unattractive wiring inside your home and may malfunction when you have a power outage. Wireless systems are easier to install and maintain, and they do not rely on the power in your home to work correctly.

As the company that is doing your home security how long they’ve been providing this service. It doesn’t take long for a quality company to prove itself in the security business, and you should look for a track record of satisfied customers and successful work. You may not feel as safe if you opt to go with a company that has not been in business for long or that does not have a stable history.

Invest in a good paper shredder. You will be astonished at how burglars find important information from loose paper that they could use to break into your house. You could also simply take care to tear up your discarded papers.

A paper shredder can be a good security investment. Unshredded documents can offer up a wealth of valuable personal information to thieves, including enough of your schedule to allow them to pinpoint the best time for a burglary. If you don’t have a paper shredder, tear the papers up.

Put up video surveillance. You can have great home security with both hidden and visible video cameras. Also, you can capture the intruder in the act. Some security systems are accessible via mobile phone, which lets you look in on your house when away.

It’s a good idea to install a surveillance system in your home. Adding video cameras on the property can be a good idea. Visible cameras can scare intruders, and hidden ones can catch them in the act. Surveillance systems often allow you to access videos through your cell phone, too.

One of the best home burglary systems is man’s best friend. They are protective of their home and owner and will alert you if someone is on your property. A common misconception, though, is that you have to have a large animal to be safe. Small dogs even scare off intruders as they don’t like anything to make noise when breaking into a home.

Never place empty boxes for expensive items out on the curb. These boxes are a signal to burglars that you have something worth stealing. After removing the contents from these boxes, tear or cut them up.

If you must hide your key outside, do not put it someplace obvious. Fake rocks are particularly simple to spot. Many people will look under your doormat. It is probably best to find someone you trust to hold a key for you. If that isn’t possible, think outside the box when you hide it.

A dog is an excellent burglary deterrent system. Canines are notoriously protective of their family and domicile. You don’t have to have a huge, violent guard dog, though. Even a small dog will deter intruders, who do not want a lot of noise when they commit their crimes.

If the window of your living room faces the street, close your curtains at night. Don’t tempt others to look in your windows. If valuable items can be seen from outside your home, it is an open invitation to burglars. Be careful about what you expose to the public so that your likelihood of a burglary will decrease.

People know that their home has to be safe. Many feel lost when it comes to choosing a home security system. Hopefully, this article has given you some useful hints about securing your home.

If your door isn’t either metal or solid wood, replace it with one that is. Doors made of these materials are sturdy. A burglar is very unlikely to be able to kick in a solid wood or metal door. It shouldn’t be too expensive to replace all exterior doors, so do it immediately.