As you’re well aware, owning a home carries with it a very reasonable interest in home security. When your home is damaged heavily, it makes you feel the worst. Besides being a valuable possession in its own right, your home is also the stage upon which you live your life. Read this article for tips on keeping your precious asset safe.

Don’t give your keys to a house cleaner unless you totally trust them. If you do give your housekeeper a key or plan on doing so, it is imperative that they are honest and upstanding. Check out their references thoroughly. If this professional is from a company, it’s best to check with the Better Business Bureau to see what kind of reputation they have.

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. This makes it look as though people are home no matter what. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.

If you have a lot of unfamiliar people on you social networking accounts, avoid letting everyone know you will be going on vacation. Potential intruders could get a good idea of when you will be gone by monitoring what you share on social networks.

Get advice from loved ones about home security systems. They probably have both positive and negative things to tell you, and those comments will help you make your own decision. Ask around to get lots of advice for making a better choice.

Home security systems are able to do more than just sounding the alarm whenever you have an intruder. Many systems can be used to go off whenever anyone enters your home. If you have little ones wandering about the house, this makes it easy for you to know if they have come in or gone out.

Shut off phone ringers inside the home if you’re going to be gone for quite a while. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.

Never allow any strangers into your home. Even if someone has a good story, requires help or has a great product to sell, ignore them. This is the first rule of keeping your home secure.

Do not open your door for people you do not know. People try many ways to convince others to open up their doors so that they can commit burglary or worse. Therefore, only allow people you know and are expecting to enter your home.

Keep your car in your garage. Keep the car within the garage will make sure no one harms or steals it. Hiding your car from plain view will also keep potential intruders from tracking when you are home and when you aren’t.

Install lights that have motion sensors. They’ll flip on when people walk within a certain distance of your house. Not only will you know that someone is out there, it will also deter burglars because they want to be inconspicuous. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

If your garage is attached to your house, make it secure. A lot of garage owners fret over burglars entering this way, but there are answers. A C-clamp is very useful for garage doors that lift on tracks. It will prevent garage doors from opening up whenever it is near the roller and is tight on the track.

Don’t forget skylights when doing a security sweep for your home. Skylights are great for making a home brighter, but they can make it easier for burglars to access the house. Use heavy-duty hardware to secure your skylights to the roof.

If you have a home security system installed, make sure the wires are hidden. Intruders can disable a system if they see the wires. Don’t make it easier for them, so have wires hidden in the house’s walls or buried. Your system will be far more effective this way.

Rid the outside of your home from dead wood, vegetation and overgrowth during the summertime. These are vulnerable to fires and put your home in danger. To make sure your home is safer, clear your yard periodically.

If you bought any expensive or large items, don’t throw the boxes out until the day trash is scheduled to be removed. Doing so is like giving a burglar an invitation to target your home; he or she will know there is something good inside.

Replace any wood surrounding your door frame that is rotting. Anyone hoping to enter your home can very easily do so by just prying away the rotted wood. Replace this old wood if you want to keep your house safe.

Make your home safer by storing your car inside the garage. This will keep it away from thieves and vandals. This will also make it more difficult for burglars to track when you away from home.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. For a relatively small fee, you can also run a background check for their criminal history. It is impossible to know if the newly hired maid or one time repairman might be a crook unless you check them out. Providing them with your key might be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.

Keep lights on at all times if you want to prevent break-ins from happening. That’s because they want to remain hidden. If your house is well-lit, criminals will be hard pressed to be able to go undetected. Keep lights on during the night.

No matter how good your security system is, it should be checked annually. Make certain the security company you choose provides for regular inspections. There are quite a few things that can negatively impact the effectiveness of home security equipment. For example, adverse weather conditions or pests such as raccoons can cause problems. It’s quite possible for there to be a fault in your system even if you can’t see it.

Before signing up for a particular home-security company, find out how long they’ve been around. A company that’s been around for a while has proven that their service is reliable. It also ensures they’re not a fly-by-night firm.

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You should not be shy. Build up a rapport with the people who own homes close to yours. Watch their homes for suspicious activity and get their word that they will do the same thing for you. It does not necessarily pay to steer clear of gossip. You can learn of important security information, including if strangers have been lurking.

Don’t fit your exterior doors with locks of the spring latch variety. These are the easiest for criminals to open with a credit card. Intruders can just wedge the credit card in between the latch and the door, causing it to open. Add a deadbolt to existing spring latch locks for maximum security.

Keep your windows covered if you’re out. By failing to do so, you are granting a prime view of your house and your belongings. You may have things inside that will tempt them to break into your house. Do not forget to close your shades before going to bed.

Don’t forget about the skylights when securing your home. Though skylights bring light into your home and look nice, it is also a very common way for burglars to get into your home. Your skylights need durable and reliable hardware for true protection.

You should not keep your auto registration papers in the glove compartment. This will prevent anyone from knowing where you reside. Keep them on you, or another place to hide them. Remember that you have to have access to them in case you’re stopped by the police.

Purchase motion sensor lighting for the next generation in home security. This is often an option from a good company. Motion sensitive lighting turns on when a person approaches your home in the dark. This further protects you from having unwanted guests enter your home.

Don’t ever put your spare key under your doormat or in a planter. A key that is easily found is a convenience for a burglar, not just for you. Burglars are familiar with these hiding spots. Rather, keep your spare keys with a neighbor you trust.

Always lock your second and even third floor windows. Many folks forget this point and believe that burglars will not bother with those windows. This simply isn’t the case. Criminals are aware of this vulnerable area.

If you are female and live by yourself, you are a major target. Place large, muddy boots at your doorstep so it looks like a big, burly fellow lives there. This is sure to scare criminals off from your house.

You need flashlights and plenty of batteries in each room just in case your power ever goes out. This is important for you to be able to see should your power go out or you suffer an emergency. Be sure everyone in your family is aware of the location of emergency flashlights.

As discussed, protecting your home is not that hard. You just have to know some good ideas concerning home security. Use the tips you just read to improve your home security. Don’t overlook any of the tips here because they will all help keep your home safe.