Your house must be a safe haven for you and your family at all times. Upon going out, they must feel secure and safe when returning. This article will advise you on the best ways to keep your home secure from robbery.

Beware giving keys to your maid unless the service has your absolute trust. If they will be there over an hour and you are thinking of giving them your home key, be certain they are honest, reputable and hard-working. Check their references very carefully. If it is a known company, check with your local BBB.

You should always make sure your home looks like its occupied. You could purchase timers which make lights and TV’s, as well as other devices, power on or off at varying intervals. This will make your home appear as if someone is there. This can be a terrific method of securing your home and keeping burglars at bay.

When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. You would be surprised to see that the prices are much different for each company, even though it’s for the same type of protection. Make sure you get quotes from at least three companies before you decide on which one you think is the best option.

If you keep a spare key outside to prevent yourself from being locked-out, think carefully about where you hide it. Under the doormat or above the door frame are all too common spaces that will be checked first by potential intruders. An example would be to attach a key to your dog’s collar, if he stays outdoors.

If your garage is attached to your home, always keep it secure. There is a way to stop thieves from entering your home from the garage. 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.

Walls are great for hiding things. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). If you have no unused plates, you can easily install false ones.

Be more proactive when you are determining the safety of your neighborhood. It is important to communicate with others who also live in your area. Watch out for their homes, and ask them to do the same for you. Listen for gossip too. It is often a good way to find out about security issues, such as strangers in the neighborhood.

Use the space in walls to store your prized possessions. Don’t make it obvious by cutting out big chunks of drywall. Most homes are pre-equipped with these handy spaces. Consider unwiring an electrical socket that isn’t used and storing your valuable jewelry.

While choosing your alarm system, ask about protection for windows and motion detection as well as doors. All of your windows are possible entry points for a thief too. Attach an alarm to every one of them, and make sure all entry points are monitored. This is just one more thing you can do to protect your home.

No matter how soon you plan to return home, you should lock your doors. It may be shocking, but many home invasions and burglaries occur by intruders walking through the front door that was left open. Thieves can make off with large amounts of valuable merchandise very quickly.

If you’ve recently moved into a house, get any locks changed out. Even if the previous owner or tenant seems trustworthy, you have no way of knowing how many copies of the key they made and distributed. Bear in mind that other people may have lived in the home before the previous owner.

Change all of the locks in your new residence. The old owners may seem nice, but you don’t know everything about them. Remember that different families might have dwelt there before this person.

When you hire a type of home security company, read the contract’s fine print before signing. Sometimes there are hidden costs involved if you decide to let your service go before the contract expires or add additional equipment at a later point. It’s best to know about these fees in advance so that you can avoid them when possible.

Unless you’re moving into a brand-new apartment or home, changing the locks should be one of your top priorities. Even though the previous tenant may have turned in their key, you never know if they have a copy. You can install locks yourself to make sure you’re the only one who has a key.

One effective home security trick you can use is by installing outdoor motion sensor lights. Burglars prefer the cover that night provides their criminal activities. Install lights by each and every entryway to your home. This can include garages, doorways, porches, and even near any windows on the ground floor.

Disguise Themselves

Before checking out security systems for your home, think about your personal security and safety needs. Although these systems can protect you and your family, not everybody needs them. In some areas, a class on self defense or a guard dog might be more suitable, yet in others, an advanced home security system will fit the bill. Before you sink a lot of money into your home’s security, make sure that you’re properly addressing your particular risks.

When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. Intruders could disguise themselves to inspect your home. Intruders could disguise themselves as home security representatives to inspect your current security system. Use caution to stay out of danger.

You should not enter your home if you find the door ajar. Your home and the area surrounding it may still be in danger. Call the cops and let them do the initial walk through.

Screen the references of anyone who would have access to your house. Be sure to perform a background check and look for any criminal history that might be in evidence. There is no way of knowing whether or not service people are honest, so you should not give them keys to your home.

It’s a good idea to install a surveillance system in your home. Installing hidden and visible video cameras is great for securing a home. Intruders can be deterred to visible cameras, but hidden cameras are better if criminals damage the other cameras. A lot of surveillance systems may be accessed through a cell phone, letting you check on your house when you’re away.

Landscape your home with safety in mind. Make sure that there is nothing obstructing your doors and windows. If these things can be seen by the naked eye, they won’t offer hiding places to potential criminals. This will give your home additional safety.

If you have kids or roommates that you don’t want in certain household areas, it’s not necessary to lock multiple doors and tote around tons of keys. Use a code-access lock for any door you don’t want others opening. You can install them yourself, or you can have a home security service install them.

The areas outside your home should be kept well lit. Nothing is as attractive to a burglar as a dark, deeply-shadowed house. Install lighting anywhere a possible intruder might break in. This can include the garage, doorways, porches and other areas which invite an intruder in.

Ask the security company about various contract lengths. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. While your monthly rates may be lower with a lengthy contract, you have no recourse should you list your home for sale or terminate your contract. There’s more freedom with a contract that’s shorter, but the monthly payments may be higher.

Visible Video

Always keep your shades, curtains and blinds closed when you are not at home. You do not want any part of your home visible to the public. They’re going to want to get in your house if they can see items they want. Close your drapes or blinds while you are asleep, too.

Install a surveillance system in your home. Placing hidden and visible video cameras is a good way to keep your home secure. A visible video camera acts as a warning to an intruder. If the intruder disables the visible camera, the hidden camera will document it! Surveillance systems often allow you to access videos through your cell phone, too.

If you’re worried about how you’re going to be able to maintain a wireless system, you may want to opt for a wired one instead. A wireless system is a good option but you will have to replace batteries regularly. Not replacing the batteries keeps your system from working properly. Also, having to replace batteries on a regular basis can quickly become costly.

Don’t leave the boxes of any high priced electronics on the curb of your house. If the burglars see the empty boxes, then they will realize you have the items in your home. As a result, they’ll be more likely to break in so they can steal it. Break the boxes down, or take a scissors to them to help them fit in your trash can.

If you have a door that isn’t solid wood or metal, change it for either one. These doors are strong. A burglar trying to kick in such a door is going to be in for some pain. It is easy and affordable to replace all of your home’s exterior doors, so ensure you do this immediately.

When you’re not in your house, all of the window coverings (blinds, curtains, shades, or what have you) should be tightly shut. You do not want any part of your home visible to the public. If burglars see items in your home that appear valuable, they’ll likely break in to steal them. You should keep them closed while you are asleep.

A home alarm investment is well worth the money, provided someone contacts 911 when it is set off. The best bet is to invest in an alarm which is centrally monitored so you can be sure that any time it goes off, the police will show up. You can’t necessarily rely on the neighbors to call.

Inquire with your company if they allow both leases and purchases of equipment. Buying the equipment might cost more up front, but it means a one time cost that does not continue every month. Leasing is cheaper, but there may be hidden fees and contracts. It is worthwhile checking out both possibilities before you decide on which is best.

A big dog that barks loud can help protect your home and your family. Burglars don’t want to worry about getting attacked. Consider getting a large dog that is able to protect, but that also is gentle with children and friendly to your whole family.

Avoid common hiding places for your spare key. It’s easy to see fake rocks. Doormats are generally the first spot a person would look. It is probably best to find someone you trust to hold a key for you. If you cannot do that, try to be creative when it comes to hiding places.

Go straight to a home security company to buy your system rather than going through a middle man. A re-seller simply wants to make money, and they generally don’t have your best interests at heart. When going through the company, you generally won’t have to pay as much, and you can rely on them to fix anything that goes wrong with the system.

Most people try to avoid the neighborhood gossip, but you should try to get them in your good graces. You never know who might be watching when someone is sneaking around your home. If your friends with them, they can alert you immediately.

External wiring is an attractive prize for thieves. Copper wiring can be liquidated for quite the profit. Hiding electrical wiring can stop intruders from stealing copper, preventing you from having to pay repair costs.

In term of solid advice, you have just read a large amount of it. Now you have only to decide which steps you wish to take for your own home protection. The tips provided here can help you make the decisions you need to move forward to secure your home as well as your peace of mind.

Don’t let your children leave toys in your yard. This makes thieves think women live there. Homes with women are more attractive targets because they probably have pricy jewelry inside.