If you own a home, then you understand the importance of keeping it safe. When your home is damaged heavily, it makes you feel the worst. Not only is your home a large investment, there are often precious memories tied to it. Read on to learn how you can secure your precious home.

Create the illusion that your home is constantly occupied. Put timers on the TV, lights and radios. This will make your home appear as if someone is there. This will help safeguard your house to the best of your ability.

Do you keep your dog outside if you leave the home? If so, you can use your dog to hide your spare key. Put it on your dog’s collar, making sure it is hidden. This is the perfect place to store a spare key, especially if your dog doesn’t care for strangers.

Home security systems have additional features to just being noise alarms. Most systems could sound an alarm when someone enters the home. This can be valuable to parents with small children as they are made aware their child has opened or closed a door.

If your home has a lot of valuable items inside, then you need to purchase a safe so that all of these items can be kept in a single location. This is important, since you don’t want your valuables exposed to a potential intruder. Keep the safe hidden in a hard-to-find location like an attic or a basement closet.

Don’t talk about your vacations on social media. While it is exciting to go to a new place and have a good time, you are letting thieves know that your house will be empty and they can come right in.

Before agreeing to work with a security company, check with your friends and family for recommendations. Knowledge of first-hand experiences can be very helpful to you when it comes to making this important decision. Keep asking to get the advice that will help you make the right choice.

Don’t make a habit of giving strangers access to your home. Remember that intruders have a lot of experience with tricking people. It’s quite possible that your charming guest is only interested in evaluating the security of your home; if they find it lacking, they may be back later to relieve you of some of your possessions.

If you’re going on a trip for an extended period of time, switch the ringer off on all home phones. A constantly ringing phone lets thieves know that you are not home and could increase the chances of you getting robbed.

Secure your garage. There is a way to stop thieves from entering your home from the garage. Try putting a C-clamp on your garage door track. This will stop the door from rising if you want to keep it closed.

Be sure you have secured your attached garage. Intruders can enter your home through an unlocked garage door. If your garage lifts up on a track, try using a C-clamp. This will prevent your door from opening up if the clamp is close to its roller.

Make sure to have your home inspection system maintained on at least an annual basis. This is a job for professionals; get a security firm to inspect your equipment. Many different things can make problems for your security system. You might be unaware of problems that arise in some cases.

Speak with the police in your town regarding the home security programs they have. There are plenty of things that can be done, from a safety walk to cataloging expensive items to help protect your investment and your family. If your police department does not offer these programs, find a private security company.

You have a choice on who installs your security system, don’t be afraid to say no if something doesn’t feel right. If you are hesitant about the company, your gut feeling is especially important. Don’t hesitate asking for another technician or get another company. Remember, the new security apparatus is meant to make you feel safe and secure.

Use motion sensors on exterior lighting. These lights turn on if someone walks closely to your house. This lets you know something is moving and also drives off criminals. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

Walls can be a great hiding spot. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. Place them in switch plates, phone jacks or an electric outlet. If you’re using all your outlets, you can install phony ones.

Any program to improve the security of your home should begin with complete replacement of your door locks. If you have boarders, former live-in partners, or others who once had access to your home, this is especially important. It is inexpensive, and most locksmiths will be available for next day appointments.

When selecting an alarm set-up, think about getting one that protects not just the doors in your home. Windows need to be monitored too. Make sure you have a monitored alarm on every one of them. Do this to keep you and your family safe.

The wiring outside of your home can be valuable. Most people are unaware of this fact until a burglar takes it from their house. Copper wiring is very valuable and susceptible to being stripped from the outside of your home. Make sure your wiring is hidden or hard to access to keep this valuable property safe.

If you have just bought any pricey new goods, never toss the boxes onto the curb prior to the garbage man’s arrival. Having these boxes around for a while will give people an idea of what is inside your house.

When you hire a security firm, be certain to review all contracts carefully. You may find fees appear unexpectedly, including excessive costs for ending your contract early. Be aware of these particular fees so you can steer clear of them.

When a security company wants in your home ask for an ID and see if they’re in uniform. Criminals can easily pretend to be from a security firm as a means to gain entry to the house. This can be risky for you and your belongings. Make sure you are as cautious as you can be.

One of the best things you can do to protect your home at night is to deter intruders with plenty of exterior lighting. Thieves don’t want to be visible. A well-lit home will make it hard for intruders to hide and take your valuables without being detected. Keep your home lit up all night long.

Have home-security companies come to your home so they can design the best possible system for it. Every family is different, and so your security needs will be unique. Most companies will create an individual plan to meet your needs so you can have a high level of security to assure your peace of mind.

Find out how long a company has been in operation before signing a home security contract. You can be sure that an established company has a good track record of providing solid and reliable service. It also ensures they’re not a fly-by-night firm.

Think about your specific needs and risks prior to investigating security systems. While these systems are great and can help protect your family, they are not necessary for everyone. Sometimes you may just want to invest in a dog or self-defense classes. Be aware of your risks to make an intelligent purchasing decisions.

If you will be going out of time, have someone you trust get your mail. Also, have them look for fliers stuck in your door. This is a way people who are casing out your house can tell whether you are home or not. A flier that hangs around for days on end lets burglars know that there’s no one in the home.

Get a paper shredder. Your trash contains so much personal information a thief would love to have. You could also simply take care to tear up your discarded papers.

Spring latch locks are not a good option. These are the easiest for criminals to open with a credit card. The lock can be triggered to open by simply wedging the card in the lock. If this is the kind of lock on your doors, strongly consider adding a deadbolt for safety.

If someone looks after your house when you’re gone, have them remove fliers from the door. Canny burglars will often produce and distribute their own fliers so that they can see whether or not anyone takes them down. If the flier is not removed, it’s easy for a burglar to suspect that the owner is away.

If you must hide your key outside, do not put it someplace obvious. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. Doormats, too. It’s better to have a friend, neighbor or relative keep a spare set of keys for you. If you must keep it elsewhere, be creative with your hiding spot.

Don’t give anyone an opportunity to see inside your garage in order to ward off robbers. Frosted windows prevent thieves from looking into your home and are inexpensive. Don’t let your door hang open for lengthy periods of time.

If you possess a numeric keypad as a lock on your door, be sure not to make your birthday as your password. Your birthday can be found on mail or social media sites, so this means anyone can access your home. Try making the number one that can be remembered by doing a match equation in order to remember that equation instead.

Make sure that your house number are visible from the street. If there’s an emergency, it will take longer for the police to locate your home if the numbers are concealed in any way or too small. Fortunately, this is something that can be corrected quickly and cheaply.

As was proven in the article above, it doesn’t have to be all that hard to maintain a safe home. There is some education that is required though. Use what you’ve just learned to secure your home. Apply the tips in this article and feel safe at home.

Keep blinds, shades, and curtains closed when you’re not home. You do not want any part of your home visible to the public. They may break in if they see things they like. At night when you’re asleep, you should close your shades.