Every homeowner wants to be sure their home and family are safe from possible harm. While an alarm is a good place to start, there are other steps that can be equally effective. Read on to find out how to secure your house.

Your home should looked occupied all the time. Keep your radio, TV and lights on timers. This will make your home look like someone is in it. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.

Buy fire-resistant building materials. This will help ensure the safety of your home, particularly if your home is located in a dry area. Fire is such a destructive force that it makes excellent sense to reduce fire hazards in your home whenever possible.

Be very cautious about entrusting a maid service with a key to your home. If they need the keys and plan on being in there for more than an hour, try to ensure that they are honest, hardworking, and reputable. Check their references fully. If you hire a cleaner who works for a company, speak with your local BBB about the company’s reliability.

Put motion-sensor lights into your home. These lights will come on if someone walks near your home. They will signal movement to you but will also serve as deterrents to the thieves. Do not forget to change a bulb when it burns out.

Shut off phone ringers inside the home if you’re going to be gone for quite a while. If the phone continues to ring while you’re gone, this lets an intruder know that the home is empty.

Security starts with new locks. Maybe you’ve had a roommate leave or a bitter ex-lover, so changing the locks can keep you safer. It is generally cheap and may be done in a little under a day.

Be sure you have secured your attached garage. Intruders can enter your home through an unlocked garage door. Using a C-clamp on the garage door will prevent it from opening by staying on the door’s track.

Your risks of being the target of home intruders really doesn’t depend on the area in which you live. People who live in the country may even be more vulnerable because they do not have nearby neighbors. Others think that rural places have less of a chance of being targets for burglars.

There’s no security system so durable that it can go without regular maintenance and inspections. Have yours checked out once a year. Ask a qualified worker who specializes in security systems to take a look. A number of factors can cause problems with your security system, including wild animals and mother nature. You might not even discover these problems if they aren’t easily sighted.

Make sure that none of your valuables can be seen from the outside. Large windows let in a lot of light, but they also allow outsiders to see inside your living space. You should cover any windows that are facing the street so your valuables will be safe.

Have lights that sense motion. These lights will come on if someone walks near your house. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.

If you’ve bought large or pricy items, avoid throwing out boxes until the day the trash is scheduled for pick-up. If you set these boxes out with the trash, thieves will know you have expensive items in your house.

Security starts with new locks. Whether an old roommate left or a relationship ended, changing your locks is a good idea. This is a very easy process that you can complete within a day.

Are you aware that your home’s wires are worth something? Many people are not aware of this until they are stolen from their home. The copper inside the wire is very valuable and may be stripped off the exterior of the house in a short time span. Hide the wiring and make it harder to access to prevent this from happening.

Go with your gut when you invite a home security company representative into your house. If the men who come to your home to do the installation seem untrustworthy, you can change your mind. Never hesitate to has for a new technician or even go with a different company altogether. The point of having a security system is to make yourself feel at ease.

Keep a flashlight with good batteries in every room of your home, just in case you lose power. Power outages are common to all sorts of emergency situations, so having flashlights handy will enable you to maneuver in the dark. Teach everyone in your home to use the flashlights so all family members can see and help each other.

Do not hide your spare key under your doormat or in a nearby planter. You are allowing people to invade your home when you make it easy for them. Burglars are familiar with these hiding spots. Instead, give your extra key to a neighbor whom you trust.

Before you let a security company representative enter your home, make sure they are in uniform, and don’t hesitate to ask them for identification. Burglars are creative, and they often pose as a member of the security team to get inside. Don’t allow this to happen, as it is a direct threat to your house and its contents. Caution is always advisable if dangers like this are to be avoided.

Criminals often pick houses where they can see the valuables inside. You might enjoy large windows so you can see out, but just remember that makes it easier for those burglars to see inside your home as well. Be sure to put curtains on your front-facing windows so people can’t see your valuable belongings.

When your door is found ajar when you get home, call the police. This can be very dangerous because the thief could still be inside. Instead, wait outside until the police come, after calling them on your cell phone.

Always lock your home, even if you plan on coming back within a few minutes. It may be a little surprising, but most burglaries and break-ins happen because the intruder just walks right through an open door. It does not take long for thieves to steal your expensive stuff.

Think about having a wireless security system for the home installed. Systems that are wired can be a little cheaper, but may need significant reworking of your home’s electrical wiring and can fail in a power outage. Wireless systems are much easier to install, and they can work independently of your home’s power.

A good home security system monitors all entry points to your home. Burglars often enter through windows as well. Therefore, ensure the windows have an attached alarm. All potential entry points should have an alarm. This helps ensure your family stays safe.

Security System

Keep your home security system’s wires under cover. Intruders can disable a system if they see the wires. Do not make entry into your home easy. Make sure the wires are not exposed either inside or outside your home. Keep yourself safe.

Inquire into both purchase and lease options for your security system. You can avoid interest rates by buying the security system right away. While leasing might be less expensive, it also comes with high monthly fees and contracts. Pick the option that suits your particular situation best.

The wiring outside of your home can be valuable. Lots of people don’t know this until their wires are stolen. The copper wiring can be stripped and be turned in for money. To keep the wiring safe, be sure that the wire is hidden from view.

If you keep a spare key outside, make sure it is not kept in an obvious location. It’s easy to see fake rocks. Hiding a key under the doormat is even worse; this cliched tactic will fool no one. A better idea is to have a friend or neighbor keep your emergency key. When this isn’t an option, you should at least use your imagination when choosing a hiding place.

Replace rotted wood around any door frames. Rotted wood can be easily removed by thieves. Replace wood that is starting to rot with fresh new wood to keep your home as safe as possible.

If your door has a numeric lock, make sure the combination isn’t your birthday. Anyone could get your date of birth from Facebook and could have access into your house. Rather, try and make your combination the answer to an equation so that you only need to remember an equation instead of an actual series of numbers.

Keep a flashlight with good batteries in every room of your home, just in case you lose power. They give you and your family the opportunity to move around should the electricity go out. Train kids how to use the flashlights so that everyone may contribute.

Ask the security company you hire whether they have lights with motion sensors. A lot of them have this, and they cause outside lights to come on when people approach your home. Motion sensitive lighting can scare off an intruder and allow you to safely enter your home.

A great way to achieve extra security is to install exterior lighting equipped with motion detectors. During the night hours, these lights help light up the outside of your home, which makes them an excellent addition to your home security strategies. In addition, they are very affordable. With good positioning and properly set motion detectors, intruders will not be able to sneak up on your home unnoticed.

Your alarm will only work if the police are notified. Purchase a centrally monitored alarm to reap all the security benefits possible. You can’t necessarily rely on the neighbors to call.

You can keep intruders away by always having your house lit up. They prefer not to be seen. If your house is well-lit, criminals will be hard pressed to be able to go undetected. At night, keep your lights turned on to boost security.

Don’t avoid your neighborhood gossip. Instead, get to know him or her. If suspicious people are lurking around your place, the busybody may notice it right away. You will even be able to ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home if you are going on a vacation.

Be sure and keep the outside of your house well lit. Dark houses invite burglars who prefer to operate under cover of darkness. Install a light in any area a potential intruder can get into your home. Consider all your doors, porches, patios, decks, garages and all ground-level windows.

Lock all of your windows that on the second floor of your home. Many people don’t think about burglars checking these windows. This may not be what happens. This is known as a common weak spot, and criminals know all about this.

You do not want to use spring latch locks. These locks are easy to break into since they may be opened up with a credit card. Intruders can pick these locks by wedging a credit card in between the latch and the door. IF spring latch locks are already in place, add a deadbolt for that extra layer of security.

Now that you’ve read through this, you should be able to have a safer home. It may seem overwhelming right now, but it must be done. These tips can help.

If you have windows that are open to the street, be sure and cover them at night. Don’t tempt others to look in your windows. If potential thieves see valuable items inside your house, they may target your house. Keep your possessions out of the public eye to minimize your chances of becoming a burglary victim.