Take care to protect pricey valuables, such as jewelry, fine art or cash. You should protect your home and family from burglars by implementing home-security strategies. Read these tips for ideas on how to make your house a safe place.

After you buy your new house, get new locks. This is because you really have no idea who has keys, and therefore access to your home. 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 that your home is always occupied. Buy timers so that lights, radios, TVs and all other electronics turn on and off at various times. This makes it appear that someone is home. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.

Is your dog kept outside when you are away? If so, you can use your dog to hide your spare key. The key can be attached to the collar of your dog. This will ensure that burglars cannot see it. This is quite effective if your pet does not respond well to strangers.

When you’re picking out home security equipment and services, don’t forget to ask your friends and family for help. Other people will probably have personal experience with these companies that are either good or bad. They can share their experiences with you, which will greatly assist you in making the best decision. Ask around so that you can have the advice that you need to make a good choice.

Use a safe to protect your valuables. You would hate for your expensive jewelry, personal family belongings, etc. to be stolen in case a burglar breaks into your home. Keep your safe in a hard-to-get-to place, such as a basement closet or your attic.

Don’t overlook your garage as a potential access point for thieves. There is a solution for people that are worried about burglars going into their home through an attached garage. 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.

Be smart about where you decide to hide spare keys. Under the doormat or above the door frame are all too common spaces that will be checked first by potential intruders. Instead, try hiding a key on the collar of an outside dog.

In the summer, remove all the dead trees from your yard. These could catch on fire during the summer, especially if you live in a dry area. Clear yard regularly to maintain your house safe.

Never allow any strangers into your home. Even if their story is compelling, they need assistance or want to sell you something. Some folks will enter to scout for security systems, and upon seeing you lack one, will resolve to return at a later time.

Use your garage for your car, not just storage. A car kept locked in a garage is much less likely to be stolen or damaged. Hiding it will help to deter people from tracking the times you aren’t there.

You never want to open up a door to a stranger without proper identification. You have no way of knowing if the stranger on the other side of the door wishes to do you harm. Make sure everyone in your house knows not to open the door unless they know the person standing outside.

Security System

Eliminate dead vegetation and wood in the yard in the summer. As things heat up in the summer, items may catch on fire and threaten your home. Be sure all sorts of flammable items are kept under control around your home.

No matter how good your security system is, it should be checked annually. Get someone from the security firm to inspect it. There are any number of problems that can cause malfunctions in your security system, from weather damage to animal activity. If it’s not visible, you might not even know there’s a problem.

The first step in making your home more secure is to change out your locks. Maybe you’ve had a roommate leave or a bitter ex-lover, so changing the locks can keep you safer. It does not cost much, and can be handled very quickly.

Use the spaces in your home’s walls to store valuables. You do not have to damage your walls to keep your valuables safe. Many spots are already cut that can be used for this purpose. For example, you might remove the cover of an electrical outlet, disconnect the wires, and use the space to hide small valuables.

If you have purchased any large and/or expensive items, do not throw the boxes away until the day before the trash man is scheduled to come. Exposing the box to view ahead of time signals a burglar that he will find this item in your home.

Be certain the wires to your home security system are neither visible nor accessible. You don’t want a burglar to get access to them and disable your system. This is why it is so important to make sure all your wires are well hidden. This helps keep you and your family safe.

The wiring on your house is valuable to burglars. People often don’t think about this until they have it stolen from their home. The copper wiring can be stripped and be turned in for money. 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. If you leave the boxes out all week, it lets people know what type of items you have in your home.

You should have several flashlights and batteries in all your rooms. The flashlights are important because they make you able to get around the house in an emergency. Make sure each member of your family knows where the flashlights are and how to operate them.

Buy flashlights with strong batteries and make sure there is one in each room in case of power outages. Flashlights are very important, as they will give you the ability to move around in the event of an emergency. Teach everyone in your home to use the flashlights so all family members can see and help each other.

Always go over the small print on contracts offered by your home security company. There could be hidden costs if you were to quit your service prior to the expiration date of the contract, or you decide to add additional equipment later. You can easily avoid these fees if you do your research.

Ask for ID before letting anyone into your home. Potential burglars can easily claim they are security company representatives so that they can enter your home. This situation presents danger to your home, family and belongings. Be cautious to stay away from those potential dangers.

A good way to scare off intruders is to keep your house lit at nighttime. They do not desire to be seen. If your home is well lit, thieves won’t have any place to hide, so they may not want to steal anything from you. So keep those lights on at night for a secure home.

To increase your home’s security, buy some outdoor lights that are motion activated. These lights are not only handy when you get home late, they also help deter criminals from entering your home. Whenever you properly position these lights, they will make it almost impossible for burglars to sneak in.

Use the Internet to find a reliable home security company. Look at many websites and read customer reviews about the various services. With that information, you can make your appointments with the top three companies you’ve chosen so that you can compare pricing and look at specific monitoring and plans.

Keeping the home illuminated during evening hours helps keep criminals away. They don’t want anyone to see them. If your house is well-lit, criminals will be hard pressed to be able to go undetected. Have lights that come on when they detect movement for best results.

Consider a surveillance system for your home and property. You can have great home security with both hidden and visible video cameras. Cameras that can be clearly seen have a powerful deterrent effect, while concealed cameras are difficult or impossible for intruders to disable. Nowadays, you can track your surveillance on your own cell phone.

Ask the home security companies to visit your home and design a system tailored to your needs. Every family is different, and so your security needs will be unique. If you have found a company that could cater to your needs, then it is easy to get the security that will make you and your loved ones comfortable.

Can you read your house numbers while in the street? It is important for the authorities to find your address in the event of an emergency. This is a very easy issue to have rectified.

Think about having a wireless security system for the home installed. While the wired systems are less expensive, they usually mean rather intrusive wiring for your house, which can also go out during power outages. The wireless systems are simpler to maintain and install and they don’t need power from the home to run.

If there are areas of your home you want to keep locked off, you do not need keys. You can instead get key-less locks that work using a code. You can have your home security company install it for you, or you can do it yourself.

Err on the side of caution when you are dealing with home security. Avoid becoming paralyzed by fear, but don’t hesitate to make the prudent preparations. Keep these tips in mind, and set out to protect your home and family.

Find out more about the different contracts your security company offers. There are benefits and drawbacks to each. A long contract may lock you in even if you choose to sell the house or want to stop the services, but it can result in a lower bill every month. If you want more freedom, it is best to purchase a more expensive but shorter contract.