To make the best choice in terms of securing your home, it is important to familiarize yourself with the range of options that are available. This isn’t something you want to take lightly. It is better to concentrate on providing the best level of safety possible for your family and home.

Consider the advice of your friends when selecting your home security company. Others have likely had both good and bad experiences that they can share with you that can then save you a lot of stress and time. Make broad inquiries so that you are able to make a well-informed decision.

Beware giving keys to your maid unless the service has your absolute trust. Before you give a cleaner full access to your home for extended periods of time, you have to be certain that they’re trustworthy and reliable. Be sure to make sure their references check out. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

Check out your garage to ensure that it is secure. A common concern expressed among homeowners is that someone might enter their garage and use that as an entrance to their home. There is a solution, however. Try putting a C-clamp on your garage door track. This will stop the door from rising if you want to keep it closed.

Some home security systems have additional security features besides sounding an alarm to deter a burglar. Most systems could sound an alarm when someone enters the home. This is useful for parents who have small kids, as it helps keep them from leaving the house.

You should clean your yard of vegetation and dead wood. As the summer heat rolls in, there is a higher chance that these can catch on fire, putting your home at risk. Always clear the yard to ensure safety.

It can be a good idea to only leave one ringer on in your home when you are away. When burglars hear phones ringing for an extended period of time in a home, they know that there is no one there to answer.

When dealing with a company installing your home security system, it is important that you trust your gut. This is particularly true if you feel uncomfortable with a company you are dealing with. Ask for someone else to come out or switch companies. You need to feel secure with the entire process.

Remove all of the vegetation outside in the hotter months. These can be fire hazards and can cause damage to your home. You can prevent disasters by keeping your yard clean.

Use the spaces in your home’s walls to store valuables. This does not mean that you should make alterations to your walls. Many areas in your house are already accessible for this purpose. If you have an electric socket you do not use, hide valuables behind their covers.

Police Department

Don’t put extra keys under doormats or in planters. These are the first places criminals will look when they try to enter your home. Burglars are familiar with these hiding spots. The wisest course of action is to leave a spare key with a trusted friend or a reliable neighbor.

The police department in your area may offer a home protection program. They may offer neighborhood watch programs, home inspections, engraving tools for marking code numbers onto items so that they will be easily identified if stolen. Call the local police department and inquire as to what programs they offer.

Even if you’re not going to be gone long, keep your home locked. It may be a little surprising, but most burglaries and break-ins happen because the intruder just walks right through an open door. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.

Be sure to secure the skylights to your home. Skylights are a wonderful addition to any home, but they also tend to be weak spots that intruders take advantage of. Make sure your skylights have reliable, heavy duty hardware in place.

When you choose an alarm system, pick one that offers protection that goes beyond the doors. Burglars can gain entry through your windows as well. Every single entry point needs to have monitoring on it. This will help to keep your family safe.

Hide any valuables in wall spaces. You don’t have to cut pieces out of the walls. There are many spots in your home that already have areas that are pre-cut. Consider unwiring an electrical socket that isn’t used and storing your valuable jewelry.

If you purchase big-ticket items, don’t throw their boxes in the trash before trash day. They show the world you have money and lots of valuables inside.

Hide the wires of your home security system. A burglar will simply cut the wires if he can see them. Do not make things simple for a burglar, but rather bury all wires or hide them in the wall. Keep yourself safe.

Even the wires inside your home are worth something. Most people are unaware of this fact until a burglar takes it from their house. Copper wiring can easily be removed. This is why the wiring should be hidden or difficult to get to.

The wiring outside of your home can be valuable. 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 your wiring for optimum security.

Always keep your home’s exterior well lit. Nothing is as attractive to a burglar as a dark, deeply-shadowed house. Motion sensor lights can work great because they can also alert you when someone does come onto the property. All doors, porches, garages and windows should be well lit.

Keeping your home very bright during the night hours is an excellent way to prevent thieves. They want to avoid being seen. When your house is well lit, intruders have no place to hide. This makes it hard for them to get things from you. So keep those lights on at night for a secure home.

Before checking out security systems for your home, think about your personal security and safety needs. Although they can be very helpful, security systems aren’t always necessary. In some particular neighborhoods, classes for self defense or acquiring a dog may be the best option. However, the newest home security technology may be the best protection in other regions. Know the risks so that you can make a better decision.

Keep your home’s exterior areas illuminated well. Darkness allows for all sorts of nefarious activities. Install lights in areas where intruders might come. Some examples include first story windows, garages, doorways and porches.

You should not enter your home if you find the door ajar. This is dangerous because the thief may be right inside. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

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 options are easy to install, need less maintenance and are not dependent on the home’s power source.

You need to get a good home surveillance system. A wonderful way to make your home safer is by putting in hidden or visible cameras. A visible video camera acts as a warning to an intruder. If the intruder disables the visible camera, the hidden camera will document it! There are surveillance systems that you can access and check by cell phone.

If you don’t own a paper shredder, it would be a good idea for you to buy one. Thieves are likely to steal documents that include your personal information if they can find them. If you don’t want a shredder, rip the papers up manually.

If there are parts of your home you want no one else to enter, there is no need to lock doors or have a set of keys on you at all times. Install key-less locks instead. These locks use codes instead of keys. You can even install it yourself.

If there are certain rooms you want to keep unoccupied, then you don’t want to keep track of all the keys and locks. You can instead get key-less locks that work using a code. Any good security company can provide and install these locks, or you can even put them in yourself.

Ask the company if they offer systems for lease and sale. Buying it may cost more, but this means there are no monthly charges. Leasing is cheaper, but there may be hidden fees and contracts. Find out which will work best for your needs.

Your auto registration is best kept somewhere other than your glove compartment. The reason is that anyone who sees them will immediately have your home address. Instead, carry them with you or find a more secure location in your car. Make sure you can easily and quickly access them in the event that a police officer pulls you over.

Keep your car registration papers on you at all times. This will prevent anyone from knowing where you reside. Instead, carry them with you or find a more secure location in your car. You must have them on hand if the police stop you.

If you want to minimize the maintenance required by your security system, go with one that’s hard-wired. Sure, wireless options are easier to use, but they consume battery power quickly. If you don’t replace the batteries, you’ll find that your system stops working correctly. It can also be pretty expensive to replace batteries.

Don’t hide keys in obvious areas. Everybody knows about fake rocks. The doormat is the first place someone will look. A better plan is to ask someone you trust to keep your extra key in case you need it. If that isn’t possible, think outside the box when you hide it.

Using a timer on lights is a great idea. This makes your life a bit easier, and it means that your lights will still be lit even if you are away from long periods of time.

Never make the password to your keypad your birthday. Anyone can get personal information online which they can use to access your home. 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.

Having a burglar alarm is really good, but it is only good if the police is alerted when it sets off. The wiser investment is in centrally monitored security systems. These alarm services ensure that the police will be called whether anyone is home or not. It is not easy to rely on neighbors for your safety.

Establish some good relations with your neighbors. A busybody who likes you is sure to tell you about suspicious characters in the neighborhood. Being friendly will bring you great security.

Though it is often good to avoid neighborhood gossips, make sure you are friendly with those in your area. Busybodies may be quick to notice when someone odd is checking out your house. Being friendly will bring you great security.

Dog owners, especially those with large, tough pets, have a leg up in the home security game. Thieves aren’t going to want to chance a possible bite or attack. Consider getting a large dog that may protect your family, but is also great with your kids.

Having read the information presented here, you are ready to make some smart choices about home security. There is no reason for you to be unaware of how to secure your home. You want to make your family’s safety your priority. Keep the ideas from this piece close at hand in the coming days.

The wiring on the outside of your home can draw burglars in. Electrical wiring and wiring components contain valuable copper which can be sold by enterprising criminals. Making sure that none of your wiring is exposed can help to deter those who are interested in stealing your copper wiring and piping.