Securing your home can seem overwhelming and confusing, especially if you have never dealt with home security companies before. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Read this article to learn how to easily and quickly secure your home.

Create the illusion that your home is constantly occupied. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This should help you make your home safer and not attract the attention of potential intruders.

Don’t give your keys to a house cleaner unless you totally trust them. If you plan to give them a key so they can clean in your home while you are away, ensure they are reputable and honest. One way to do this is to check their references. If this professional is from a company, it’s best to check with the Better Business Bureau to see what kind of reputation they have.

It is a good idea to replace all the locks on the new home you buy. This is because you really have no idea who has keys, and therefore access to your home. To make sure your home can only be accessed by you, enlist the help of a locksmith. When you lose your keys, have your locks rekeyed.

Do you have an outside dog? If so, you can use your dog to hide your spare key. Hook your key to the dog’s collar in a place that is shielded from view. If your dog doesn’t like strangers, it’s even better.

Only provide your house cleaner with a key if you trust him or her implicitly. Anyone you give the keys to your home to should be unarguably honest. Check the housekeeper’s references very carefully. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

Seek recommendations from friends and family when choosing a security company or system. Your friends have gone through both bad and good experiences and they will be able to share them with you. Ask around to get lots of advice for making a better choice.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you go out? You could let your dog carry a spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. Especially if your dog is not very friendly, this will help keep your key safe.

Don’t let any person you don’t completely know into your house. Even if their story is compelling, they need assistance or want to sell you something. This is the first rule of keeping your home secure.

Get a safe to protect your valuable items. A safe is the best way to protect your diamonds, gold and important documents. Conceal the safe in an out-of-the-way and not easily accessible spot, such as an attic or a basement area.

Don’t allow a complete stranger to come in your home. Nowadays, people invent many stories of why they should come in. For instance, they may say they need to call a mechanic or the police. However, their true intent is to rob you. Make a house rule forbidding anyone to open the door for an unexpected visitor.

Comparison shop when you are ready to buy a home security system. Wild variations in pricing can exist for similar security products. Get a quote from several companies before making a final decision.

Don’t be shy. Speak with your neighbors. You’ll find that friendly neighbors make for a powerful support network. Keep an eye on their properties and they’ll respond in kind. Listen to gossip also. It is often a good way to find out about security issues, such as strangers in the neighborhood.

Buy fire resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling materials. This will give your home added security. It’s best to prevent a fire before it starts.

Are you aware of the value contained in your home’s wiring? Many people are not aware of this until they are stolen from their home. Copper is expensive and most wiring is composed of it, so stripping it is a great way for crooks to make a quick buck. Be sure to keep your wiring hidden or difficult to reach.

Ask your friends for advice before you choose a home security system or company. This will help you to reduce the stress that you have on your search for a good one. Ask a few different people to help you make the best choice.

Any time you let a stranger into your home that is doing some kind of work, it is best to ask for references. Be sure to perform a background check and look for any criminal history that might be in evidence. You can’t know for sure about the integrity of people you hire, and blindly giving them access to your home can be a huge mistake.

The first thing to do is get your locks changed out. Not everyone who leaves your house will leave happy, and a fresh set of locks will protect you from both former residents and acquaintances of your own looking to cause mischief. It is generally cheap and may be done in a little under a day.

Do your landscaping keeping safety in mind. The doors and windows of your home should not be obstructed by trees, fences or shrubs. If windows and doors can be easily seen from all areas, then burglars cannot hide as well, which will hinder their plans. Landscaped features should be set further away for safety, yet keeping beauty in mind.

Find a home security company you can trust. If the installers give you the heebie-jeebies, it’s not a good sign. Don’t hesitate to request a different technician or to hire a new company altogether. You want the system to make you feel like you’re more comfortable.

Get your home security system custom built for your needs. Everyone has specific wants and needs when it comes to securing their home, family and belongings. Doing this helps you get the best security you can get from the company, helping you to relax.

Keep your most valuable possessions inside your walls. You don’t need to cut out segments of your walls by the way. Many places around your house have areas that are already pre-cut. How about unwiring your electric socket and using that as an area to stash your jewelry?

If you get home and see the door is slightly open, don’t go inside by yourself to investigate. This can be very dangerous because the thief could still be inside. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

The wiring on your house is valuable to burglars. People often don’t think about this until they have it stolen from their home. Experienced criminals can make a decent amount of money quickly by stripping copper wiring off of houses in order to sell it at a scrapyard. This is why the wiring should be hidden or difficult to get to.

Don’t give anyone an opportunity to see inside your garage in order to ward off robbers. Be sure and shade your windows with window frosting, something that you can purchase at any hardware store, so as to keep people from looking in your house. Do not leave doors open for lengthy periods while you are doing work.

Buy flashlights with strong batteries and make sure there is one in each room in case of power outages. They give you and your family the opportunity to move around should the electricity go out. Make sure each member of your family knows where the flashlights are and how to operate them.

When standing in the street, can you see your house numbers? If your numbers cannot be plainly seen, then the police will struggle to locate your home very quickly in case of emergency. Thankfully, you can easily fix this problem very quickly and cheaply.

Ask your home security company about coming to your residence and creating a system that is tailored to your personal needs. The needs and wants of each family and the configuration of each home are quite individual. Doing this helps you get the best security you can get from the company, helping you to relax.

When you aren’t home, make sure your windows are covered. When they’re open, it would be easy to see no one is there. If they spot something desirable, they will seek access. These should also be kept down while you’re sleeping.

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. Get key-less locks that need a code. You can install them yourself, or you can have a home security service install them.

Ask whether companies offer options to lease or buy your security equipment. It might cost more at first when buying the equipment, but you don’t have the extra cost each month. Leasing is cheaper, but it can involve contracts and pricier monthly fees. Compare these two options before making your decision.

Discuss various contracts offered by any home security provider you are exploring. Each will have its own pros and some cons, too. Longer contracts can lower your monthly bill; however, you may have to continue paying the bill even if you move or discontinue with their services. Shorter contracts offer greater freedom, but may be more expensive each month.

If you must hide your key outside, do not put it someplace obvious. Fake rocks are easy to spot. Doormats are the first place people look at. A friend or neighbor can be a much better key holder than an inanimate object. If none of these options are possible, try to think of an unusual hiding place.

When you’re not in your house, all of the window coverings (blinds, curtains, shades, or what have you) should be tightly shut. If you don’t, others can look in and see that the property is currently unoccupied. Intruders will break in if they see an item they want. Keep them down as you sleep, too.

If you’ve got a type of numeric keypad on the front door, don’t use your birthday as the password. Personal information, such as a birthday can be acquired on the Internet. If you use this as your password, you may make it easy for a burglar to rob you. Instead, come up with a trickier password that only you will know the answer to.

Don’t hide keys in obvious areas. Everybody knows about fake rocks. Someone is going to look under your doormat. The most secure thing you can do is to entrust your key to a reliable neighbor or a friend you can count on. If you can’t, be creative where you put the key.

There are other ways to secure your home besides security systems. Purchasing a firearm, building a fence and acquiring additional locks are all options available to you. Follow the tips presented here for a safe and secure home.

Devote extra security to your irreplaceable possessions. Passports, financial records, jewelry, photos or legal documents should be locked away. You can keep these things in a floor safe placed in a secure area of your home. To be even more cautious, you can get a safety deposit box at your local bank.