Keeping your home safe needs to be something that you take seriously, and you should not let it fall to the wayside. There are a lot of options to choose from when developing a home security system. This article should help you go forward.

Provide the house key to your professional house cleaner, but only if you fully trust them. Make sure you know they are legitimate before giving out the key. Ask for references and check them thoroughly. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.

Make your house look occupied all the time. Use timers to make electronic devices and lights turn on and off at intervals. This will give your home the appearance of someone being there. This is a simple way to improve your home’s safety and make it less attractive to criminals.

Buy a safe. This is very important, as you do not want your gold, diamonds and personal items exposed if someone were to break into your house. Keep your safe in your basement or attic to make it hard to find.

Do you keep your dog outside if you leave the home? They can help you with your spare key. Stash the key on the pup’s collar to keep it out of sight. This is very effective if your pet is afraid of strangers; therefore, burglars are not very likely to notice the key.

Aim to purchase fire-resistant ceilings, roofs and floors. This will add an extra protection layer for your house, particularly if you live near power lines or in a dry location. Investing in fire-resistant materials will help you save a lot since a fire can cause extensive damage.

Buy roofing, flooring and interior paneling that is flame resistant. Having your home built with fire resistant materials will help safeguard your home in case it catches fire. Fire prevention is paramount.

If you have an extensive online presence that includes a lot of people you don’t know too well, avoid announcing upcoming vacations. 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.

Make sure the ringer on any phones in your home is turned off when you leave for vacation. A loud ring that goes unanswered can alert people to the fact that you aren’t home. This makes you more likely to be the victim of a burglary.

If you’re going on a trip for an extended period of time, switch the ringer off on all home phones. A phone which rings forever is a sign to burglars that you’re not there.

Secure your garage. Many people are concerned about people entering their garages to gain access to their homes. You can use a C-clamp to stop the door from being opened.

Eliminate dead vegetation and wood in the yard in the summer. Due to the heat, these items in your yard are more likely to catch on fire. As a result, your home could be caught on fire. Be sure all sorts of flammable items are kept under control around your home.

Clear away all the dead and dried out vegetation around your home in the summer. These are vulnerable to fires and put your home in danger. Therefore, you need to regularly clean your yard so that your home is protected.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to have it checked each year. Call the company and have them send someone to check it out. Your security system’s quality can be impacted by numerous factors, such as the weather and wild animals. You may not know there’s an issue if you can’t see it.

Is your garage used for storage? Consider removing those items and keeping your car there instead. It will be far more secure against thieves. Keeping your car secured will prevent people from vandalizing it. Keeping your car out of sight is also a good way to prevent intruders from determining whether or not you are home.

Use your wall spaces to hide your valuables. You do not have to cut pieces out of the walls to do this. Most homes are pre-equipped with these handy spaces. How about unwiring your electric socket and using that as an area to stash your jewelry?

Annual check-ups are important for alarm systems. Have a worker from the security company take a look at it. Many different things can make problems for your security system. If you don’t see the problem, you may remain unaware of it.

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. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.

Try not to have a shy attitude. Speak with your neighbors and friends in the area. Keep an eye out for their houses, and request that they return the favor. Also consider listening in on some of the neighborhood gossip. You might actually learn a thing or two concerning people that have been hanging around.

Whenever you sign with a home-security company, it is important that you thoroughly read the contract. There may be hidden expenses involved if you terminate service before the contract term is up, and there may be added equipment fees. You want to avoid as many of these fees as you can, so read everything.

Keeping your home safe is unquestionably something you must do in order to maintain peace of mind. This is a universal truth. You should do more research on this topic and ask people you know for some tips on how to keep your home safe.

If you’re planning to be out of your home for a period of time, have a neighbor remove any fliers placed on your door. Some intruders will place a flyer at your home to see if the flyer is removed immediately or not. Fliers that are left behind signal to the burglar that there is no one at home.