Homeowners feel as though it is tough to make their home a safe place. Actually, home security is not costly or difficult. By reading the below article, you’ll realize that you can take significant steps in protecting your home.

Why not give your trusted dog the job of holding onto your spare key? This will come in handy if your dog is outdoors most of the time or if it can go outside through a pet door. Attach the key to your dog’s collar, and it will be handy if you ever need a spare.

Do you have an outdoor dog? If so, you can use your dog to hide your spare key. Stash the key on the pup’s collar to keep it out of sight. This is quite effective if your pet does not respond well to strangers.

After getting a new home, make sure to change its locks. The person who previously owned the home may have made copies of keys. Find a good locksmith who can replace the lock and make a few copies of your key. Also, if you lose your keys, change the locks.

Comparison shop when you are ready to buy a home security system. Prices can be very different from one product to another. Make sure you get quotes from at least three companies before you decide on which one you think is the best option.

Home security systems offer other triggering features besides having an alarm sound. They often even alert you to any time a door is opened. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.

Spare Key

Don’t just hide your spare key anywhere. Common places to hide a spare key are above your door frame or underneath your doormat. Therefore, thieves are more likely to check these places out first. For a better solution, try tucking your spare key into your dog’s collar, provided you have an outside dog.

Make sure to use caution when deciding if and where to hide an extra key outside of your home. The doormat is too obvious of a place to hide it, as robbers will look there first. Think outside the box and put the key someplace unusual, like hidden in your dog’s collar.

It is important that you check your home security system periodically, at least once a year. Ask the security company to send a technician out to give your system a thorough inspection. Wild animals or plain old nature can wreak havoc on your home security system. If it’s not visible, you might not even know there’s a problem.

Changing the locks is a fundamental part of adding security to the home. Perhaps you aren’t sure who owned the home before you or maybe an old roommate has a key and never returned it. Regardless, changing the locks will ensure your security. It doesn’t cost much and they can usually show up within a day.

It is important to invest in building supplies that are as fire resistant as possible. This will give your home added security. Avoiding fire hazards is a great way to keep things safe.

Go with your gut when choosing a home security company to install a system. If the installers make you feel uncomfortable, heed your feelings. If you don’t feel comfortable, go with someone else. After all, you’re investing in a system that helps you to feel safe, so make sure the process involved in obtaining that system does the same.

Walls can be a great hiding spot. This is a great way to hide jewelry, for example. Just open up an electrical outlet or a phone jack that is not in use. If you’re using all your outlets, you can install phony ones.

Your garage needs to be secure. People often worry about people getting in through attached garages, but you have a solution. A C clamp helps for garage doors on a track. The clamp actually keeps the door closed if tightened close to the track roller.

Do not hide your spare key under your doormat or in a nearby planter. Though you might think that you’re giving yourself something you could use to get into your house when you’ve lost your keys, you’re actually inviting intruders inside your house. Thieves are aware of the best hiding spots. A better option is to entrust an honest neighbor with a spare key.

Remove and replace any wood that is not up to par. Anybody wanting to break into your house can just pry off rotted wood and get inside. Replace wood that is starting to rot with fresh new wood to keep your home as safe as possible.

Those living in rural areas often don’t worry as much about intruders compared to city dwellers. Some people think that country folk are mainly targeted since they don’t have nearby neighbors. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.

You need flashlights and plenty of batteries in each room just in case your power ever goes out. Power outages are common to all sorts of emergency situations, so having flashlights handy will enable you to maneuver in the dark. Teach your children how to properly use flashlights.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. It wouldn’t hurt to also perform a background check. Someone can seem nice and professional on the outside, but they may not be so nice on the inside.

Walls are the perfect place to hide. Concealing small valuables in your walls is an easy and highly effective way to protect them. Just use an unwired electric plug, light switch or phone box. If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

With the above advice, you can better secure your home. Begin making changes around the home. You are soon going to have a house you can always feel safe in. Then you will find it easy to relax and feel comfortable.