Intruders might be interested in your valuables, especially if you recently purchased a new car or came home with some new appliances. A good home security system is the best way to protect yourself from thefts. Keep reading for ideas on making your home safe and secure.

You should always make sure your home looks like its occupied. There are timers you can use to make electronics turn on and off at random times. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. That means burglars will pass right by.

Have your home always look occupied. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. Potential intruders will stay away from your home if they believe someone is inside. This is an effective deterrent against burglars.

Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. This is essential, because you would never want valuable jewelry and other items to be seen by intruders. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.

A spare key must be carefully hidden and not in the obvious spots that a person might think. Too many people put their extra key under the mat in front of their door; burglars know to check there. Try hiding the key in your outside dog’s collar.

If your social networking accounts are filled with folks you do not really know, do not announce vacations on the sites. Although you may want to let others in on your excitement, it may inadvertently give burglars a heads up to target your property.

Talk to people you know about their security systems. Most will be willing to share their likes, loves and loathes, especially as they realize how important it is to you. Be sure you seek out advice by asking those people.

Make sure the ringer on any phones in your home is turned off when you leave for vacation. Intruders might be attracted by a phone that rings constantly without anyone picking up.

You should mute your land line phone if you are going on a vacation. If your phone rings and is not being answered, criminals will realize that you’re away.

Do not allow anyone you do not know into your home. This includes a salesperson or people looking for help. This is the first rule of keeping your home secure.

Don’t let any person you don’t completely know into your house. Even if the person has a compelling story, needs help or has something to sell, they should not be given access. This person might just be casing the joint to see if there is home security equipment.

End your shyness. It is important to communicate with others who also live in your area. Keep an eye out for their houses, and request that they return the favor. It does not necessarily pay to steer clear of gossip. You never know what sort of security issues you might become privy to.

Never open the door for a stranger. You have no way of knowing if the stranger on the other side of the door wishes to do you harm. Enforce a rule within your house that no one opens the door to unexpected people.

Walls are the perfect place to hide. Small valuables fit nicely inside walls. You could utilize an electrical outlet, phone jack, or unused switch plate. If you don’t have unused plates, it’s easy to put in a fake one.

If you’ve got a garage, boost home security just by using it for only a car instead of storage. Keeping the car in the garage can keep thieves from vandalizing or stealing it. Hiding the car from plain sight can keep possible intruders from figuring out when you’re home and also when you are not.

Always lock your doors, even if you are just walking down the street. Most burglars gain entry to a home through an unlocked door. Thieves can steal a lot of valuable stuff in mere minutes.

Understand certain safety precautions when it comes to having skylights for your home. Although skylights provide your home with a lot of light, it is also very helpful for burglars to break in. Be sure that the skylights for your home are durable and reliable.

Check each spring for any rotting frames on your doors and windows. Replace them immediately if you spot any problems. Rotted wood can be easily removed by thieves. Replace the rotting door frame with a new one and keep your home much safer.

Change all of the locks in your new residence. Regardless of how trustworthy you consider the last owners to be, neither you nor they can be sure that there aren’t others out there with keys to those locks. And, other people could have lived in the home previously to them as well.

After moving into a pre-owned apartment or home, change the locks. Even if the tenants turned their keys in, they may have made copies. It is possible to purchase and put in locks on your own so you can be assured you have the only keys.

Even the wires inside your home are worth something. Many people are not aware of this until they are stolen from their home. Copper, found in many wires, can be removed in little time, and is worth quite a bit of money. Keep your wiring hidden or inaccessible to potential burglars.

If you are seeking home safety ideas that are simple and inexpensive, you should buy outdoor lights with motion sensors. These lights are not only handy when you get home late, they also help deter criminals from entering your home. If strategically placed, motion detectors ensure that it’s difficult for intruders to break into your home sight unseen.

Ask for ID before letting anyone into your home. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This is a danger to your belongings and your family. Caution is always advisable if dangers like this are to be avoided.

A good way to scare off intruders is to keep your house lit at nighttime. Burglars don’t want to be visible. If your home is well lit, thieves won’t have any place to hide, so they may not want to steal anything from you. Keep your lights turned on during the night.

Whenever you are landscaping your home, you should consider safety. Don’t obstruct windows or doors with shrubs, plants, fences or trees. These types of places provide the perfect cover for prowlers. Put landscaping farther away from the house for greater safety.

For maximum safety, your home needs bright exterior lighting. A burglar prefers to sneak around in the dark, and a well lit house is always a deterrent. Add lights to any areas you believe are potential entry points for burglars. Don’t forget that this includes ground-level windows as well as doors, garages, and porches.

You should think about getting a home security system that is wireless. While the wired systems are less expensive, they usually mean rather intrusive wiring for your house, which can also go out during power outages. Wireless systems are easier to install and maintain, and they do not rely on the power in your home to work correctly.

If you get home and see the door is slightly open, don’t go inside by yourself to investigate. Keep in mind that intruders could still be inside. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

If you haven’t bought a paper shredder yet, make it a point to do so. Thieves may look through your garbage for information. If a paper shredder is not in your budget, consider tearing your documents into tiny pieces or even burning them.

Do not put electronic boxes in the front of your house. A burglar may see the box and decide to target you as a result. When you have emptied the boxes, make sure you cut them up.

If you are planning to be away, and you have someone picking up your mail, ask them to also double-check your door for fliers. Some burglars place fliers to see if they’ll be quickly removed. If it stays where they put it, they will know you are on vacation.

Are you able to see the numbers on your house from the street? If an emergency occurs, the police will not be able to find your home as quickly if these numbers are too small or are obscured in some way. Fortunately, this is something that can be corrected quickly and cheaply.

If you want to keep certain rooms in your home private, you don’t need to lock every door with a key. You may have locks without keys that need a code. You could install these locks yourself. Or, you may have a security company to do it for you.

Avoid keeping your key somewhere expected. Rocks that aren’t real are easy to notice. Many people will look under your doormat. It’s best to ask a trusted friend or even a neighbor to hold the extra key. If you have no trustworthy neighbors, try to be more creative.

Ask the security company about various contract lengths. There are usually pros and cons in each contract. The longer the contract, the lower your monthly bill, but if you move or become dissatisfied, you are stuck with the monthly fee. Short contracts leave you with freedom, but also a larger bill.

If your door has a numeric lock, make sure the combination isn’t your birthday. People can easily access your birth date in order to gain entry to your home. Try using a number that is the solution to a math problem. Then you can just remember the math problem to arrive at the solution.

Having your home broken into is a reality and possibility that you cannot ignore. Take steps so that you won’t have to be afraid. Keep these tips in mind, and set out to protect your home and family.

Consult with your home security provider on whether they can supply lighting that is motion sensitive. A lot of them have this, and they cause outside lights to come on when people approach your home. This can add extra security as you go into your house, and it can keep intruders away.