If you were curious about home security options, continue reading for useful advice. When it comes to home security, it can be difficult to make the best choices. You will make better decisions once you read this article and learn more about home security.

If you have a lot of unfamiliar people on you social networking accounts, avoid letting everyone know you will be going on vacation. Although it’s fun to talk about, posting it online makes it more possible for criminals to find out when you’re gone.

Create the illusion that your home is constantly occupied. You can buy timers to have radios, TVs, lights and other electronics go off and on at different times. This makes it appear that someone is home. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.

Don’t let strangers into your home. Many people are devising many different schemes to get into homes and burglarize them. Make it a habit to only open your home’s door to people you were expecting.

Be very cautious about entrusting a maid service with a key to your home. If you do give out a key to such individuals, be certain you know their reputation for honesty. Check references thoroughly. Contact your local Better Business Bureau to find out more about the reputation of the cleaner you hired.

If your garage is attached to your house, make it 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. A C-clamp is very useful for garage doors that lift on tracks. It will prevent garage doors from opening up whenever it is near the roller and is tight on the track.

Do not tell anyone that you are going on vacation out of your friend circle. 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.

Get rid of all of the dead wood and vegetation in your yard during the summer months. These can be fire hazards and can cause damage to your home. Keep your family and your house protected by regularly clearing out your yard waste.

Get advice from your friends before selecting a provider for home security. Your loved ones likely have dealt with this situation before. Ask around so that you can have the advice that you need to make a good choice.

Put motion sensor lights around your house. This type of light will come on when they detect motion within a certain distance of your home. You will be alerted when there is activity outside, and any potential burglars will be deterred because they do not want to be seen. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.

If you will be gone for an extended period, turn the ringers off on all telephones in the home. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.

Walls are great for hiding things. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Use an old switch plate, outlet or phone jack. If you don’t have unused plates, it’s easy to put in a fake one.

Don’t open your door for strangers. There are people who are going to be convincing, but they can just be professional thieves. Establish a rule where you and your family only open the door for expected visitors.

Hide valuables in spaces in your walls. You don’t have to cut out pieces of the wall to do this. Take a closer look at your walls and note just how many access points there are already. For example, you might remove the cover of an electrical outlet, disconnect the wires, and use the space to hide small valuables.

See what the local police offer when it comes to home protection programs. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, like on self-defense or other things related to your home. Discuss the possibility of this sort of program with your police department.

It is important that you do not put expensive valuables in plain sight. While it may be nice to look out, burglars will see your valuables inside. You always want to make sure you keep your valuables covered if they are by a window.

If your house has a garage, keep the car there, not just your junk. Keeping your car in your house will deter intruders 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.

If you have any boxes to discard from large, expensive items, wait until the evening before the trash is scheduled for collection. Having these boxes around will let thieves know the type of items that are inside your home.

When dealing with a company installing your home security system, it is important that you trust your gut. This is definitely the case if you’re not quite sure about the actual installation people. If you don’t feel comfortable, go with someone else. Security is supposed to give you peace of mind after all!

Replace rotted wood that surrounds your door frame. Rotted wood can be easily removed by thieves. Replace wood that is starting to rot with fresh new wood to keep your home as safe as possible.

Avoid placing spare keys under door mats or in plant boxes. These seem like great places for you when you misplace your key. For obvious reasons, experienced burglars know every possible hiding spot. The wisest course of action is to leave a spare key with a trusted friend or a reliable neighbor.

If you move to a place that was occupied before, you should change the locks right away. The previous tenants may have returned the keys, but they could have a copy. You can purchase locks and install them yourself to ascertain that only you have a key.

Rotted Wood

Always check references before letting anyone work on your home. Don’t be afraid of conducting background checks to determine if they have a criminal history. There is no way of knowing whether or not service people are honest, so you should not give them keys to your home.

Replace rotted wood around any door frames. Anyone hoping to enter your home can very easily do so by just prying away the rotted wood. When you see that wood is beginning to rot, replace it with new wood for better home safety.

Criminals are much less likely to target your home if it’s well lit. Most intruders avoid anything that could reveal their identity. When your house is well lit, intruders have no place to hide. This makes it hard for them to get things from you. Have lights that come on when they detect movement for best results.

When you are trying to hire a home security contractor, read all the small print on your contract before signing it. There are early termination fees, and there may be fees for extra equipment procured in the future. You should avoid such expenses if you can, so make yourself aware.

Checking out security firms online is a great idea. Check out different websites, and read through package details and customer testimonials. Then you can schedule an appointment for a home visit to discuss which package is best for you and what it will cost.

If you are out of town for awhile, ask a friend to take a look at your door for any fliers. Thieves have put them up in order to see if people are home to take them down. If the flier is not removed, they will know you are not home.

If you come home and see your door ajar, never investigate it alone. It can be dangerous to walk in on an intruder. The best thing to do is call the police and wait for them to arrive before doing anything else.

Keep your garage shut and locked so burglars can’t peek inside. 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. Don’t leave your front door unlocked or standing open when you are working in the garage or yard.

Keep your windows covered if you’re out. Leaving your windows unguarded exposes the interior of your home to everyone, including criminals looking for tempting targets. If something desirable is visible, you can expect a break in. At night when you’re asleep, you should close your shades.

When you purchase an expensive item such as a computer or TV, be sure to take the cardboard box to the recycling center rather than leaving it on your curb for all the world to see. When burglars see these boxes, they will know you have them inside your home, making it more likely for them to break in. After removing the contents from these boxes, tear or cut them up.

Consider a hard-wired security system if you are concerned about ongoing maintenance costs. Wireless security systems are great, but need frequent battery changes. If you do not stay on top of your wireless security system, you run the possibility of it failing when you need it most. It can also be very costly to replace many different batteries.

Ask about different contract lengths that your home security company may offer. These lengths can be both good and bad. With a longer contract, your monthly payment is likely to be lower. The downside is you might be stuck for a longer period of time if you decide you don’t like the service or want to move. Shorter contracts may offer greater freedom at a higher cost.

Home alarms are a good investment, but only when someone who hears it calls the cops. Some security systems have constant monitoring, so that when the alarm goes off, a call is made to the police for you. You really cannot depend on your neighbor to contact the police.

Hopefully, a close reading of the tips above has equipped you with some great guidance for your quest to make your home more secure. Understand that keeping your home and family safe and secure is very important. Use the information in this article to make the best decision possible.

Deadbolts that have captive keylocks are the most secure locks to get. They include thumb latches that prevent anyone from breaking a window and reaching around to unlock the door. When you are at home, leave the key in the lock so that you can get out in case of a fire.