Intruders might be interested in your valuables, especially if you recently purchased a new car or came home with some new appliances. Upgrading your home security gives you protection from burglars. Read on to find ideas about home security.

When you’re picking out home security equipment and services, don’t forget to ask your friends and family for help. You can learn a lot from people who have already dealt with these companies. Make broad inquiries so that you are able to make a well-informed decision.

Buy fire resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling materials. This will add an extra protection layer for your house, particularly if you live near power lines or in a dry location. Fire prevention is paramount.

Never open up your door to a stranger. Folks are always thinking up new schemes to get people to open the door so that they can commit their crimes. Therefore, only allow people you know and are expecting to enter your home.

Remove all of the vegetation outside in the hotter months. These could catch on fire during the summer, especially if you live in a dry area. Be sure all sorts of flammable items are kept under control around your home.

You should clean your yard of vegetation and dead wood. These are vulnerable to fires and put your home in danger. You can prevent disasters by keeping your yard clean.

Don’t forget to secure your skylights too. Although a skylight can bring light into one’s home and look good, it’s also a common entrance way for burglars. Skylights need to be installed correctly and safely, with hardware that will keep intruders out.

Don’t put your extra key under you doormat, in a planter, or in a cleverly disguised false rock. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. For obvious reasons, experienced burglars know every possible hiding spot. If you have a neighbor you can trust, have them hold your extra key.

You should always park your car inside your garage instead of using your garage to store some belongings. Keeping the car in the garage can keep thieves from vandalizing or stealing it. This can also keep people from knowing your schedule.

Make sure that your valuables cannot be seen from outside the home. Large windows let in light and give you a great view outside, but that works both ways. If you’ve got street facing windows, be sure and keep them covered.

Whenever you move to a new dwelling, make certain to get each lock replaced. You don’t really know the people you purchased the house from or all the folks they shared keys with, so don’t place too much trust in the old locks. Also, there have likely been other owners of the home, and you don’t know them either.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to check it annually. Ask someone who works at the security company to do a maintenance check. Wild animals, domestic pets, and weather are all factors that can affect the reliability of your home security system. It’s quite possible for there to be a fault in your system even if you can’t see it.

Rotten Wood

Replace rotten wood on your door frame. An intruder could pry the rotten wood easily to open the door. Replace rotted wood with fresh wood to make your home safer.

Install motion-sensor lights. The motion sensors turn on the lights whenever anyone approaches your home. They will notify you of any movement and can deter any possible burglars since they like remaining inconspicuous. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

A great way to achieve extra security is to install exterior lighting equipped with motion detectors. These lights provide extra light for your home and are very cost efficient. If you position motion detectors properly, it is very hard for someone to sneak onto the property.

Ask about the history of any home security company you are considering. Companies in business for many years engender great confidence and trust. You should not trust a company that does not have a good record with your local Better Business Bureau or few years of experience.

People in rural areas are not usually as worried about burglaries as people in cities. Nonetheless, people in the country may be at greater risk due to being far away from neighbors. Others hold that burglars are not as likely to target rural areas.

A wireless security system for your home is a great option. Systems that are wired can be a little cheaper, but may need significant reworking of your home’s electrical wiring and can fail in a power outage. Wireless options are easy to install, need less maintenance and are not dependent on the home’s power source.

Ask whether companies offer options to lease or buy your security equipment. You can avoid interest rates by buying the security system right away. The cost of leasing is lower at first but adds up over time. Think about both options before making a decision.

If your home has skylights, don’t neglect to secure them. Though skylights bring light into your home and look nice, it is also a very common way for burglars to get into your home. Make sure your skylights have reliable, heavy duty hardware in place.

Avoid keeping your key somewhere expected. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. Doormats are generally the first spot a person would look. Instead, you should keep your spare keys with a trusted neighbor. If you can’t do that, you must think creatively to find a good place to keep a spare key.

Store those items you can’t bear to lose in a very secure area. Passports, jewelry and expensive electronics must be secured at all times. Floor safes may come in handy for this purpose. If you can, a safety deposit box that is outside your home is even better.

Walls can serve as a handy hiding place. Keep small, valuable items inside the walls of your home. You can use the opening provided by an electrical switch plate or other device that is not being used. If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

If the living room window in your home is facing the street, you must keep the curtains closed. You want to avoid having people peek through the window. A glimpse of tempting valuables may convince burglars that your home is worth a visit in the near future. Make sure your valuable items cannot be seen from the outside of your home.

Replace flimsy doors with solid wood or metal versions. These doors will hold. A burglar would not be able to kick that door in. You are probably able to replace your exterior doors for a small price, so do that soon.

Keep your most valuable possessions inside your walls. You don’t have to cut out pieces of the wall to do this. You can find areas in your walls that are pre-cut and use those. Perhaps you can use an old electricity socket as a place to hide your valuables.

It is not enough to buy an alarm for your home. It needs to connect with the police if a burglar sets it off. Some security systems have constant monitoring, so that when the alarm goes off, a call is made to the police for you. An isolated alarm that just wakes up your neighbors is far less reliable, especially after a few false alarms.

Make sure you select captive keylock deadbolts. This type of deadbolt is secured with an inside latch. Even if a thief reaches in, he cannot turn the lock. When at home you should keep the key securely in the lock. In this way you will be able to exit quickly in case of emergency.

When deciding on an alarm system, be sure and get one that protects more than your doors. Windows are all potential entry points for burglars. Be sure your alarm is secured to them all and that monitoring is in place for every point of entry. This will make your family safer.

Having your home broken into is a reality and possibility that you cannot ignore. You don’t have to live your life in fear, but you should take some preventative measures. Keep these tips in mind, and set out to protect your home and family.