Maintaining a secure home is important if you are a home owner, and it should never be left to chance. It can sometimes seem hard to know exactly where to to start. The following article should be very beneficial as you begin.

Have your dog protect the 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. Keep a spare key around the dog’s collar.

Have your home always look occupied. You could purchase timers and have your TVs, lights, radios and other types of electronics to go on at various times. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This helps you keep your house burglar-free.

Make sure you trust your house cleaner before you provide them with a key. You need to ensure that they are honest and reputable according to references before you have handed over the key. Check their references fully. If they work through a larger firm, you can check up on the company with your local Better Business Bureau.

When you decide to purchase a home alarm system, make sure you comparison shop. Some companies offer comparable levels of protection that can be priced very differently. Get quotes from several companies so that you can get the best price for your home security system.

Buy a safe and use it to hold all of the valuables in your home. This is vital if you don’t want diamonds, gold or other personal items exposed to a home intruder. Your safe should be placed somewhere it is not readily noticeable.

If you will be away from your house for an extended period of time, turn the ringers off for all your phones. If a burglar keeps hearing your phone ring, they’ll know the home is not occupied, making it more likely for a break-in to occur.

When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. You would be surprised to see that the prices are much different for each company, even though it’s for the same type of protection. Make sure to obtain quotes from a minimum of three companies prior to deciding on a final one.

Do not open your door for anyone you don’t know. Many people are devising many different schemes to get into homes and burglarize them. Only open the door for people you are expecting.

The materials of your home should be fire resistant. This will add an extra protection layer for your house, particularly if you live near power lines or in a dry location. Fire prevention should be taken seriously because it can stop a major disaster from happening.

Alter the combination of the locks in your home. Maybe you had a roommate move out or have a disgruntled ex-lover, changing the locks is the best way to keep yourself safe. It is not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.

Your home security system ought to be checked each year. Ask the security company to send a technician out to give your system a thorough inspection. Many things can impact the performance of a security system, such as animals and weather. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

The walls are a perfect hiding place. If you have small valuables you want to protect, consider hiding them inside your walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). If you haven’t got any plates that are unused, simply install a false switch plate.

The fist thing you’ll need to do for home security is to get new locks. 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 is usually inexpensive and can be done in less than 24 hours.

Get creative and hide valuables inside your walls. You do not need to remove segments from your walls. There’s plenty of places in a house with pre-cut areas that can be used. Why not take the guts out of an electrical socket you’re not using? You can convert it into a convenient and covert little wall safe.

If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. Due to the distance between neighbors, some think rural areas are more likely to have intruders. Others hold that burglars are not as likely to target rural areas.

Power Outages

The walls of your home make for great hiding spots. Small items of value can be hidden for safety in your home’s walls. Repurpose phone jacks and electrical outlets as tiny wall safes. Even if every single plate in your home is being used, you can purchase a fake one purpose-built for concealing valuables.

Buy flashlights with strong batteries and make sure there is one in each room in case of power outages. Power outages are common to all sorts of emergency situations, so having flashlights handy will enable you to maneuver in the dark. Your kids should know how to work the flashlights so that everyone can help.

Your valuables should not be easily seen from outside your home. Large windows allow you to keep an eye on who is approaching your home, but keep in mind that potential intruders will be tempted if they can see your valuables. Make sure you keep your blinds closed or arrange your possessions in such a way that they can’t be seen from outside.

Before allowing anyone into your home, check their references carefully. Do not hesitate to hire someone to run a background check if you have doubts. Avoid giving keys out to contractors, maids and repairmen.

Be sure to replace all of the old locks as soon as you move into a new domicile. Although the person you purchased the house from might seem good, you really have no clue as to who they really are. Don’t forget that there were likely other owners and residents in the house before the last set.

Having your house lit up during the night is a good way to scare intruders. They want to avoid being seen. When you have a well-lit home, crooks won’t be able to hide and it will be hard for them to break in undetected. This makes it a good idea to keep the lights on.

Replace rotted wood that surrounds your door frame. An intruder can simply pry away that rotted wood and enter your home. Wood that is beginning to rot should always be replaced to make sure your home stays safe.

Light up your home’s exterior. It will be easier for intruders to keep an eye on you and approach your home if they can hide in the dark. Install lighting anywhere a possible intruder might break in. All doors, porches, garages and windows should be well lit.

When you’re not in your house, all of the window coverings (blinds, curtains, shades, or what have you) should be tightly shut. Intruders can look into your house if the blinds are up. It could be enticing to break in if they notice something that’s nice. It’s good to have them down at night, too.

Think about your specific needs and risks prior to investigating security systems. Some systems might not be adaptable to your situation. Some neighborhoods may do better with self-defense classes or having a dog, while others may require the best home security technology you can get. Before you sink a lot of money into your home’s security, make sure that you’re properly addressing your particular risks.

Don’t hide your keys in obvious places. An easily moved object close to the door is the first place a burglar will look. Doormats are the first place people look at. Talk to a neighbor or someone that you know to hold your key. If you must keep it elsewhere, be creative with your hiding spot.

A wireless home security system could be just the option you are looking for. A wired system is probably less expensive, but wires are a hassle. A wireless system, on the other hand, requires less maintenance and is simpler to install.

You should think about a wired system if maintenance is a concern. While wireless systems are great, they do require batteries on a consistent basis. Forgetting to add new batteries can cause your system to not work as it should. In addition, replacing multiple batteries can be expensive.

Keeping your home safe is unquestionably something you must do in order to maintain peace of mind. There is no denying this truth. It’s not always easy to see how this should be done, that’s why this article has tips.

Replace your doors with some that are solid wood or metal. Durability is key. Burglars would have a hard time kicking such doors down. The cost of replacing these doors is very minimal if they were to break.