Your home needs to be the safest place for your family to be at all times. That includes when they’re not at home. Reading the following piece and gaining knowledge is the ideal way to protect your home.

Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. This is very important, as you do not want your gold, diamonds and personal items exposed if someone were to break into your house. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.

If you retain a space key for when you get locked out, consider the place you hide it carefully. It is very common for homeowners to hide them under a mat or above the framing of their door, and intruders know this. Try to find somewhere less obvious.

If you have an attached garage, don’t forget to secure it as well. Some people are concerned about burglars entering through an attached garage. If your garage lifts up on a track, try using a C-clamp. This will prevent your door from opening up if the clamp is close to its roller.

The materials of your home should be fire resistant. Your home will get added protection, especially if your environment is dry and has power lines. Stopping fire hazards is a key precaution to take since the damage it causes can be considerable.

Get in the habit of checking your security system regularly. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. There are many things that can reduce the quality of your system. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

Don’t post online when you’ll be away from your home. You may be very excited about your impending vacation, but there is no need to let potential burglars know when you will be gone.

Use motion sensor lights. These kinds of lights will pop right on when they detect motion near your home. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Be sure to keep these lights working, though.

Seek recommendations from friends and family when choosing a security company or system. Knowledge of first-hand experiences can be very helpful to you when it comes to making this important decision. Be sure you seek out advice by asking those people.

When selecting a home alarm system, choose one that protects many areas of your home, not just the doors. Burglars often enter through windows as well. Be sure your alarm is secured to them all and that monitoring is in place for every point of entry. This can keep your family much safer.

Turn the ringer off on your telephone if you are going to be away. A constantly ringing phone can signal to a burglar that the house is vacant, making it an easy target for their criminal activities.

If you are throwing away the box an expensive item came in, wait until trash day to put the box out. These types of items are appealing to thieves, and you may as well put a sign in your yard inviting them to steal yours.

Avoid opening the door if you don’t know who is standing on the other side. You never know who they might be, despite their story. You should only open the door to people you were expecting.

Be sure to replace all of the old locks as soon as you move into a new domicile. 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. There are other people who have lived in the home as well.

Eliminate dead vegetation and wood in the yard in the summer. As the summer heat rolls in, there is a higher chance that these can catch on fire, putting your home at risk. Regularly clear away your yard to keep your home in good standing and safe for your family.

Before you let anyone into your house, thoroughly check their references. A background check which includes any criminal history is warranted. You can never be certain if the contractor, repairman, maid, etc. that you hire to do services in your home is honest. If you let these people in without knowing anything about them, you could experience significant losses.

An extremely important tactic for keeping your home safe is changing out the locks. Whether you just bought your home or someone just moved out that you were living with, this is an important step to any new situation. It’s generally cheap can can take less than a day to do.

Use the Internet to find a reliable home security company. Many websites feature reviews, testimonials, and package details from home security services. Then you can schedule an appointment for a home visit to discuss which package is best for you and what it will cost.

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. Fix your skylights so they cannot be accessed as an entry point by intruders.

Research how long a security company has been in the business before contracting with them. A long-standing company has a track record in the industry that people can attest to. It also ensures they’re not a fly-by-night firm.

Always lock your house, no matter how briefly you expect to be gone. It may shock you to know this, but a lot of intruders get inside homes through open doors. A thief can take plenty of valuables in minutes.

If you purchase a new TV or computer, don’t leave empty boxes from your purchases on the curb. When burglars see these boxes, they will know you have them inside your home, making it more likely for them to break in. You should cut up the boxes once you empty them.

Having read this article, you have lots of good information to choose from. Make good use of what you have learned. Keep reading everything you find on the subject, and you will soon see that you are able to keep your home safe and secure.

A dog is a great home security alarm. Dogs are quite protective of their masters and home, and they can display quite a bark if someone comes near the house. You don’t have to have a huge, violent guard dog, though. Even small dogs can keep intruders away since they don’t want lots of noise when committing crimes.