If you have valuable possessions in your house, including original art, jewelry or large sums of money, do not assume no one knows about it. A good home security system is the best way to protect yourself from thefts. Read the following article for some great tips on how you can make your home more safe and secure.

Make sure you trust your house cleaner before you provide them with a key. If you plan to give them a key so they can clean in your home while you are away, ensure they are reputable and honest. Check their references very carefully. If the person is an employee of a firm, call your local BBB to check their reputation.

Beware giving keys to your maid unless the service has your absolute trust. Be sure to check out the background of any housekeeper you plan to provide with a key to your home. Make sure you check references. If you’re hiring from a company, call the BBB for more information.

Does your canine stay in the yard while you go out? Use him or her to help hide your spare key! Attach your key to your dog’s collar, ensuring that it can’t be seen. Your dog is an especially good key hiding spot if he doesn’t react well to strangers, since they won’t approach him, but the key will be there if you need it.

If you like to have a key hidden in case you lose yours, place it in a safe place. Avoid cliched hiding places like over the door frame or beneath the doormat. Experienced criminals will check these places immediately. Think outside the box and put the key someplace unusual, like hidden in your dog’s collar.

Check around for prices, reputation, and reliability when choosing a home security provider. Most companies have different price schemes for the the same general level of protection. Before choosing which company to go with, ask for quotes from a minimum of three companies.

Don’t allow a complete stranger to come in your home. People are coming up with all sorts of ways to convince people to open their door to them, with the intent of committing burglary or worse. Never open the door to anyone you do not know.

It can be a good idea to only leave one ringer on in your home when you are away. If the phone rings without you there, burglars will suspect that you’re not home, and that can make your home a target for an attack while you’re gone.

Keep your car in your garage. It won’t be vandalized or stolen this way. Hiding your car from plain view will also keep potential intruders from tracking when you are home and when you aren’t.

If you do not know the person at your door, don’t open it. There are people who are going to be convincing, but they can just be professional thieves. Make it a rule in your home that you only open your door to people who you were expecting.

Changing your locks first can help make your home much more secure. This could be an ex-spouse or roommate you got into a fight with. It is pretty cheap and the job won’t take more than a few hours.

Use your walls as hiding spaces. No need to damage your walls. Take a closer look at your walls and note just how many access points there are already. How about unwiring your electric socket and using that as an area to stash your jewelry?

Hide your valuables in the walls. This is a great way to hide jewelry, for example. Use an old switch plate, outlet or phone jack. If you use all of them, you can always have fake ones installed.

Avoid placing spare keys under door mats or in plant boxes. Though you might think that you’re giving yourself something you could use to get into your house when you’ve lost your keys, you’re actually inviting intruders inside your house. Thieves are aware of the best hiding spots. Instead, give your extra key to a neighbor whom you trust.

Always lock your doors, even if you are just walking down the street. Most break-ins and burglaries occur because a door is left open and an intruder just walks in. A thief can take plenty of valuables in minutes.

When selecting an alarm set-up, think about getting one that protects not just the doors in your home. It should protect the windows too. You want to be sure that the alarm is connected to all windows and entry points. With this method, your family will be safer.

Choose an alarm which monitors other areas outside your doors. Intruders can enter through your windows too. Each point of entry for your home should be monitored by the system. Doing this will help ensure the safety of your home and loved ones.

Be certain your wires are hidden, if you have installed a security system in your home. Exposed wires make it easy for an intruder to cut them and disable the alarm. To provide maximum security, wiring should be laid underground or installed safely within the walls of your house. That will make you safer.

If you’ve bought large or pricy items, avoid throwing out boxes until the day the trash is scheduled for pick-up. These boxes sitting outside your home serve as a flag for thieves to target your home.

If you are moving in your new home, ensure all the old locks are replaced. The previous owner may be perfectly respectable, but you can’t know that for sure. Remember that different families might have dwelt there before this person.

Your landscaping should be designed based on what will be safest for your home. Don’t provide burglars with cover by planting big shrubs in front of your doors and windows. Keeping these features free of vegetation robs would-be burglars of concealment and hiding places. Keeping the areas around your windows free of plants can help to deter criminals from lurking too close to your home, without you noticing.

When you consider a security company, be certain you read the details and fine print of the contract you’re about to sign. Look out for hidden charges and surprises, especially if you need to cancel the contract early. It’s best to know about these fees in advance so that you can avoid them when possible.

Consider your personal needs for safety and your security risks prior to looking for security systems. Although automated electronic systems are powerful, they’re not necessarily the cost-effective solution for every home. Some individuals are more comfortable with a canine alarm, while other people enjoy the feeling of security that a sophisticated alarm system can bring. Ensure that you have considered all your options before making a final decision.

You need to make sure you’re making use of the Internet when looking at different home security companies. Look at various sites and read customer testimonials, along with details on various packages. From there, you can make appointments with your top three selections to compare final package pricing and specific details about plans and monitoring.

You may want to get a security system that is wireless. While a wired system is more affordable, it also requires more extreme modifications of your home’s existing wiring. This could be a potential problem in the event that your power goes out. The wireless systems are simpler to maintain and install and they don’t need power from the home to run.

Research how long a security company has been in the business before contracting with them. Many years of service bode well for the company’s performance. It will make you feel better knowing that the company you choose is not fly by night.

If you will be going out of time, have someone you trust get your mail. Also, have them look for fliers stuck in your door. Crafty burglars will leave fliers on homes, and check to see if they’re being removed as a means for determining whether or not the home is vacant. If the flier is not taken down, the burglar assumes the homeowner is not in town.

Invest in a good paper shredder. You would be surprised at how often thieves look through trash to find personal information to find out when you will be away from home so they can break in. You can tear your documents up by hand before disposing of them if a shredder is out of your price range.

Keep burglars on the outside of your garage by making sure nobody can actually see inside the garage. Use frosted, adhesive backed plastic to cover the windows. You can purchase this at a home improvement store. Don’t leave doors open for long lengths of time when working there.

You do not want to use spring latch locks. Spring latch locks are the easiest locks to gain entry with, as they can be opened with a simple credit card. Intruders simply use a credit card inside the latch, making the lock open. IF spring latch locks are already in place, add a deadbolt for that extra layer of security.

If you purchase an expensive item, get rid of the box rather than allowing it to sit outside your home. This will just alert criminals to the fact that you have expensive items in your home. Cut up the boxes when they’re empty.

Inquire with your company if they allow both leases and purchases of equipment. Although purchasing the equipment will likely cost you more money initially, this cost will only occur one time. It won’t be a cost you have to pay for every month. Leasing is often less expensive, but it may involve contracts and higher monthly fees. Compare these two options before making your decision.

Be prepared for the worst rather than going along blithely believing home intrusion can never happen to you. You should not become paranoid about home invasions, but keep in mind that you can avoid dangerous situations by protecting yourself. Keep this article in mind when pondering ways to improve the security of your home, so that you can secure your family and yourself.

You should not keep your auto registration papers in the glove compartment. If someone finds them, they’ll know your address. Hide them somewhere else in the car, or carry them with you. They should be close, though, since you’ll need them if you get pulled over.