Your home should be a place where you and your family can feel safe. It should be a safe place for them to return to after going out. This article will advise you on the best ways to keep your home secure from robbery.

Only give your house key to a professional house cleaner if you trust them. Only select service people who are totally trustworthy. Make sure you check references. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.

Does your dog stay outside while you are gone? This is a good spot for keeping your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This is a good way to ensure easy home access, especially if your pet does not associate well with strangers.

Think very carefully about where to hide your spare key. Under the doormat or above the door frame are all too common spaces that will be checked first by potential intruders. One good place to hide a spare key is in the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.

A spare key must be carefully hidden and not in the obvious spots that a person might think. It is very common for homeowners to hide them under a mat or above the framing of their door, and intruders know this. One good place to hide a spare key is in the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.

Social networking sites are great for keeping in touch, but post information sparingly. For example, you might avoid broadcasting when you are going out of town, especially if your friends list contains casual acquaintances. Potential intruders could get a good idea of when you will be gone by monitoring what you share on social networks.

Never open the door for a stranger. Many people are devising many different schemes to get into homes and burglarize them. Create the rule that you just open a door to people that you expect to arrive.

When planning to go away for a holiday, be sure to turn off the ringers on your home phones. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.

Any program to improve the security of your home should begin with complete replacement of your door 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. Changing the locks can typically be done very cheaply and quickly.

Be brave! Speak with your neighbors. Ask them to watch your home if you are on vacation. It’s best to be in on any rumors in the area. This might provide you with some valuable information, at times related to security, including information about potential strangers who you might not want near your home.

Those that live in rural area are not as concerned about having their home invaded as those who are located in the city. Some people think that country folk are mainly targeted since they don’t have nearby neighbors. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.

If you reside in the country, you may be less worried about break-ins than urban dwellers are. There are some who believe country folk are more at risk because neighbors are not nearby. Still there are those that think that burglars are not as likely to target rural areas.

Walls can serve as a handy hiding place. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Target any unused phone jacks or electrical outlets for an easy hiding spot. Installing a false unused plate is very easy to do if your home doesn’t have one.

Do that put spare keys above door frames or under door mats. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. Any thief knows all the typical hiding spots. If you have a neighbor you can trust, have them hold your extra key.

Do not place your spare keys under your mat or even in plant boxes. Keeping a spare key is convenient but intruders will have access to your home if your key is too easy to find. Thieves are tricky, diabolical, and familiar with any and every hiding place. Rather, give your key to a neighbor you find trustworthy.

Always lock your home when you leave it, no matter how soon you plan to return. It might shock you to learn that most break-ins occur due to unlocked doors. A burglar can steal a lot of expensive stuff in a short amount of time.

It is important that your valuables are not visible from anywhere outside your house. While having huge windows may be good for letting in light and viewing what is outside, it also gives potential thieves a good look in your own home. Blinds are a great way to allow the light in, without allowing people to see in at the same time.

If your door is set in a rotted frame, you must replace the frame. Anyone can gain access to our home by prying away the rotted wood. Replace it as soon as possible.

Always lock your home when you leave it, no matter how soon you plan to return. Break-ins are often the result of unlocked windows and doors. It does not take long for thieves to steal your expensive stuff.

Make sure to have flashlights with fresh batteries in all rooms within your house in the event of a power outage. Having a well-charged flashlight on hand is very beneficial in case of emergency. Keep in mind that your family might be separated during a power outage, and make sure you children know where to find and how to use your flashlights.

When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This leads to danger. Use caution to stay out of danger.

Look online for a reputable home security business. Take a look at various websites and read over customer testimonials and details about various packages. After narrowing down your top five choices, you can then take the next step by contacting each one.

Check someone’s references carefully before letting them come into your home. Do not hesitate to hire someone to run a background check if you have doubts. It is impossible to know if the newly hired maid or one time repairman might be a crook unless you check them out. Providing them with your key might be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.

If the front door is open when you get home, resist the temptation to go in alone to find the reason. The thief may remain inside. Request that the police come and have them go in and check it out, before you go in yourself.

Keeping your home very bright during the night hours is an excellent way to prevent thieves. Most burglars rely on concealment to approach a home. With a well-lit home, thieves cannot hide or break in unnoticed. Keep your lights turned on during the night.

Do not put electronic boxes in the front of your house. If the burglars see the empty boxes, then they will realize you have the items in your home. As a result, they’ll be more likely to break in so they can steal it. Break them down and put them in a bag or take them to a recycling center.

Research how long a security company has been in the business before contracting with them. A company that’s been around for a while has proven that their service is reliable. You’ll find it a lot easier to put your faith in the professionals if you take the time to verify their trustworthiness.

Speak with your security company about contract lengths and any options available. There are benefits and drawbacks to each. Longer contracts may offer more affordable monthly payments; however, it may be hard to cancel that contract should you decide to change services or sell your house. With a shorter contract, you will have a greater level of flexibility. The downside is you will also have larger monthly bills.

Make sure you have weighed the costs and risks when you are considering your security needs. While these systems are great and can help protect your family, they are not necessary for everyone. In some particular neighborhoods, classes for self defense or acquiring a dog may be the best option. However, the newest home security technology may be the best protection in other regions. Be sure to understand the sorts of risks you face before deciding what sort of security is best for you.

When you aren’t home, make sure your windows are covered. Intruders can see into your home if they are left up. If burglars see items in your home that appear valuable, they’ll likely break in to steal them. Do not forget to close your shades before going to bed.

Don’t give anyone an opportunity to see inside your garage in order to ward off robbers. 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. Keep your garage door closed as often as possible, too.

Don’t hide keys in obvious areas. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. Someone is going to look under your doormat. It is probably best to find someone you trust to hold a key for you. Otherwise, you should be more creative when it comes to hiding your key.

Don’t leave empty boxes for big-ticket purchases outside on your curb. Burglars will instantly take notices of these boxes and what used to be in them, making you an easy burglary target. Break up the boxes into smaller pieces before you put them near the curb.

Think about getting a hard-wired system if you have concerns about maintenance issues. Wireless systems, while convenient, will require much more maintenance. If you neglect to change your batteries, the system can fail. It can also be very costly to replace many different batteries.

Keeping a dog provides a great way to boost your home’s defense. Dogs will bark at the sign of trouble or intruders. You do not need a large, vicious guard dog. Any size dog will drive criminals away, as the barking will be too much noise for them to be stealthy.

Make sure you have the curtains drawn if your windows are faced toward the street. It’s best to discourage peeping toms. If someone has the intention to burglarize your neighborhood, you would not want him to see your belongings and target your house. Make sure you’re discreet concerning your belongings so you can keep your chances of being robbed at a minimum.

Having read this article, you have lots of good information to choose from. Do you have an idea how to use it? Keep reading everything you find on the subject, and you will soon see that you are able to keep your home safe and secure.

Replace any non-metal or non-wood door immediately. Those are the most durable materials available. Few people can kick down such a door. The cost of replacing these doors is very minimal if they were to break.