Your home should be a place where you and your family can feel safe. Whenever you leave, your home should remain secure until you return. This article will advise you on the best ways to keep your home secure from robbery.

Do you keep your dog outside if you leave the home? Your furry friend is also a great storage place for your extra key. Put it on your dog’s collar, making sure it is hidden. This is the perfect place to store a spare key, especially if your dog doesn’t care for strangers.

When you buy a new house, be sure the locks are changed. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. Hire a locksmith so that you can be sure you are the only person who can access your home. If you lose keys, make sure to do this, too.

Invest in a safe in order to secure very valuable items. Doing so can protect your valuables in the event of a robbery. Keep the safe hidden in a hard-to-find location like an attic or a basement closet.

Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. You would hate for your expensive jewelry, personal family belongings, etc. to be stolen in case a burglar breaks into your home. Hide that safe in a difficult-to-reach place like in a closet inside your basement or an attic.

Do not allow anyone you do not know into your home. While their story may seem legit, that doesn’t mean it is true. Some criminals will use any reason to gain access to look for security systems and easy entryways into your house.

Before leaving for vacation, turn off the ringers in your house. 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.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. You never know who they might be, despite their story. Be sure that everyone in your home knows not to open the door to strangers and unexpected visitors.

You should clean your yard of vegetation and dead wood. As it gets hotter, the chances of these igniting and putting your house at risk increase. Keep your family and your house protected by regularly clearing out your yard waste.

Store your car in the garage if you have it. Protect your car from vandals by keeping it in the garage. Keeping your car out of sight is also a good way to prevent intruders from determining whether or not you are home.

Go with your gut when choosing a home security company to install a system. This is doubly true when you feel unease about the installers. Do not hesitate to ask for a different person to install the system or even consider hiring a different company. The point of having a security system is to make yourself feel at ease.

Try not to have a shy attitude. Get to know other people who live next door and others in your neighborhood. By knowing the people in your neighborhood, you can rest a little easier knowing that people are looking out for each other. Listen to gossip also. It is often a good way to find out about security issues, such as strangers in the neighborhood.

If you are moving into a new home, change the locks right away. Although other tenants might not have a key anymore, they could have copied it. You can change the locks yourself if you’re feeling really industrious.

Try installing motion-sensor lights. This type of light will come on when they detect motion within a certain distance of your home. Then you will know someone is present, and if the person is a burglar, he or she will be very likely to turn around and leave. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

Before you let a security company representative enter your home, make sure they are in uniform, and don’t hesitate to ask them for identification. Thieves may say they are from a certain company to get into your home. This is dangerous to your valuables and your family. Be careful to avoid any potential dangers.

If you’ve got skylights, don’t forget about it when it comes to home security. Although a skylight can bring light into one’s home and look good, it’s also a common entrance way for burglars. The hardware that secures your skylights should be sturdy and durable.

You need to make sure you’re making use of the Internet when looking at different home security companies. You should look at testimonials from customers and different information you can find. After narrowing down your top five choices, you can then take the next step by contacting each one.

Lock your home at all times to err on the side of caution. In a lot of cases, home intruders enter through unlocked doors. They can get a ton of stuff quickly and be long gone before you return.

Consider purchasing a wireless security system for your home. 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 systems are much easier to install, and they can work independently of your home’s power.

When selecting an alarm set-up, think about getting one that protects not just the doors in your home. Windows are all potential entry points for burglars. Every single entry point needs to have monitoring on it. Do this to keep you and your family safe.

If someone looks after your house when you’re gone, have them remove fliers from the door. Some intruders will place a flyer at your home to see if the flyer is removed immediately or not. If the flier stays in place, the burglar knows that the homeowner is out on vacation.

If you make a large purchase, like a big screen television, don’t simply set the box out in front of your home. Empty boxes for expensive new gear serve as advertisements to potentials thieves; don’t make it easy for them to spot such tempting targets.

Never place empty boxes for expensive items out on the curb. Burglars will see these boxes and recognize that there are new valubles in your house. When you empty the boxes, cut them up and throw them away so that burglars do not see them.

It is important to always have fresh batteries and flashlights handy around the house. The flashlights are important because they make you able to get around the house in an emergency. Train your kids how to use flashlights so that all members of the family can contribute.

If there are areas of your home you want to keep locked off, you do not need keys. Instead, key-less key code locks can work just as well. Either you or a security company can install them.

Before you give a security company employee access to your home, make sure they’re in uniform and that they present acceptable identification. Thieves may say they are from a certain company to get into your home. This can lead to harm befalling your family and possessions. Be careful to avoid this sort of danger.

When you’re not in your house, all of the window coverings (blinds, curtains, shades, or what have you) should be tightly shut. You don’t want potential intruders to be able to look inside. If burglars see items in your home that appear valuable, they’ll likely break in to steal them. Your window dressing should also be closed while you sleep.

You should find out how many years of experience your home security service has. A reliable home security company is one that has a long history in the community and can offer references from satisfied customers. You should not trust a company that does not have a good record with your local Better Business Bureau or few years of experience.

Do not store your car registration in your glove box. If someone accesses these documents, they can determine your address. Keep them on you, or another place to hide them. They should be close, though, since you’ll need them if you get pulled over.

Keeping thieves from the contents of your garage can be as simple as making sure they can’t easily look inside. Cover your windows in frosting, which can be bought at big box hardware stores, so people can’t peek inside. Make a habit of keep your door closed and locked.

Think about getting a hard-wired system if you have concerns about maintenance issues. A wireless system is handy, but the frequent battery changes can really amount to a large expense. If you neglect to switch out the batteries regularly, your security system won’t function properly. Additionally, it can cost a pretty penny to buy batteries again and again.

Your furry friend is a great home security system, too. Dogs can be extremely protective of their space and are great at barking when something is afoot. It doesn’t even have to be a big tough dog. Any size dog will drive criminals away, as the barking will be too much noise for them to be stealthy.

Home alarms are only valuable if they alert the police when a robbery is in progress. Some security systems have constant monitoring, so that when the alarm goes off, a call is made to the police for you. It is not safe to assume the neighbors will call the police.

See if your security firm offers a variety of contract lengths. There are likely pros and cons to each. A longer contract might give you a lower monthly bill, but you could be stuck with those monthly costs if you sell your home or decide to discontinue services. Shorter contracts may offer greater freedom at a higher cost.

If you are female and live by yourself, you are a major target. Therefore, consider putting large boots on the front step of your home to make burglars believe a manly man lives in the room. This will make criminals think again before trying to enter your home.

Do not store your car registration in your glove box. Anyone with access to your car can find out where you live, so it is not a smart thing to do. Keep them with you or hide them elsewhere. You should have easy access to them if you should be pulled over.

You now have the right information for your needs. How can you use it to protect your home? Learning all you can about home security will enable you to protect both your possessions and your family.

If you have valuable items that cannot be replaced, you must keep them under lock and key. This may include things like pictures of your children, heirloom jewelry or birth certificates. A floor safe can keep these items safe. You can also rent out a safety deposit box.