It’s important that you and your family always feel safe in your home. Your home needs to be safe for when everyone returns. Reading the advice in this article will give you a great start in securing your home.

Have your dog protect the spare key. This is only true if yours in an outdoor dog, or your house is equipped with a doggie door. Hide a key inside the collar of your dog in case you need a spare.

The best home security systems do much more than sound the alarm (literally). They can be programmed to alert the homeowner if a person enters the home. For families with young children, this is excellent for alerting when a child has entered or left the house.

A home security system has other features in addition to sounding an alarm when there is a break-in. The majority of systems will give an audible alert when someone enters the house. Parents riding herd on small children will be thankful for this feature which makes it harder for kids to sneak outside without supervision.

Make sure to use caution when deciding if and where to hide an extra key outside of your home. Intruders will think to look on the top if a door frame and under a doormat. You could hide the key with your dog on the collar.

Use a safe to protect your valuables. If an intruder breaks into your home, at least these valuables will be secure. The safe should be kept hidden in a basement or attic.

Don’t let everyone in your social network know that you are leaving the home unprotected for your vacation trip; especially the people who you aren’t familiar with. You may be very excited about your impending vacation, but there is no need to let potential burglars know when you will be gone.

It is important to invest in building supplies that are as fire resistant as possible. This is a good way to protect your home against fires, for instance if you live near power lines or in a dry area. Preventing a fire is important since it can cause a lot of damage.

If you will be away from your house for an extended period of time, turn the ringers off for all your phones. If the phone rings when you are away, burglars will know there’s nobody home, making the house vulnerable to a break-in when you are out.

If there are folks you don’t know or trust in your social network online, don’t let them know you are going away. You may be very excited about your impending vacation, but there is no need to let potential burglars know when you will be gone.

Never open the door for a stranger. Nowadays, people invent many stories of why they should come in. For instance, they may say they need to call a mechanic or the police. However, their true intent is to rob you. Be sure that everyone in your home knows not to open the door to strangers and unexpected visitors.

Motion sensor lights on the exterior of your home is a great idea. They turn on only if someone is nearby. 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. Just remember and change out the light bulbs whenever necessary.

Keep your car in your garage. You will not have to worry about thieves taking your car if it is inside your garage. Hiding it will help to deter people from tracking the times you aren’t there.

Changing your locks first can help make your home much more secure. Not everyone who leaves your house will leave happy, and a fresh set of locks will protect you from both former residents and acquaintances of your own looking to cause mischief. This is a very easy process that you can complete within a day.

Security System

Skylights could be a problem for the safety of your home. While they are there to let light in, if you do not care for it properly it could also let in a thief. Use heavy-duty hardware to secure your skylights to the roof.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to have it checked each year. Ask a home security employee to give it a look. Mother Nature and wild animals can also cause issues with your home security system. You might be unaware of problems that arise in some cases.

Do not let people on the street see valuable items in your home. You might enjoy large windows so you can see out, but just remember that makes it easier for those burglars to see inside your home as well. Keep your curtains drawn to keep your valuable items safe.

Avoid coming across as overly shy. Get to know other people who live next door and others in your neighborhood. Ask them to watch your home if you are on vacation. Pay attention to gossip. You could learn important security information, such as if strangers have been lurking around the neighborhood.

Think about what you need to feel safe before considering security systems. While these systems could be good for protecting your family, they aren’t for everyone. Some individuals are more comfortable with a canine alarm, while other people enjoy the feeling of security that a sophisticated alarm system can bring. Understanding your needs will help you make a good purchase decision.

Install motion-sensor lights. The motion sensors turn on the lights whenever anyone approaches your home. You will be alerted when there is activity outside, and any potential burglars will be deterred because they do not want to be seen. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.

If you’re planning to be out of your home for a period of time, have a neighbor remove any fliers placed on your door. Thieves sometimes place fliers on front doors and then wait to see if anyone removes them. If a flier remains on a front door for a number of days, the burglar knows the homeowner is away.

Change your locks if someone you don’t trust moves out of your home. Maybe you’ve had a roommate leave or a bitter ex-lover, so changing the locks can keep you safer. It is not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.

If you lose your house keys often, you might want to install a keyless entry system. Code or fingerprint enabled keyless entry locks are a great solution. These can be installed either by you, or a home security company.

The walls of your home make for great hiding spots. Hide valuables inside of your walls. All you need is a wall opening you’re not using (something like a phone jack, electrical box, or switch plate). Installing a false unused plate is very easy to do if your home doesn’t have one.

Try to stay away from spring latch locks. These locks are the simplest ones to breach, since they are able to be opened by using just a credit card. A card can be placed between the latch and the door, and this will open it. IF spring latch locks are already in place, add a deadbolt for that extra layer of security.

You should not hide your spare key under your mat or inside a plant box. You might think this protects you against being locked out of your home, but it also gives intruders access to your home. Intruders know about the usual hiding spots. Instead, give your extra key to a neighbor whom you trust.

If your door has a numeric keypad, don’t use your birthday as the password. Your birthday can be found on mail or social media sites, so this means anyone can access your home. Use a number you can remember through some trick of memory known only to you, making it difficult for someone else to figure it out.

Always lock your house, even if you are only going to be away for a few minutes. It may shock you to know this, but a lot of intruders get inside homes through open doors. It does not take long for thieves to steal a lot from your home.

Do you turn the lights on and off during the same time period? If so, consider a timer. The automatic timer will keep the lights going on and off on schedule, so a thief will not be able to tell when you are away. Even when you are at home, the timer is convenient because it saves you from having to remember to turn on the lights.

If you are throwing away the box an expensive item came in, wait until trash day to put the box out. Having these type of boxes hanging around will give robbers a good idea of what type of merchandise you have inside of your home.

If you have windows that are open to the street, be sure and cover them at night. You shouldn’t be inviting people to look at your stuff through the window. If burglars spot the expensive items in your house, they may want to hit you next. Be careful about what you expose to the public so that your likelihood of a burglary will decrease.

Make sure all the wood around your doors is in great shape. Rotting wood is easy to remove and take apart if someone is trying to get in. Replace any wood that has begun to rot with new wood so that your house stays safe.

It is always best to go with a solid heavy wooden door, or a metal door for extra security. These doors will hold. It would be very hard for a burglar to kick it and go inside. It shouldn’t be too costly to replace your exterior doors, so go do it.

Having your house lit up during the night is a good way to scare intruders. That’s because they want to remain hidden. Good lighting in your home means that crooks have no hiding places. That’s why it’s a good idea to light your home well for optimum safety.

Women are more likely than men to be a target for burglary. This is especially true if they live on their own with children. A pair of recently worn workmen’s boots on the front porch can give an impression of a strong man living at home. Burglars should pass on by.

Landscape your home with safety in mind. Your doors and windows should not be obstructed by shrubs or fences. If they are visible, people won’t be able to hide there while trying to break in. If you want to have a garden around your home, keep trees and shrubs away from your house.

Make sure your children bring in all of their toys from the yard when they are done playing. This will clue the thief in that a woman lives in the house. Homes with women are more attractive targets because they probably have pricy jewelry inside.

Ask a home security company to come to your house and design a security system that is perfect for your needs. Each homeowner has different priorities in terms of home security. When you choose a company that pays close attention to detail in creating your home security plan, you will feel very secure.

Avoid letting people outside see inside your home. If people can see a computer or large TV outside your house, thieves can also see it. Consider installing drapes so that people aren’t able to see inside your home. If you can’t cover every window, keep your valuables in rooms that are blocked from view.

When the windows in your family room are facing the street, it is best to close your curtains every night before you go to bed. You do not want to invite people peeking in through your window. Burglars may see something valuable, which will tempt them to steal. Lock everything up and shade your windows to stay discreet.

The home security company you choose should offer more than just systems. Great companies are willing to come assess the house and make specific recommendations. That may include things such as trimming bushes, getting extra locks and putting in windows that are more secure. You want to make sure your company truly cares about your security, and they will discuss these types of things with you if they do.

You know a good bit more about securing your home. Make good use of what you have learned. Read everything you can find on this topic, so that you can swiftly and easily protect your house.

Do not place valuable items in plain view of your exterior windows. If robbers see that there is nothing in the window, they may pass your home.