Intruders might be interested in your valuables, especially if you recently purchased a new car or came home with some new appliances. Upgrading your home security gives you protection from burglars. Read these tips for ideas on how to make your house a safe place.

Make your house look like it’s always occupied. There are timers you can use to make electronics turn on and off at random times. This way it will always look as if someone is home, even when you are away. This is just one of the many precautions you can take to secure your home.

After getting a new home, make sure to change its locks. The person who previously owned the home may have made copies of keys. Get a locksmith in right away. You should also do this if your keys ever get lost.

Put your spare key on your dog. This will only be ideal if you have a dog door or an outdoor dog. Simply affix a spare key to the collar of the animal. You’ll always have a backup plan if you lose your key!

Be very cautious about entrusting a maid service with a key to your home. 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. One way to do this is to check their references. If you hire a cleaner from a company, then you should check the company with the BBB.

When you buy a new home, be sure to have the locks changed. The previous owners or tenants might have made several copies of the key. Changing the locks will give you peace of mind that you and your family are the only ones who have access to your home. If you lose your keys, you should do the same thing.

When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. You’ll find a wide range of prices from different companies. Get three quotes or more before making a choice.

Be very cautious about entrusting a maid service with a key to your home. Only select service people who are totally trustworthy. Check references thoroughly. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.

Fire-resistant building materials are the way to go, both inside and outside the home. This can help your home be safer. Fire is such a destructive force that it makes excellent sense to reduce fire hazards in your home whenever possible.

Home security systems have different kinds of features that can sound an alarm when someone breaks into your house. Many systems sound an alert whenever people enter the house. This is a good way to know if your small child has opened a door or closed it.

If you have an extensive online presence that includes a lot of people you don’t know too well, avoid announcing upcoming vacations. Potential intruders could get a good idea of when you will be gone by monitoring what you share on social networks.

Be smart about where you decide to hide spare keys. People will check your doormat and frame first. You could hide the key with your dog on the collar.

Turn the ringer off on your telephone if you are going to be away. Intruders might be attracted by a phone that rings constantly without anyone picking up.

Shut off the ringer for all of the telephones in your home if you are planning to go on vacation for a long time. A constantly ringing phone lets thieves know that you are not home and could increase the chances of you getting robbed.

Never allow any strangers into your home. Be wary of those who come to your door selling products, asking for help, or telling sob stories. Even home security representatives could be intruders who want to check the kind of protection you have.

Secure your attached garage. A common concern expressed among homeowners is that someone might enter their garage and use that as an entrance to their home. There is a solution, however. If the garage door lifts via a track, you can use a C-clamp to stop your door from opening at the hands of intruders.

Hide your valuables in the walls. You can hide small valuables inside the walls. You can use the opening provided by an electrical switch plate or other device that is not being used. If you have no unused plates, you can easily install false ones.

Avoid coming across as overly shy. Be friendly with people that live in the neighborhood. Keep your eye on their houses, and ask for help to keep yours safe too. Do not ignore gossip either. You might find out valuable information related to security, like if there have been any strangers hanging around.

Rather than believing that you will never have a burglar break into your home, you should be prepared in case it were to occur. Don’t live in fear, but be sure and take the steps to protect yourself. Keep these ideas in mind as you go about boosting the security of your home.

Always change the locks if you have someone move out of your home. There are many different people who might have keys from your past, and removing the potential of them accessing your home can be a very good idea. This is something that you can do yourself and does not cost much money at all.