Do you keep valuable items, such as jewelry, original art or even cash, inside your home? If so, you shouldn’t assume that people aren’t aware of it. Improve the security of your home to prevent burglary. You can pick up some great ideas for increasing the safety of your household by checking out the following article.

Always have the locks changed when you buy a new home. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. To make sure you are the sole person with access to the home, engage the services of a locksmith. Give a key to someone you trust in case you get locked out.

Do you have an outdoor dog? 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. Especially if your dog is not very friendly, this will help keep your key safe.

Hiding places for spare keys must be chosen with extreme care and caution. Placing a key above a door or under a doormat is quite obvious! Hide your alternative key on your dog’s collar.

Do not be reluctant to meet your neighbors. Engage your neighbors in conversation. You’ll find that friendly neighbors make for a powerful support network. Keep an eye on their properties and they’ll respond in kind. It’s best to be in on any rumors in the area. You could learn important security information, such as if strangers have been lurking around the neighborhood.

Make sure that you hide your spare key in a good spot. Doormats and door frames are predictable places that burglars will always check. Try hiding your key on a lawn statue or in a potted plant.

Have lights that sense motion. They’ll flip on when people walk within a certain distance of your house. This will discourage would be thieves and alert you to any movement on your property. Test the bulbs frequently, though.

Follow your instincts when choosing a home security company. If the installers give you the heebie-jeebies, it’s not a good sign. There is nothing wrong with asking for a different technician if you’re uneasy. Ultimately, the whole point is for you to have peace of mind.

If you have a lot of unfamiliar people on you social networking accounts, avoid letting everyone know you will be going on vacation. Although your first instinct is to share the news about an upcoming trip that excites you, the info may well fall into the hands of people who’d be interested in burglarizing your home while you’re away.

Compared to city dwellers, you might feel more safe in your rural home. Some people think that the people out in the country without neighbors are actually at a much greater risk. Some people, though, believe that you will not be at risk for a burglary.

Do you have skylights? If so, you should keep them in mind when protecting your home. Though skylights bring light into your home and look nice, it is also a very common way for burglars to get into your home. Any skylights in your home should be secured with strong hardware.

Shut off phone ringers inside the home if you’re going to be gone for quite a while. 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.

Hide your valuables in the walls. Jewelry and other small items can be protected very well when placed in hiding places in your walls. Repurpose phone jacks and electrical outlets as tiny wall safes. If you’re using all your outlets, you can install phony ones.

Avoid placing spare keys under door mats or in plant boxes. These seem like great places for you when you misplace your key. Any thief knows all the typical hiding spots. You should have a trusted neighbor keep a spare key.

There’s no security system so durable that it can go without regular maintenance and inspections. Have yours checked out once a year. Ask the security company to send a technician out to give your system a thorough inspection. There are quite a few things that can negatively impact the effectiveness of home security equipment. For example, adverse weather conditions or pests such as raccoons can cause problems. If you don’t see the problem, you may remain unaware of it.

Lock your home at all times to err on the side of caution. It might shock you to learn that most break-ins occur due to unlocked doors. It can be a quick job for a burglar to steal items of great value.

When deciding on an alarm system, be sure and get one that protects more than your doors. Windows are all potential entry points for burglars. The alarm and monitoring system should be set for all windows and doors. With this method, your family will be safer.

People in rural areas are not usually as worried about burglaries as people in cities. Some people feel that rural residents lead riskier lives because they are far away from neighbors. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.

Don’t leave the packaging from any electronics or expensive purchases sitting on the curb until trash day. These boxes sitting outside your home serve as a flag for thieves to target your home.

Change all of the locks in your new residence. The old owners may seem nice, but you don’t know everything about them. People may have lived in the home before those owners, too.

Walls can serve as a handy hiding place. Keep small, valuable items inside the walls of your home. You could utilize an electrical outlet, phone jack, or unused switch plate. You can also install a fake one.

Are you aware of the value present in the wiring in your home? This is something few homeowners realize until they become victims of wiring theft. A skilled intruder could remove all the copper from your home within less than an hour. To keep the wiring safe, be sure that the wire is hidden from view.

Inquire with your home security service as to how long they’ve been in business. Companies that have been around for years have shown that they know the industry and that their services are reliable and great enough for recommendations. You can feel confident when you choose a well established, reputable home security company.

Always lock your home, regardless of how short your trip out is. You may be surprised to know that many burglars simply turn the doorknob and walk right in. It doesn’t take long for a thief to steal thousands of dollars worth of stuff.

Never enter your house if the door is open or something doesn’t feel right. This can be very dangerous because the thief could still be inside. Just contact the police and sit tight until they arrive.

You don’t need to rely on keys to prevent entry to certain areas of your home. If you do have areas to lock, consider getting keyless locks that you can open using a code, rather than carrying a huge ring of keys around with you. Install them yourself or get a local home security company to do that.

Don’t allow the wires of your home security system to be visible to others. Easily-accessible security wiring is a definite weak point in your home’s protection; the best alarm system in the world is useless if it’s easily disabled. Don’t make it easier for them, so have wires hidden in the house’s walls or buried. You’ll be safer.

Having your home broken into is a reality and possibility that you cannot ignore. You shouldn’t be afraid. Instead, just utilize great home-security strategies. Keep these tips in mind as you get to work.