Just how confident are you that your home is secure? With your home, you can’t be too safe. You should employ as many tactics as necessary to stay safe. Read this article for some useful home security tips.

Change all of your locks when you move in. You simply do not know how many keys to the old locks are floating around. Call a locksmith as soon as you can for maximum security. If you lose keys, make sure to do this, too.

Be very cautious about entrusting a maid service with a key to your home. If you do give your housekeeper a key or plan on doing so, it is imperative that they are honest and upstanding. Read through their references very carefully, and don’t hesitate to follow up on their references to ensure they actually exist. If applicable, call the BBB to inquire about their reputation.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you are away from home? You could let your dog carry a spare key. Attach the key inside their collar and make sure it can’t be seen. This works especially well as storage if your pet isn’t too fond of strangers.

Do not open your door for people you do not know. People often think of ways to trick others into letting them in so they can steal from them. Make it a rule in your home that you only open your door to people who you were expecting.

Do you have an outside dog? You could let your dog carry a spare key. Conceal it in the dog’s collar. Your dog is an especially good key hiding spot if he doesn’t react well to strangers, since they won’t approach him, but the key will be there if you need it.

Use your garage for your car and not for storage. This will help to keep your vehicle safe. Hiding your car from plain view will also keep potential intruders from tracking when you are home and when you aren’t.

Go with your gut when choosing a home security company to install a system. This is definitely the case if you’re not quite sure about the actual installation people. Don’t hesitate asking for another technician or get another company. Security is supposed to give you peace of mind after all!

Setting off an alarm during a burglary is just one of the valuable functions a good security system can perform. Many systems can alert you whenever anyone has entered your home. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.

People who live rurally often don’t think about home security. Some maintain that rural dwellers have greater risk since their neighbors live farther away. That said, stranger things have happened.

Skylights should be secure. Though skylights bring light into your home and look nice, it is also a very common way for burglars to get into your home. Fix your skylights so they cannot be accessed as an entry point by intruders.

When placing your spare key outside for emergencies, give careful consideration to where you put it. Avoid cliched hiding places like over the door frame or beneath the doormat. Experienced criminals will check these places immediately. Try hiding the key in your outside dog’s collar.

Get creative and hide valuables inside your walls. Don’t make it obvious by cutting out big chunks of drywall. There are lots of places around the home that have pre-cut areas that you can use. Consider unwiring an electrical socket that isn’t used and storing your valuable jewelry.

Lock your home at all times to err on the side of caution. This is often a surprise, but the majority of burglaries are due to someone just waltzing right into an unlocked home. It does not take long for thieves to steal a lot from your home.

If you have a lot of unfamiliar people on you social networking accounts, avoid letting everyone know you will be going on vacation. While you may want to shout it from the rooftops, you’re letting everyone know that your home will be vacant and easy to rob.

If you are moving in your new home, ensure all the old locks are replaced. The previous owner may be perfectly respectable, but you can’t know that for sure. Remember that different families might have dwelt there before this person.

The wiring outside of your home can be valuable. Many folks are not aware of this until a thief steals it. Copper, found in many wires, can be removed in little time, and is worth quite a bit of money. Be sure that your wiring is concealed or difficult to access in order to keep your wires safe.

Make sure the ringer on any phones in your home is turned off when you leave for vacation. A phone which rings forever is a sign to burglars that you’re not there.

Keep a flashlight with good batteries in every room of your home, just in case you lose power. Power outages are common to all sorts of emergency situations, so having flashlights handy will enable you to maneuver in the dark. Your kids should know how to work the flashlights so that everyone can help.

Before you give a security company employee access to your home, make sure they’re in uniform and that they present acceptable identification. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This leads to danger. Be cautious to stay safe.

Never open the door for a stranger. Nowadays, thieves are creative when thinking of ways to get homeowners to open a door and let them in. Keep a hard, fast rule that says you only open the door for invited guests in order to keep your family safe.

When about to sign a contract with any home security firm, read all the small print. There may be hidden costs in the event you wish to cancel before the end of the contract. This may also be true if you need more or different equipment in the future. Avoid as many fees as you can by reading everything.

No home is safe from thieves. Luckily, there are measures that can be taken to keep your home as safe as possible. The information in this article can help you fortify your home against the those who would want to invade it, Use them wisely to secure your home.

Don’t be shy. It is important to communicate with others who also live in your area. Watch their homes and ask them if they’ll watch yours as well. Don’t discount what sounds like idle gossip. You never know what sort of security issues you might become privy to.