The home security industry is huge. People break into homes every day. The typical targets are those homes lacking security systems and with poor security measures in place. In this article we will discuss simple methods to prevent your home from being targeted for a burglary.
Don’t give the keys to your home to a professional cleaner unless you trust them completely. Be sure any home cleaner you give your key to is trustworthy and reputable. It is best to do a reference check on them. Call the Better Business Bureau to see if their firm is well-reviewed.
You should always make sure your home looks like its occupied. Keep your radio, TV and lights on timers. This helps to create the illusion that someone is presently at home. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.
TIP! Look for ways to make your home seem occupied. Buy timers so things will go on and off at different times.
Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. You can’t have your valuable personal items and jewelry out in the open for anyone to see. Keep your safe in your basement or attic to make it hard to find.
Local Police
Before selecting any home-security company, talk to your friends to see who they suggest. This will help you to reduce the stress that you have on your search for a good one. Keep asking to get the advice that will help you make the right choice.
TIP! When you’re picking out home security equipment and services, don’t forget to ask your friends and family for help. You can benefit from the experience of others that have gone before you by paying attention to their recommendations and warnings.
Take advantage of any and all security resources your local police force makes available to homeowners. Several in various jurisdictions have programs which entail providing a home inspection, what protective measures will help your home and even how to engrave valuable items to make them easier to recover. Call the local police department and inquire as to what programs they offer.
You should always park your car inside your garage instead of using your garage to store some belongings. Keeping your car secured will prevent people from vandalizing it. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.
If you’re going on a trip for an extended period of time, switch the ringer off on all home phones. A constantly ringing phone can signal to a burglar that the house is vacant, making it an easy target for their criminal activities.
TIP! You should mute your land line phone if you are going on a vacation. If your phone is ringing while you are out, burglars will realize that no one is home, making your home very vulnerable to an attack during your time away.
A secure hiding place can be created in a wall. If you have valuables that are small in size, you may want to hide them within your walls. All you have to do is place them behind any unused phone jack, electrical outlet or switch plate. You can also install a fake one.
Lock the house, even if just going away for a short time. It might shock you to learn that most break-ins occur due to unlocked doors. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.
Make sure to clear your yard of brush and dead wood in the summertime. This can be a fire hazard, especially if you live in an area with high heat. Keep your yard clear of debris to keep your house safe.
TIP! During summer, remove your landscape’s dead vegetation and wood. When summer heats up, such debris can catch fire.
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.
Replace all locks in a new house. You have no way of knowing whether the previous homeowner is trustworthy. If the previous owners have never changed the locks, there could be people out there who owned the house before them and still have keys to your house.
Even if you have a great security system, it must be checked annually. Ask a home security employee to give it a look. 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 it’s not visible, you might not even know there’s a problem.
TIP! Get in the habit of checking your security system regularly. Ask someone who works at the security company to do a maintenance check.
Are you aware of the value of your home’s wires? Many people are not aware of this until they are stolen from their home. Wiring can be removed from the outside of a home in a heartbeat. Be sure to hide your wires or make sure they are hard to get to.
Power Goes
Be outgoing. Speak with your neighbors. Keep on eye on their home and ask neighbors to return the favor. Also consider listening in on some of the neighborhood gossip. Important security details (like the presence of strangers in your neighborhood) can come out of the most innocent conversations.
TIP! Be bold. Talk to the people who live in your neighborhood.
Purchase flashlights that have good batteries, and keep them in every room in your home in case the power goes out. If the power goes out, you will be able to see everything. This can come in handy if someone has cut your power and is attempting to break in.
If you move to a place that was occupied before, you should change the locks right away. While you may trust those who lived there before you, you have no idea who lived there before them. You can purchase locks and install them yourself to ascertain that only you have a key.
Always lock your home when you leave it, no matter how soon you plan to return. Most real-world burglars aren’t master lock-breakers; they simply stroll in through a door left carelessly unlocked. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.
TIP! Lock the house, even if just going away for a short time. Surprisingly, lots of burglaries occur because the burglar was able to simply walk in without having to actually break in.
Carefully check the references of everyone before allowing them to enter your home. Check if they have any history of criminal activity. You can’t know for sure about the integrity of people you hire, and blindly giving them access to your home can be a huge mistake.
When you hire a type of home security company, read the contract’s fine print before signing. There may be hidden costs involved that you were not aware of. You can easily avoid these fees if you do your research.
If you wish to boot your home’s security, one cheap way to do this is to buy exterior lights with motion detectors. At night, the lights will keep things bright round the house, but they are also efficient and cost-effective ways to help your security. Positioned correctly, these lights can make it impossible for intruders to get on your property undetected.
TIP! One relatively inexpensive way to add an extra layer of protection to your home is to install motion sensor lights for the exterior of your home. At night, the lights will keep things bright round the house, but they are also efficient and cost-effective ways to help your security.
Ask the home security companies to visit your home and design a system tailored to your needs. They should take your concerns seriously and address any issues you have. Doing this helps you get the best security you can get from the company, helping you to relax.
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. Burglars have been known to put these up, waiting to see if they are removed or not. If it stays where they put it, they will know you are on vacation.
Take advantage of the Internet while comparing your home security options. Check out reviews you find on the web. Then, you can set appointments to make price and service comparisons before you choose.
TIP! You need to make sure you’re making use of the Internet when looking at different home security companies. Research the possibilities, check out package options and pricing and analyze customer feedback.
Make sure that your house number are visible from the street. If an emergency happens, the police can’t get to the home as quick if your numbers are obscured in any way or are too small. Luckily, you can fix this quickly and cheaply if you see there’s a problem.
You as well as your loved ones deserve a secure home. Crime may strike when you’re off-guard. Remember what you’ve read and be sure and implement the tips provided. Don’t procrastinate in doing this. Do something about your home security before it is too late.
If you come home and see your door ajar, never investigate it alone. This can be a dangerous scenario, as the criminal might still be present. Instead, call the police to inform them of what happened, and wait on them.
TIP! When your door is found ajar when you get home, call the police. This is a delicate situation as the burglar might still be in your home.