Knowledge is the basis on which the best home security decisions are made. It is not a decision to take lightly. Figure out what you can afford and what is most important.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you are away from home? Using Fido to hide your spare key can be a clever trick. Fasten the key to your dog’s collar to hide it from view. This is quite effective if your pet does not respond well to strangers.

Once you buy a house, switch out the locks. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. Call a locksmith to make sure you’re the only one with access to your home. Be sure to cal a locksmith if you were to lose your keys as well.

If your home has a lot of valuable items inside, then you need to purchase a safe so that all of these items can be kept in a single location. This will keep your stash of diamonds, gold and other valuable items out of view and inaccessible to burglars. Hide the safe in a very hard to reach place like the attic or a closet in the basement.

Buy housing materials that are fire resistant. This helps protect your home when you dwell in a more dry climate. Stopping fire hazards is a key precaution to take since the damage it causes can be considerable.

Get advice from loved ones about home security systems. Your loved ones likely have dealt with this situation before. Spending a few days asking for reviews is useful in helping you choose correctly.

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. Clearing your yard keeps your home, belongings and family much safer.

It can be a good idea to only leave one ringer on in your home when you are away. 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.

Keep your car in your garage if you have one. Keeping the car inside is a good way to keep criminals from stealing or harming it. It will also keep any intruders from knowing when you’re home.

If you do not know the person at your door, don’t open it. Many people are devising many different schemes to get into homes and burglarize them. You should make sure you only open the door to your home for people that you know and are expecting.

You never want people to be able to see your valuables from outside of your home. Large front windows are great, but they also allow others to peer into your home. Cover all street-facing windows.

Listen to your intuition as to whether your system is being installed by a trustworthy home security company. You should be very picky when it comes to letting people inspect your home. Never be afraid to ask for a new installer or to get an entirely new firm. Remember that every aspect of your home security system should support you in feeling more secure.

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. It can be a quick job for a burglar to steal items of great value.

If you have just bought any pricey new goods, never toss the boxes onto the curb prior to the garbage man’s arrival. Having these boxes around for a while will give people an idea of what is inside your house.

If you have any boxes to discard from large, expensive items, wait until the evening before the trash is scheduled for collection. Letting such packaging sit out will signal to criminals that there are good things to be found in your house.

Did you know that the wires on your home are valuable? Many folks are not aware of this until a thief steals it. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home. Hide your wiring for optimum security.

Door Frame

If the home you are moving into is not brand new, you should change the locks on all the doors. The previous owners or tenants might have made some copies of the key. You can purchase locks and install them yourself to ascertain that only you have a key.

Your door frame should be replaced if the wood around it is rotting. It is simple for a robber to pry away rotting wood and enter your home. Replace the rotting door frame with a new one and keep your home much safer.

Always ask for references before letting a contractor or a maid in your home. A background check is also a good idea, so that you know what their criminal history looks like. You might not know that the maid or contractor entering your home is a crook, and this could be a very bad mistake.

If you move into a home or apartment that has been previously lived in, the first thing you should do is change the locks. The previous owners or tenants might have made some copies of the key. You can install locks yourself to make sure you’re the only one who has a key.

Safety should be kept in mind when you are planning your landscape. Keep your doors and windows clear of any shrubbery. If they can be seen, there will be no place to hide. Have your landscape several feet away from your house for better safety.

If you need to make the outside of your home secure, you can achieve this relatively inexpensively by installing lights with motion detectors. In the dark hours, these lights will provide the illumination necessary to protect your home and also save money by staying off when they’re not needed. When they are positioned correctly, they make it pretty much impossible for intruders to get to your house unnoticed.

Wireless security systems are the next generation in protection. Systems that are wired can be a little cheaper, but may need significant reworking of your home’s electrical wiring and can fail in a power outage. Wireless systems are much easier to install, and they can work independently of your home’s power.

Always keep your home’s exterior well lit. Nothing is as attractive to a burglar as a dark, deeply-shadowed house. Install lights by each and every entryway to your home. Make sure your porch, garage, doorways and windows are well lit.

Dogs make a great security system. Dogs protect their territory diligently, and tend to make noise if something goes awry. A common misconception, though, is that you have to have a large animal to be safe. Small dogs also have the ability to scare away burglars who definitely don’t want lots of ruckus when they appear.

Never enter your house if the door is open or something doesn’t feel right. This is very dangerous due to the fact that the thief can still be inside your property. Get on the phone to the authorities immediately.

Talk to your home-security company to see if they provide buy and lease options for your equipment. You’ll spend less money in the long-run if you buy the equipment outright. The initial cost of leasing may seem low, but you may be required to sign a long term contract and it may carry a higher monthly fee. Check out both options and determine which is best for you.

Given your exposure to the article above, you certainly have greater knowledge on the topic. Home security is an important subject. You must place your family’s safety as a top priority. Keep these tips in your mind as you think about home security.

Avoid storing car registration in your glove compartment. These valuable documents provide criminals with information about your home location. You ought to keep them with you or store them in an alternate spot in the car. You still need to have them close in case you are pulled over.