There may always be someone who will want your valuable items. Boost your home safety to keep burglars from targeting you. Read on to find out how to secure your home.

Make sure your home appears occupied. Use timers to make electronic devices and lights turn on and off at intervals. This will make it look like someone is home. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.

You should always make sure your home looks like its occupied. You could purchase timers and have your TVs, lights, radios and other types of electronics to go on at various times. It’ll make it seem like someone is home. This can be a terrific method of securing your home and keeping burglars at bay.

When you buy a new house, be sure the locks are changed. It’s important to know everyone who has a key to your home. To make sure you are the sole person with access to the home, engage the services of a locksmith. Also, if you lose your keys, change the locks.

Do you have an outside dog? Using Fido to hide your spare key can be a clever trick. Attach the key inside their collar and make sure it can’t be seen. This is an especially good idea if your dog doesn’t like strangers, and gives you easy access to get in your home.

Why not give your trusted dog the job of holding onto your spare key? This works with a dog that stays outside or a dog with a pet door. Put a key on the dog’s collar so you have access to it when necessary!

If you retain a space key for when you get locked out, consider the place you hide it carefully. You don’t want to put them in common spots, such as above the frame of the door or under the doormat. For a better solution, try tucking your spare key into your dog’s collar, provided you have an outside dog.

See if your area police department has any home security programs. There are plenty of things that can be done, from a safety walk to cataloging expensive items to help protect your investment and your family. Talk with local police to see if they offer these programs.

Does your dog stay outside while you are gone? Your dog is an excellent place to hide your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. If your pet does not get along with strangers, this will ensure your spare key stays safe.

Always go with your gut when it comes to choosing a security firm. This is particularly true if you’re uneasy with those that install your actual system. You should not hesitate to ask if you can work with a different representative or find a different company if you are not comfortable. The point of having a security system is to make yourself feel at ease.

Don’t think you’re not at risk just because you don’t live in a big city. Nonetheless, people in the country may be at greater risk due to being far away from neighbors. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.

If your garage is attached to your home, always keep it secure. 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. Using a C-clamp on the garage door will prevent it from opening by staying on the door’s track.

Walls are excellent hiding spots. If you need to protect expensive items in your home, put them inside the walls. Use an old switch plate, outlet or phone jack. If there are no unused plates, you can easily install fake ones.

If you’ve just gotten a home, replace every lock. The old owners may seem nice, but you don’t know everything about them. Also, there have likely been other owners of the home, and you don’t know them either.

Before doing anything else, install new locks in your home. This could be an ex-spouse or roommate you got into a fight with. Changing the locks can typically be done very cheaply and quickly.

Plug a rechargeable flashlight into an outlet in each room of your house in the event of power outage. If the lights go out, they will ensure everyone stays safe. Train your kids how to use flashlights so that all members of the family can contribute.

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. These lights illuminate your home during the night. As an added bonus, they are affordable and quite efficient. They also help to keep intruders away, because an intruder does not want to come close to your property if they know they might be spotted.

Stashing your most precious possession right inside the walls of your home can be a great idea. This doesn’t require tearing into your walls, of course. Many areas in your house are already accessible for this purpose. Consider unwiring an electrical socket that isn’t used and storing your valuable jewelry.

Be sure and keep the outside of your house well lit. Burglars like the cover of darkness to commit their crimes. Install lighting anywhere a possible intruder might break in. Make sure your porch, garage, doorways and windows are well lit.

If you get home and notice an open door, do not go in to see what has happened. This can be quite dangerous because the burglar may still be on your property. Get on the phone to the authorities immediately.

Don’t put your extra key under you doormat, in a planter, or in a cleverly disguised false rock. Though you may think you are giving yourself a way into your home if you lose your key, you are actually inadvertently inviting intruders into your home. Thieves are aware of all these spots. Ask a friend, neighbor or relative to keep your extra keys for you.

Do not purchase spring latch locks. This type of lock is extremely easy to break. Anyone with a credit card can do it. The card is slid into the crevice between the latch and the door, pushing the latch back and springing the lock open. If you are already using locks that operate on spring latches, improve your security by adding a deadbolt.

If you want to hide your house key, find a spot that is not obvious. Fake rocks are easy to spot. The first place an intruder will likely look is under the doormat. It’s best to ask a trusted friend or even a neighbor to hold the extra key. If that option isn’t available to you, be creative with your hiding spots.

If you bought any expensive or large items, don’t throw the boxes out until the day trash is scheduled to be removed. Empty boxes might draw the attention of robbers and let everyone know you own new and expensive goods.

If your door has a numeric keypad, don’t use your birthday as the password. A thief can easily find this information out. Instead, make the number something that is hard to figure out.

If the cost of maintenance is a concern, a hard-wired system may be your best choice. Although wireless security equipment is easy to install, it relies on battery power, necessitating constant battery swaps. You might forget to change out the batteries, which will result in your system not operating as it should. Additionally, it can cost a pretty penny to buy batteries again and again.

Just moved in? Time for new locks! As nice as the previous person may seem, you don’t really know them. And, other people could have lived in the home previously to them as well.

If the window of your living room faces the street, close your curtains at night. You do not want to invite people peeking in through your window. Someone who can peer into your home may decide that your valuables are ripe for the taking. Try being discreet about what everyone sees to reduce the chances of being targeted by burglars.

Rather than believing that you will never have a burglar break into your home, you should be prepared in case it were to occur. You do not need to live in fear, but you must be cautious. Read through this article as often as necessary so that you are well versed in the basics of home security.

Check each spring for any rotting frames on your doors and windows. Replace them immediately if you spot any problems. Anyone hoping to enter your home can very easily do so by just prying away the rotted wood. Replace rotted wood with fresh wood to make your home safer.