Personal Safety

Improve Your Life With These Home Security Tips

Something tragic or bad can and will occur when it is least expected. Do not endanger your home and loved ones at risk due to laziness. Read the below article to learn excellent ideas on keeping your home safe from targeting you.

Good home security systems sound a loud alarm when breached, and that’s not all. Many systems sound an alert whenever people enter the house. This is important if you have small kids.

TIP! A good security system has many more features than sounding the alarm during a break-in. They can actually be set to chime whenever a monitored door is opened.

Be sure your home is always occupied. You could purchase timers and have your TVs, lights, lights and other electronics go off and on at different times. This makes it appear as if someone is home. This is a simple way to improve your home and make it less attractive to criminals.

Purchase a safe to lock all of the extremely valuable items in your home in one place. This ensures during a break in that the most important things are not stolen. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.

TIP! 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 help to keep your jewelry and other valuables secured in the event of a break in.

This give your home won’t be a tinderbox.

Do not tell anyone that you are going on vacation out of your friend circle. You may be very excited about your impending vacation, but there is no need to let potential burglars know when you will be gone.

TIP! If you have a lot of unfamiliar people on you social networking accounts, avoid letting everyone know you will be going on vacation. Potential intruders could get a good idea of when you will be gone by monitoring what you share on social networks.

Don’t talk about an upcoming vacation anywhere on the web. While you may want to shout it from the rooftops, you are letting thieves know that your house will be empty and they can come right in.

Talk to people you know about their security systems. Other people will probably have personal experience with these companies that are either good or bad. They can share their experiences with you, which will greatly assist you in making the best decision. Make sure to ask neighbors for advice too.

TIP! When you’re picking out home security equipment and services, don’t forget to ask your friends and family for help. Your friends have gone through both bad and good experiences and they will be able to share them with you.

Turn the ringers off on your telephone if you will be away for a prolonged period of time. A constantly ringing phone lets thieves know that you’re not there.

Shut off the ringer for all of the telephones in your home if you are planning to go on vacation for a long time. A loud ring that goes unanswered can alert people to the fact that you aren’t home. This makes you more likely to be the victim of a burglary.

TIP! When you’re going away, turn off your phone ringers. A burglar might hear your phone ring and ring and ring, then realize that you are not home to answer it.

There is a way to prevent burglars going into their home through an attached garage. You can use a C-clamp to stop the door and prevent it from being opened.

Don’t let people into your house that you don’t know. Even if someone has a good story, requires help or has a great product to sell, ignore them. Some criminals will come in, case your house and then come back when you are away.

TIP! You should not let anyone inside your home. Even people who claim to need help may be out to harm you.

Talk to the people who live in your neighbors.

You need to be sure the attached garage of yours is secure. There is a way to prevent burglars from entering your home through the garage. Simply attach a C-clamp near the roller on the door track.

TIP! Your garage needs to be secure. Lots of people are afraid that burglars will be able to break into their garage, which will result in them breaking into the home.

Do not place your spare keys under your mat or in plant boxes. These are the first places criminals will look when you misplace your home. Burglars are well aware of these hiding spots.

Use your garage for what it was intended: your car. You will not have to worry about thieves taking your car if it is inside your garage. Besides, intruders will have a hard time determining whether or not you are home if you keep your car inside your garage.

TIP! If you have a garage, increase your home security by using it to house your car, rather than just for storage. Having the car in the garage will prevent it from getting broken into or stolen.

Make sure that your valuables cannot be seen from the outside. Large front windows are great, but they also allow outsiders to see inside your living space.

Use exterior lights that have motion sensors. They will illuminate your property if they sense any movement near your home. These lights will not only let you know when someone gets too close, they will also stop potential burglars from breaking in. After all, burglars don’t want anyone to know they are there. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.

TIP! Put motion-sensor lights into your home. If someone enters their proximity, they will light automatically.

Entry Points

Always change the locks if you have someone move out of your home. Not everyone who leaves your house will leave happy, and a fresh set of locks will protect you from both former residents and acquaintances of your own looking to cause mischief. It is usually inexpensive and can be done in less than 24 hours.

TIP! When it comes to securing your home, start by changing your locks. This could be an ex-spouse or roommate you got into a fight with.

When you pick an alarm system, be sure and get one that protects more than your doors. All of your windows are possible entry points for thieves. You want a security system that monitors all your windows and entry points. This can keep your family safer.

Your home may be equipped with skylights, and if so you must not neglect them in your security planning. Skylights are a wonderful addition to any home, but they also tend to be weak spots that intruders take advantage of. Be certain to have skylights that incorporate strong, durable hardware.

TIP! If you’ve got skylights, don’t forget about it when it comes to home security. Skylights are excellent for beauty and light, but it’s easy for burglars to gain access to your home through them.

Having these boxes around for a while will give people an idea of items that are inside your home.

Make sure the wires of your home security system are completely hidden. An intruder can cut the wires or disconnect them and avoid the system. Never make things easy for them. Ask the person installing it to bury the wires or hide them inside the walls. This makes it much less likely that your system will be compromised.

TIP! If you install a security system, make certain to hide the wires well. You don’t want a burglar to get access to them and disable your system.

The wiring outside of your house is valuable to burglars. Lots of people don’t know this until their wires are hit by thieves. The copper and may be stripped off the exterior of the house in a home. Make sure your wiring is hidden or hard to access in order to keep this valuable item safe.

Be sure to replace rotten wood in the frame of your front door. If a person wants to enter your home, rotted wood can easily be pried away. Replace wood that is starting to rot with fresh new wood to keep your home as safe as possible.

TIP! Replace any wood surrounding your door frame that is rotting. Anybody wanting to break into your house can just pry off rotted wood and get inside.

Flashlights are key because they allow you move around in an emergency should arise. Teach everyone in your children how to properly use the flashlights so all family members can see and help each other.

Carefully check the references of everyone before allowing them to enter your home. Try doing a background check to look at their criminal history. Anyone you bring into your home to work could be your worst enemy.

TIP! Before allowing anyone into your home, check their references carefully. Check if they have any history of criminal activity.

Think about a wireless security system for the home. While wired systems may seem cheaper, the cost of installation can be sky high.

Whenever you are landscaping your home, you should consider safety. Shrubs, trees, fences, etc. should not obstruct the view of your doors and windows. If they can be seen, there will be no place to hide. Put landscaping farther away from the house for greater safety.

TIP! When you landscape your house, make it safe. There should be no plants or greenery in front of doors or windows.

If you plan to be away and you have another person collecting your mail, ask a friend to take a look at your door for any fliers. Burglars sometimes place fliers as a means to see whether or not they are removed.

Before you think about home security, consider personal security and safety. Although they can be very helpful, security systems aren’t always necessary. Some individuals are more comfortable with a canine alarm, while other people enjoy the feeling of security that a sophisticated alarm system can bring. Be aware of your risks to make an intelligent purchasing decisions.

TIP! You need to think about what you need as far as home security before you look at different systems. While these systems could be good for protecting your family, they aren’t for everyone.

Credit Card

Anytime you come home and notice that the door is open whenever you are quite certain you closed it, don’t enter on your own to investigate. This can be a dangerous scenario, as the criminal might still be present. Your best bet is to call the cops and wait until they arrive before you do anything else.

TIP! If you come to your home and discover that your door has been left open, avoid investigating by yourself. A thief might still be in there, which could put you in danger.

Don’t get spring latch locks installed. These are easy to pick by simply using a credit card.Intruders can pick these locks by wedging a credit card in between the latch and the lock to pop open. Add a deadbolt to existing spring latch locks.

If you are going on a vacation, ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and check your home for flyers. Robbers will place these on your door and may invade your home if they are not removed. If the flier is not removed, it’s easy for a burglar to suspect that the owner is away.

TIP! Arrange for someone to pick up your mail and remove any fliers from your door if you are out of town. Thieves will drop off flyers to see if home owners are away.

Hard-wired security systems can help you to cut down on costs. It can also be pretty expensive to replace many different batteries.

Don’t leave the boxes of any high priced electronics on the curb of your house. Burglars will instantly take notices of these boxes and what used to be in them, making you an easy burglary target. Remember to cut up the boxes when they’re emptied.

TIP! Never place empty boxes for expensive items out on the curb. This will show that you have expensive equipment in your home.

Secure valuables that is as safe as possible. Some of these items can include legal documents, expensive jewelry, passports, passports and family pictures. Floor safes are excellent locations for keeping these items inside your home. You could also look into getting a safety deposit box.

Can you see the number of your house from the street? Make sure they are large in case emergency personnel need to find your house. Thankfully if you notice a problem it’s an easy and cheap thing to fix.

TIP! Are the numbers of your home visible from the street? If your house numbers are not easy to see, the police may have difficulty finding you in an emergency. Fortunately, this is something that can be corrected quickly and cheaply.

Always change the keys and locks when you move in.This applies to purchases and rentals, so discuss it with your landlord, or you can just do it on your own.

Don’t use locks of the spring latch variety. These type of lock is the easiest lock to pick, it could even be opened by a credit card. A thief only needs to skip the credit card in between the lock to make it open. If you have spring latches already installed, consider adding deadbolts too.

TIP! Steer clear of locks with spring latches. These type of locks can actually be opened by using a credit card.

A burglar can easily remove them out and come on in they’re not secured. Remove your window air conditioners in the winter when you do not need them.

Think about getting a hard-wired system if you have concerns about maintenance issues. While wireless systems are great, they do require batteries on a consistent basis. If the batteries are not changed, the system might not work at all. Furthermore, it can be costly to replace multiple batteries.

TIP! Think about hard-wired security systems if you’re worried about long term maintenance costs. A wireless system required the regular replacement of many batteries.

Your home’s security depends on your trash you throw away. If you have newly purchased electronics, the boxes in the front of your house will cause a thief to come back and steal them. Even a simple appliance may be enough to entice a good target to break into.

An automatic device can control your lights, turning them on and off at the time you set. This makes your life a bit easier, and it means that your lights will still be lit even if you are away from long periods of time.

TIP! Program your lights to turn on and off at random intervals with a timer. Not only does this save you a step, you can continue the routine even when you are not home.

Advertise the fact that you have installed an alarm systmem. Window stickers and signs will deter intruders. If they don’t know about this until they get inside, they still have a chance to grab something and run.

Women are much more likely to be targeted for a home invasion, especially if they live by themselves or with children. Keep some shoes on your porch to make potential intruders think a man lives here. This will drive away thieves.

TIP! Women are usually targeted for home invasion, particularly if they live alone or live with their kids. Therefore, consider putting large boots on the front step of your home to make burglars believe a manly man lives in the room.

Change the code on your garage door opener on a semi regular basis. The code you get is standard for many products. Thieves will go from door to door with their opener until they find one which works on the generic code which is built in.

Having a firearm handy is important to protect yourself from a burglary. If you own a gun, you should get professional training on its use. Knowing you can protect yourself really is a great feeling.

TIP! The second amendment of the United States constitution is an important one because it allows people to protect themselves from criminals. You may want to get firearm training and purchase one so you are prepared if something occurs.

Use home smoke alarms in your home. This type connects all of your home’s alarms into one system. When one goes off, the others will be as well.This lets the entire home know when there is a potential fire. The sooner you hear the alarm, the better your chances to deal with the problem.

TIP!

If you have a ladder in your shed, make sure you lock the door to that building. This is the same thing as inviting a chance to get into your homes second story.

TIP!

Change the locks once you are moving to a new place. A new set of locks could be the factor that there are no strangers with keys to your house. If you’ve lost your keys, you should also change your locks.

TIP!

Criminals are not predictable, and a break-in of your home can happen at any time. Rather than hoping you wont be targeted, you should take active steps to prevent it from happening. Start with these tips, and grow from there.

TIP!

It’s time to start using all this great blue widget advice. While it is usually difficult to learn about new things, you should have a good idea of all of the basics. If you keep putting in the time, you’ll eventually be as knowledgeable as the pros.

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