Home Security Tips
The following home security tips are to help you point out areas around your home that may be easy access for burglars. These home security tips do not guaranty you can't be broken into but they should help to significantly reduce the probability being burglarized and/or victimized.
The most obvious of course is to have a home security system in your home. This alone will reduce your chances of being broken into by 3 to 4 times. And be sure to advertise that you have a security system in your home. Place your home security sign in a well-lit area in your yard that can easily be seen from the street. It's much easier for a burglar to go to the house down the street that doesn't have monitored home security than to risk being caught breaking into a house that does.
Make sure your neighbors know you have monitored home security service. Most break-ins are by acquaintances or people that live close by. So let people know that you're serious about your home security and that you use your system regularly.
Limiting things in your yard that block the view from your house to the street is a great way to enhance your home security service. Obstacles make perfect hiding places for burglars. So trim down any bushes or plants that may hide doors or windows. Also prune out trees with branches that burglars could use to get on your roof or to gain access to upper level windows. Thorny bushes and shrubs planted against your house around windows will help deter people from trying to crawl through. Anything that makes it harder to enter your home or decreases hiding areas will help increase your home security.
Lights are a great way to improve on your home security. If you have dark corners around your home put up lights in those areas and leave your front porch light on all night. This additional home security will make it harder for people to hide while trying to get in. Motion activated lights are also a good feature to have. The sudden light will alert people nearby to look at your home in case of movement.
One of the best home security steps you should take when moving into a new home is replace all of the main locks. You have no idea how many people have keys to these locks. So to increase your home security it's a good idea to replace them. Also only give spare keys to other people when you must, and even then make sure you trust them. It is also a poor home security choice to hide spare keys under your front door mat or under flowerpots; these are main places that burglars regularly check. If you feel you must hide a spare key, find a hiding place away from your door to hide it.
This is an easy one but it's often overlooked. Always make sure all the windows in your house are closed and securely locked. If your windows don't have locks, a quick home security fix is to get wooden dowel rods and cut them to fit snugly between the top of the window and the window frame. These are very effective home security items and can be painted or stained to match in with the window as well.
Doors with large glass panes in them are very attractive but are also major home security risks. No matter how good the lock on the door is, someone can easily break the glass to gain entry into your home. You should strongly consider replacing these doors with solid wood or metal doors. Or if you can't do that, you should get a glass break detectors or additional motion detectors for your home security system and place them by the doors.
You're not the only one looking forward to your vacation. Burglars will often look for homes where people are obviously out of town to break into. Now the best home security service you could get is to have someone very trustworthy housesit for you, but if you can't have that then here are some good home security tips for when you're on vacation:
- Get timers for multiple lights in your home and set them for all different times throughout the day.
- If you will be gone for several days considers putting a hold on mail and newspaper delivery, or get a trusted neighbor or family member to pick it up everyday.
- Have one of your neighbors park their car in your driveway. And most importantly!
- Make sure you turn on your home security system before you leave. That is the best home security step you can take to protect your home.
The main point of getting a wireless home security is the deterrent factor. The value in a home security system is in its ability to deter burglaries or crimes from ever occurring in the first place and to reduce your chances of being burglarized and/or victimized. Home security is a lifestyle. Follow some of these tips to improve your overall home security and thus reduce you and your family's chances of being burglarized or victimized.
