You love your family. That’s why you’ve gone to great lengths to provide them with a roof over their heads to keep them safe. Home security should be a number one priority for property owners who want to both protect their investment, belongings and, most importantly, their loved ones. While taking basic measures like locking the doors and windows is imperative, to truly stay safe, you must detect your home’s vulnerabilities and use home security measures to minimize the risks of danger. Below is a bit of advice.
Advanced Home Security Systems
Store bought security systems, though advanced since times past, are a very basic measure for protecting your home. Generally packaged with a few door and window sensors, a motion detector, and keypad, these devices make loud noises which in turn should awake you and/or deter the thief from entering the home. However, if you’re not home, or unable to reach the phone, help could take a while to arrive and your home could be burglarized, or worse, you could get hurt.
More advanced home security systems complete with 24-hour monitoring services, add another layer of protection. With advanced technology like smartphone access, security cameras, and motion lights, the system is designed to provide whole-house protection. Should the alarm be triggered, the monitoring service goes to work right away trying to get in contact with someone in the house and/or the authorities. Therefore, help arrives faster. Find out more about local home security monitoring services by searching online for reputable companies.
Keep Up with Landscaping
Think that skipping a week or two on cutting the grass or trimming the hedges won’t hurt? Well, the exact opposite is true. Thieves look for signs of a vacant property. An unkempt lawn is one of the first things they look at. If your cars aren’t outside and the lawn is a mess, they may attempt to enter the home. Not to mention, not pruning trees and trimming hedges is also a safety risk for you and your family. Criminals can easily hide behind dark areas with high shrubbery and force you to enter your house. Try to tend to your lawn at least once a week, remembering to pay special attention to trees and shrubbery near entryways. If you’re going on vacation, ask a neighbor or hire a landscaper to do it for you.
Be Mindful of the Garage Door
The entry doors and windows are important to lock and upgrade for home security purposes, however, they aren’t the only ways that burglars can enter the home. Garage doors are often easy to access and are often overlooked by homeowners. To ensure criminals can’t enter the home from the garage door make sure that you’re locking it each night and that you remove the door opener from view. You should also install a deadbolt lock on the door from your garage to your home, so the thief cannot get in easily. Lastly, you might install a motion sensor and/or a motion light over the garage door to detect thieves before they enter.
Jedi Mind Trick
Want to know the best way to make a suspicious character think twice about breaking and entering your house? The illusion that someone is always there. Obviously, they don’t want to get caught. So, an occupied property or one that appears to have high traffic is a red flag. Make it appear that someone is home – even when they’re not. Set your lights on a timer, leave a radio or television on, and don’t close your curtains or blinds all the way. You can also ask neighbors to park in your driveway if you plan on taking a trip and won’t be home.
Home security should not be taken lightly. The government has reported more than 7.9 million property crimes last year. Unless you want your house and loved ones to end up statistics, it is imperative to go above and beyond to protect them. These tips will reduce the risk of a suspicious person trying to enter your home.
