If your home has been feeling less than secure lately there are some things that you need to do immediately to improve the safety of your home. While you can simply head out to the store and add better locks, the first step towards making your home more resistant to invasion is to conduct a home security audit.
Increasing home safety is not difficult to do. You may be surprised at how little it takes to make your home more secure. It also doesn't cost a lot of money to keep your home safe, here are some tips that will keep your home safe from intruders.
Get Strong Doors
The reality is that many burglars enter the home through the front door. Making sure you have a secure front door is one of the first steps to your home security. Look at the frames of your doors and make sure that they are strong.
If your home has a pet door or a mail door make sure that it is low enough so that someone cannot reach their hand through it and unlock your door. Better yet, avoid this feature on your front door altogether.
Pay attention to your locks as well, if the locks on your front door start to malfunction. You should change them immediately.
Make sure the other doors in your home are protected as well. Sliding doors can be very attractive to burglars so make sure that these have secure fastenings that make it difficult for a thief to break in. You can add glass break sensors to your sliding doors so that you can become alert should somebody try to break in.
Secure Your Windows
Another thing you need to do is to secure your windows. You already know that burglars love to use the front door, the other entrance that they love to use to get into your home is your windows.
The last thing you should do before you go to bed at night is to make sure that you check your windows. If everybody leaves the home during the day make sure that no one opens these windows before they leave or they may forget to shut them back.
You can also reinforce your glass windows with window security film and window bars as well to make them more secure. Think too about installing window sensors and glass break sensors on your windows.
This is especially important if you are going on vacation and will be leaving your home unattended. Making it as difficult as possible for thieves to enter your home through entrances such as a window is critical.
Light Up Your Yard
Lighting is one of the critical components to keeping your home secure, especially at night. Criminals and burglars love homes with landscapes that are dark so that they can find hiding places.
Lighting up your yard is very important especially if you have bushes around your home or you live in a woodland area. Make sure that there are a lot of floodlights in your front yard as well as your backyard. Light up the pathways and the areas around your garage, and your front door.
If you're concerned about a rise in your energy bill from all these lights, you can use energy-saving bulbs or use solar lights instead. You can also use the lights that are activated when motion is detected.
This means that the lights only come on when there is activity. This will prevent the light from burning all the time. You can have smart light bulbs in your home so that you can set schedules as well.
For example, if you were coming home late you can turn on the lights with your phone before you drive up to your garage.
This can prevent unexpected attacks, is assault a felony? The short answer is yes, but that won't stop a daring criminal from trying to rob you in the dark. Having a yard that's well lit ahead of your arrival can save your life.
Invest In a Security System
A good way to secure your home is to invest in a security system. Decades ago home security systems cost a lot of money but now with the advent of technology home security systems are cheaper than ever. It can be just as simple as adding a security light bulb to a regular socket.
These devices are connected with apps on your phone and you can use them to look at what is happening in your home from your smartphone while you are not there. This is great for security especially when you will be away from home for a long period.
There are also traditional security cameras still available but at a fraction of the cost that they were many years ago. Go on places like Amazon and search for security cameras and you will find a wide array of affordable security systems that you may even be able to install yourself.
There are some features that you should consider for your home security system. These features may include motion detection as well as night vision. This can make it easy for you to spot Intruders at night with your security cameras. Having a way to talk can also help to deter criminals.
For example, if you see someone approaching your front door you can raise an alarm so that they know you are watching. Ensure that any security system you choose has a waterproof casing so that when it's outside it will not get damaged.
Secure Your Garage
Don't make the mistake of thinking your garage will not be a target for criminals. Chances are that you have a car or two and this makes your garage a target, especially at night. While you are sleeping thieves can target your garage and try to get into it.
This is one area in your home where you need to invest in a proper security system as well. Make sure that your garage door opener is the latest model at all times. If it is not the latest model ensure that it is always functioning properly.
If your garage has windows it is best to use curtains or covers over your windows so that they cannot easily see what is inside your garage. You can also buy extra locks to secure your garage as well.
Driveway alarms are becoming very popular with homeowners and you should consider getting one to secure the items that are stored in your garage as well as your cars.
Eliminate Hiding Places
Criminals love to find areas on properties where they can hide and not be detected. Some of the places that they love to hide are in bushes or woodland areas.
Make sure that you are taking care of your yard. This means that you should trim trees and bushes as much as possible making it difficult for intruders to find places to hide.
If you cannot keep up with the landscaping of your yard yourself, it's good to hire somebody to do it for you. Make sure that you are always keeping your yard free of hiding places no matter what it takes.
Vacation Safety Is Important
When you're going on vacation you need to make sure that your property is secure. Aside from ensuring that you have security cameras that you can use to view your property from wherever you are, you need to make sure that you don't make it obvious to criminals that no one is home.
As mentioned before, you need to keep your yard looking as good as possible even when you are on vacation. Having a yard that looks unkempt is a clear signal that nobody's home. While you are not home, schedule landscapers to come in and clean up your yard. You can get a relative to come over and supervise them or even a friend.
Have your neighbors collect your mail and remove any newspapers from your front door. It is another clear signal that no one is home when packages and newspapers start piling up. This will make your home a target for criminals
Be careful what you post on social media as well. While you may want to share your exciting vacation with your friends and family, if your page is not private then it also means that unscrupulous people can see that you are away from home. They can then make plans to rob your home without interference.
Keep Safe
As you can see there are many ways that Intruders will try to enter your home. The best thing you can do to keep you and your family safe is to ensure that you do due diligence when it comes to securing your premises. Make sure that you make it hard for criminals to get into your home.
Secure your windows and doors and install security cameras wherever you can. Keep your home well lit as well so that intruders will be deterred from approaching it for criminal activities.
Be sure to remove every hiding place that criminals can use to stay undetected. The best way to do this is by trimming trees in your yard and getting rid of high bushes.
Stay alert when you go on vacation as well by monitoring your home with a security camera and trying to make it less obvious that no one is home.
