Be Safer With These Great Home Security Tips

Keeping your home secure can be a daunting task if you lack a basic understanding of what is possible and how to seek assistance with the job. Some study of the subject is essential for virtually all homeowners. Keep reading to acquire the type of information necessary to ensure that your home security needs are met.

When choosing a security company, it is best if you find a good one that has a local office in your area. This will mean that any incidents will be handled expediently, and it also makes for much better customer service in general. Look to see what is available in your area.

Do you keep your dog outside if you leave the home? Your pet might just be the perfect place to stash a spare key to your home. Fasten the key to your dog's collar to hide it from view. If your dog doesn't like strangers, it's even better.

Keep the area directly alongside your home clear of bushes to eliminate hiding places for intruders. Although having shrubs and ornamental bushes underneath windows and along the sides of your home can be beautiful, they're perfect hiding places for people who are trying to break-in. Keep these potential trouble spots clear, especially in front of and around windows.

Make sure that everyone in your family is familiar with the emergency numbers in your phone. Also, have each of these programmed so that it only takes one touch of a button to dial them. This will allow everyone in your house to be of quick service if something goes wrong.

Do not list your full name in the phone book or on your mail box. This can give possible intruders a lot of information about you and allow them break into your home a lot easier. Instead, only list your last name and possibly your first initial, this is much safer.

Broken windows can cause the cold to get into your house. Worse, it is an open invitation for a burglar to enter your home. So, if one of your windows is broken, be sure to have fixed right away. The same applies to broken front doors, back doors, and garage doors.

Add lights to your lawn. You don't need crazy bright spotlights to keep thieves away. All you need is some decent general lighting that makes your property just a little less appealing to criminals than homes that offer a lot more cover. You can even use lights on timers to help save on the overall electricity bill while still helping to keep you safe.

Do not do any landscaping that will obscure the entrances of your home. While you may think it is a good idea to plant a huge rosebush in front of your living room windows, this gives a thief a place to hide while they figure out a way to get into your home.

If your home security system goes off a lot because it is faulty, or you accidentally set it off yourself, fix the problem immediately. A home security system is one of the best ways to prevent break-ins, but your neighbors will ignore it they hear it set off a lot.

Never leave a note on your door for deliverymen or service people as it is a big flag announcing that you're not home. Instead, call the company and let them know whatever it is you need to tell them. Not having your home robbed is worth the extra effort it takes.

Securing a home thoroughly is not the simple proposition many may believe. There are technical aspects to home security that may not always be obvious to novices. Fortunately, now that you have reviewed the concepts and information above, you should be prepared to move forward with the process of keeping your home and possessions safe from harm.