Home Security Tips & Tricks

Protecting your home not only covers your material possessions, it covers what you hold dear the most, your family. That’s why it is extremely important to feel safe at home, the peace of mind is priceless.

Unfortunately, with the prevalence of thefts and break-ins one shouldn’t take anything for granted.You should play an active part in providing protection to your loved ones and your possessions.

It all starts when you move to a new apartment or home. The first thing you have to do is change the locks. If it’s an apartment you are renting, make sure your landlord is informed. Changing your lock goes hand in hand in keeping your front door locked at all times. Use your windows for air circulation or a screen door that you keep closed. Make sure your open window is not accessible (especially with a ladder).

If you have a garage attached to your house, keeping the door closed is as important since it provides direct access to your home. A knock on your door should not be ignored, it’s an innocent trick to confirm if the house is empty or occupied. Use a peep hole rather than a chain lock to identify who is standing at your door. A chain lock can be easily overpowered if the person intends to force his way into your house.

Keep your property well maintained, have the grass cut at regular time intervals. Trim your hedges and pick up your mail regularly. When you’re leaving, make sure your house always looks like someone is currently in. Leaving a radio on and a few lights will do the job. If you’re going away for more than a day, you might want to lower your phone ringer. An unanswered call confirms the house is most likely empty.

Last but not least, keep a good working relationship with your neighbors as you can watch each others homes.

These tips and tricks are not flawless and may not be enough to deter a dedicated burglar. Installing a home security system would be the silver bullet in home security.The problem is that home security providers do their best to capitalise on your fears by locking you into contracts and sneaking in hidden charges.

Do your research before making a purchase in order to find the best system in the market that you can afford. Do not settle for anything less than 24 hour live monitoring or your alarm is essentially useless. You can’t count on neighbours or passer-bys calling the police because your alarm went off.

It’s very import to focus on the following four points:

1. Opt for installing wireless security system, forget about landlines, that’s the old way of doing things.
2. Avoid signing a contract, go on a monthly basis as it is risk free for you in case you change your mind or find a better deal subsequently.
3. Pay a reasonable monthly fee, more expensive does not always mean better coverage.
4. Make sure there are no hidden charges or commitments included, some providers will provide their system for $0 per month in exchange of locking you in for thousands of dollars per year.

The best home security system is the one that will accommodate your lifestyle, your valuables and your wallet. Review the sales contract closely to ensure you understand exactly what equipment and protection you will be provided. Obviously, the market is littered with alarm companies and not everyone has the time to run through them all. A good place to start your market research would be by finding service providers that offer the 24 hour monitoring and conform with the 4 points discussed above. The best part about them would be that you can try them risk free since there are no contracts to sign. This implies they must be doing it right in order to afford a guarantee on customer satisfaction.