Every homeowner wants to feel confident that their family and property are safe from intruders. Fortunately, there are a number of key ways that you can safeguard your home. Here are the top 10 home security tips to make sure your home is secure.
1. Make Your Home Look Occupied
One near-universal truth about would-be intruders is that they’d prefer to target empty homes. They especially tend to look for homes that are vacant long-term, where their crimes might not be discovered for days or even weeks. Giving the appearance of an occupied home will deter most thieves and trespassers.
While on vacation or away for a while, make sure someone is picking up your mail and deliveries, as this is a giveaway that no one is currently occupying the home. Install timers to turn on and off lights at set times, as this mimics an occupied home. Make sure to use blinds or curtains to make it more difficult for anyone to look inside the home to scout it out.
2. Make Sure Your Doors and Windows Are Locked
This may seem obvious, but a surprising number of homeowners are lax when it comes to keeping their doors and windows locked. Maintaining discipline with locking your home up goes a long way to keeping you safe.
That means locking up not just when the house is empty, but also when you’re there. And don’t neglect the garage: Intruders often target garages because they can be overlooked when locking up the rest of the house.
3. Improve the Quality of Your Locks and Entry Points
Not all locks are equally effective in keeping intruders out. There are a number of ways you can enhance the quality of your locks and other ways to prevent unauthorized entry into your home.
Any door ought to have a deadbolt, which makes it considerably more difficult for someone to break through the door. A reinforced doorframe is another way to make an entry point far more secure. And don’t forget about the windows, where installing strong locks and security bars are a deterrent to intruders entering through there.
And finally, make sure your change the locks when you move into a new home. You don’t know who might retain access to those locks.
4. Make Sure the Area is Well Lit
Night is when most break-ins happen, and intruders prefer to operate in the dark. You can make your home a less attractive target by keeping the area around it well lit.
You’ll want to focus on key areas like the doors, porches and high-traffic areas, but generally lighting is helpful too. And consider motion activated lighting systems, which can often frighten intruders away.
5. Consider Installing or Strengthening Fencing
A property that intruders can’t access at all tends to be safer than one whose first line of defense is at the home itself. If you don’t have fencing around your backyard, you may want to consider installing a six-foot or higher fence.
If you do have fencing, make sure to inspect it for weak points or areas where an intruder might target. Check your gates in particular, as exposure to the elements over the years can weaken gate locks and create a security weak point.
6. Look Into a Home Security System
If you want to go the extra mile to make your home safe, explore your options when it comes to home security systems. There are a wide range of options on the market providing different levels of security and monitoring, and home security system installation can significantly upgrade your home’s security.
Some systems can be set up to contact either a private security company or even the police in the event of an intrusion, making sure that trained professionals are aware of a problem. Alarms can be set up to alert you to an intrusion while frightening off anyone breaking into your home.
Home security system costs can vary depending on how elaborate and comprehensive their services are. You’ll need to consider the trade-off between finances and your home’s security when making decisions about them.
7. Explore Technology Options
Even if you’re not in the market for a full home security system, there are an increasing variety of technology-based security options you can easily install for your home. These options can raise your home’s security level in a number of ways.
One popular feature is the doorbell camera. A doorbell cam or door viewer allows you to see who’s outside from the safety of your home, with wide-angle viewers available that can let you survey the entire area. But that’s just one of the many technological solutions for home security, and the market is continuing to grow. Do a little research to explore the latest in home security options.
8. Don’t Neglect Cybersecurity
When most people think of home security, they’re strictly focused on the physical safety of the home. But these days, it’s also important to consider your home’s digital vulnerabilities. This is especially true because many homeowners are installing an increasing number of smart devices that interact with the internet in some fashion.
The key to safeguarding your home digitally is making sure your Wi-Fi router is protected. Make sure to use a strong password for your router, not an easy-to-guess password like “1234”, “router” or your first or last name. This will also keep unauthorized people from leeching off your internet bandwidth.
9. Get to Know Your Neighbors
The more interconnected a neighborhood is, the less likely it will be that thieves and intruders can operate in it. Your neighbors can be a valuable source of enhanced home security once you get to know them.
Some people in a neighborhood spend more time at home than others, especially during the traditional workday. They may be able to tip you off if they observe any suspicious behavior that you might not have been around to see.
You may want to consider forming some kind of neighborhood watch or other security-based organization. These types of organizations don’t need to be very complicated or involved. It can just be a group of neighbors who agree to keep an eye on each other’s homes, property and children, with some setup for how to get in touch with each other.
10. Monitor the Local News
Finally, it’s a good idea to take a little time to survey local news sources for any indication that a security threat is happening. There are times when it’s a good idea to be more vigilant, and local news sources can clue you in on when that is.
For example, a local newspaper or website like Nextdoor might inform you that there have been a couple of break-ins in your neighborhood. Or you might be able to learn that people have seen an unknown visitor prowling around an area close by. The police sometimes put out bulletins with security notifications when warranted, and that info can help you keep your guard up when it’s important to do so.
It’s always smart to do everything you can to make sure your home and all its occupants are as protected and secure as possible. Take a few moments to assess your home’s security, and consider making changes if there are areas where it might be lacking.
