Top 10 Essential Tips To Secure Your Home
By Pat Stevens
Knowing how to keep a home secure and safe, and how to do so on a budget, can be a challenge. By following ten simple suggestions, homeowners can be well on their way to affordably protecting their homes.
First, assess the home, its residents, and the possessions and land to be protected. Look through the eyes of a stranger and list everything that requires protection. Then look through an owner’s eyes. Sometimes items that don’t have monetary worth are valuable, like that old bench in the front yard that was handcrafted by your grandfather.
Then inspect all the ways your home can be accessed legally and illegally — such as windows or transoms. Look for natural access routes, such as large tree branches that extend near a second story window. Indicate these on a simple sketch.
Third, check for obstructed access points, such as bushes blocking windows or dark porches obscuring doorways. Such obstructions can conceal someone surreptitiously gaining entry. Include roof or basement access points.
Fourth, know your neighbors and mail and paper carriers. Let them know your habits and any changes in your routine, including when you go away. Nothing invites trouble more than unclaimed newspapers or mail accumulating.
Number five is to review your own finances. Before spending anything on security, be sure you know how much you want to spend. Without this step, you could end up with well-secured front and side doors, but no money to secure the rest of the home. Additionally, decide if you want to pay a small monthly fee for alarm monitoring.
Like most homeowners, you want top quality security, but you probably don’t want to spend a fortune on it. This is where a do-it-yourself approach can help. You can buy quality home security products from local stores and — even better — online web sites, such as http://homesecuritystore.com. Online purchasing generally affords you greater savings, and allows you to make product and cost comparisons quickly.
Tip seven relates to what type of security you desire. Perhaps you want an alarm system, with a monitoring feature, as well as fingerprint locks and outdoor motion sensor lights. This may require research, talking to neighbors and the local police department, or searching online for security options.
Consider automatic lighting, such as lights on timers to simulate people being home when you are absent.
Test your system for at least a week, working out any bugs or flaws. During this time, check your indoor lighting strategies; remember to vary your timers, so your automatic lights are not predictable.
Finally, remember that nothing stays the same. Inspect security features regularly to ensure they are working. Additionally, times and products change. What may be secure today may not be secure in five years. Keep up with technology, and put that knowledge to work for you.
Making your home safe is something you can do affordably if you follow a few basic guidelines, and with the many online resources available, information and products are a mouse click away.
By Pat Stevens sponsored by http://www.homesecuritystore.com/ . The Home Security Store sells electronic goods and services specializing in home security.
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