I’ve been a homeowner for almost a year now, and one thing I am a bit overboard with is home security. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but break-ins, robberies, and vandalism happen in even the safest of neighborhoods.
One reason I am so paranoid about having things stolen is because when I was in high school I left my parent’s garage open overnight. Sure enough, the next morning something was missing: my golf clubs. I was fuming. How could this happen? Why me? Why didn’t I shut the garage door? As you can imagine, I am more than a little paranoid about keeping car and house doors locked, making sure my locker is secured at the gym, and more.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I care a lot about making my home secure. Here are a few tips for making your home secure:
1) Get a Dog
Dogs can deter potential burglars. For a variety of reason, no thief wants to deal with a dog. They can be aggressive and protective of a home. Even if a dog is small, barking alone can deter a thief from going through with a robbery. While it can’t hurt to have a “beware of dog” sign in your front yard, it’s not always necessary. Putting a large dog dish out front can help deter thieves as well.
You shouldn’t get a dog solely for home security. Becoming a dog owner is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. There are many things to take into consideration before you decide to get a dog.
2) Improve the Security of your Door
Front doors on houses have been designed largely for design purposes versus security. In reality it’s one of the most important parts of your home for you to secure. Many front doors now have large glass windows directly next to them.
Part of the reason that having a secure front door isn’t stressed as much today is because of the growing business of home security systems. I will touch on this again but when you have new security systems that can detect entry into your home and alert the police, there is less incentive to have secure doors and windows, which is why many have opted for the more aesthetically pleasing look.
3) Lighting
Lighting is another important way to secure your home. Having a motion sensor light can deter would-be thieves because they know they will be easily visible from anyone going by on the road, as well as potentially alert home owners that there is movement outside. If you have poor lighting outside your house, consider installing motion sensor lights or other additional outdoor lighting options.
4) Home Security System
As I mentioned earlier, home security systems are becoming more and more common these days. Having intruder detection, cameras, alarms, and 24/7 connection to a team monitoring security devices are all things that people are looking to add to their home. Probably the biggest reason why home security systems are becoming more popular is the fact that they typically will either cause an intruder to leave right away or severely limit the time they have to look for valuables before attempting to get away.
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The bottom line is that home security is important and should be something on the mind of every home owner and soon-to-be home owner. While insurance will help cover the costs associated a break-in, wouldn’t it be better to avoid it in the first place? Consider looking into some of the tips I suggested, if you haven’t already.
What do you do to make your home secure?
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Photo by Gary & Anna Sattler
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We always make sure that our home is secure before we leave. I am paranoid that someone will break in and take everything, and that would not be good at all. We have two dogs that luckily do not let strangers near the house. We always leave a couple of lights on too, and when we are out of town we make sure that there is a car in the driveway so that people think someone is home.
SenseofCents Great tips, Michelle. That’s one nice thing about having a renter at our house, there pretty much is always someone here even if one of us is out of town. But yes, I also am very paranoid!
Another thing to help with home safety is what you put out on Facebook. Advertising that you are going to be gone for the next week makes it easier someone to poke around your house. They know you won’t be around to stop them.
MicrosMissions I think social media will really help the home security business.
DC, great post. We are also super paranoid too about home safety and security, since both Rick and I experienced burglaries of our homes when we were kids. It really kind of changes your perspective, I think. We always lock doors and windows, and are quiet for the most part about our comings and goings. Always best to be more cautious rather than less cautious.
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer Great points, Laurie. I will likely invest in a home security system as soon as it fits in with the finances.
Dogs must be very important they have a big role in making your home secure because even the person is far away they can smell it and they will make a noise that can catch your attention. Actually we have two dogs here in our house. We have love birds too, they also make great sounds whenever someone is near them.
Clarisse Claude I did not think of birds as providing additional security, but it definitely can’t hurt! I can’t wait to have a dog, especially because we plan on getting a bigger dog. At the very least they will bark if someone comes to the door late at night and really seem to be the biggest deterrent of would-be thieves. Actually I take that back, if an alarm goes off when you try to break in I’m sure you’d run the other direction pretty quick.
Well one thing I STILL need to do is get renter’s insurance. No it won’t stop people from breaking in, but since I rent there isn’t too much I can do. Luckily I live in a pretty well lit area. But I’m pretty sure my cat would be useless. Anyway I do need to protect myself just in case something does ever happen.
I love the first tip: I think dogs are a great deterrent, as I believe thieves (and everyone else) have an urge to not draw attention to ourselves whenever we’re doing anything wrong.
On the flip side though, we are fairly lax when it comes to home security. We don’t lock our doors, even when going out. Last night it was cool out and had the screen door open along with our windows to get a breeze going.
DonebyForty You must live in a pretty safe neighborhood ;) Though I do know some people who grew up not locking doors and it’s stuck with them throughout life.
This article was very helpful, all of the tips suggested
were affordable and practical. While researching home security tips I have
found that outdoor lighting as mentioned is very relevant to making your home not
only more appealing but more secure as well. Outdoor lighting when done
correctly can help secure your home much more than the alternative which is a
dark exterior. An intruder has no desire to be seen and outdoor lighting is one
way to detour any unwanted intruders from your home. Designing your security
lighting and making sure it is as beneficial as possible is a very important step
in outdoor security lighting. I found this article to be very helpful with that
and with other things that go into lighting the exterior of your home: http://www.delmarfans.com/educate/outdoor-security-lighting/