Designing a home is fun, but besides the needed furniture and decorations, you should keep it a priority to secure your house, too. Installing an up-to-date home security system will protect you, your loved ones, and your property.
In the US, property crime is more prevalent than violent crime. The FBI recorded 2,109 properties being broken into last 2019 and more than 4.6 million reported cases in 2020. We might not stop crimes like this altogether, but we can prevent them with a good system. There are many ways to protect your home, but consider how much you are willing to invest and what coverage you need with your chosen security system.
1. Install an Alarm System
A security or alarm system is an essential thing for homes if you want to ensure your safety. You can install the cameras yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Evaluate the needs of your house and what corners and spots you wish to put cameras in. Also, there are now sensors and alarms you can put fit for the front porch, garage, and other entryways.
Remember to conceal the wires and make them blend with the surroundings or attach the wires to the corners of the house that will not be reachable to passers-by since they might be potential burglars and disable your alarm system. The recording will be cut out and no alert will be sent out to you. You can purchase wireless cameras to avoid this altogether, but that doesn’t come off cheap.
2. Invest in Good Lighting
People who plan to rob houses choose their targets, and a dark or bad lighting system can be a huge factor in being a good house target. Invest in good lights around your yard, pathways, shed, garage, and near the door. If you’re willing to spend more, there are motion-activated lights and a smart outlet to turn off outdoor lights through a timer.
3. Eliminate Blind Spots and Hiding Places
Tall trees and flowering bushes are attractive designs around the house, but thieves can use them to their advantage since these can be good hiding spots when they wait for the right moment to break in at night. If you have trees that connect to your winds, remove them or put extra locks in the window.
Always lock your garden sheds, garage door, and gates, and never leave stools nor ladders outside the house. Figure out the blind spots of your home and check if there are places that your cameras cannot view since intruders can also use this as a hiding spot.
4. Buy Good Lock Systems
If you have recently moved in, it’s advisable to change the locks in every door, even with the windows. You don’t want to have strangers having access to your house, do you? Or, if you feel like you lack security in your home, invest in sturdy locks for your doors and windows.
It would be best if you always locked them even when you’re home. Buy at least two to three locks for your door to make sure that your house is secured. Some doors can easily be kicked or jammed open. Thus, it would help if you reinforced your doorjamb.
With windows, attach a pin lock for double-hung windows since factory latches can easily be opened using a pry bar. Switch your glass windows to tempered or laminated glass since they are both hard to smash through. If you have a budget, you can also go for a polycarbonate glass that is two hundred times stronger than laminated glass, but it is much more expensive.
5. Prepare for Emergencies
Not only should you secure your home from thieves but prepare for emergencies too, like a power outage, heavy rain, earthquake, and other natural disasters. Put a basic emergency supply kit somewhere easily accessible, containing at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, water, radio, first aid kit, and a flashlight with extra batteries.
Make sure that you have a working fire extinguisher and an easy-to-find fire exit at your home. You can also put a residential diesel generator—a combination of a diesel engine and an electric generator—in your garden shed or basement in case of a power outage.
6. Get a Safe
If unfortunate incidents occur and a break-in occurs at your home, you shouldn’t place your valuables and essential belongings inside your closet. Get creative and find a spot where you can hide a safe. Keep a jewelry box as a decoy, fill it with your cheaper accessories that you can put outside, and put the other expensive ones inside a vault. You can also keep personal documents, checkbooks, bank statements, and some cash.
Providing your home with an advanced security system can give you peace of mind since you know that you’re prepared for anything that may come, from intruders to fire and natural disasters. You will feel safe leaving your family at home since you can be assured that they are far from risks.
