All homeowners should have some type of home security plan, but many people fail to do this. You need more information to help you make a better understand everything and make a good decision. Read on to learn about how to secure your home.

Man’s best friend can also be trusted to secure a spare key. This will come in handy if your dog is outdoors most of the time or if it can go outside through a pet door. You can attach a copy of your key to the dog’s collar, so when you need that spare, you’ve got one handy!

Don’t use social media to announce that you will be gone for an extended period of time. If you do, burglars will know you’re not home and strike.

Do not open your door for strangers. People often think of ways to trick others into letting them in so they can steal from them. Be sure that everyone in your home knows not to open the door to strangers and unexpected visitors.

In summer, take care to trim back branches and plants near the house. As the summer heat rolls in, there is a higher chance that these can catch on fire, putting your home at risk. Keeping your plants and bushes trimmed will benefit your family’s safety as well as the appearance of your home.

Security System

Remember to have an annual inspection of your home security system. Your security company should send a representative to check your system. Many things can impact the performance of a security system, such as animals and weather. You may not know there’s an issue if you can’t see it.

Compared to city dwellers, you might feel more safe in your rural home. There are some who believe country folk are more at risk because neighbors are not nearby. Others feel rural residents have a lower risk of being burglarized.

If you’ve got skylights, don’t forget about it when it comes to home security. Although skylights provide your home with a lot of light, it is also very helpful for burglars to break in. Fix your skylights so they cannot be accessed as an entry point by intruders.

Hide your valuables in the walls. Concealing small valuables in your walls is an easy and highly effective way to protect them. Just take advantage of the phone jack, electrical outlet or unused switch plate. If you haven’t got any plates that are unused, simply install a false switch plate.

Do not place your spare keys under your mat or even in plant boxes. Though you might think that you’re giving yourself something you could use to get into your house when you’ve lost your keys, you’re actually inviting intruders inside your house. Thieves are aware of all these spots. Instead, trust a neighbor to hold your spare key.

If you make a large purchase, like a big screen television, don’t simply set the box out in front of your home. Letting such packaging sit out will signal to criminals that there are good things to be found in your house.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. Thieves can pass themselves as workers, which can end up in a robbery of your home. This can put your family and possessions in danger. Caution is always advisable if dangers like this are to be avoided.

Before you think about home security, consider personal security and safety. You might find that an alarm isn’t necessary at all. In some cases the security system is your best investment, in others you well-served with an alert dog or reinforced locking systems. See to it that you understand the risks involved in making these purchasing decisions.

Home security is a topic of vital importance but one about which not everybody knows a great deal. Everyone should study it to find out how to stay safe. Hopefully, you’ve learned what you need to know from this article and can now put the information to use.