Your home is your safe haven from the world. If someone breaks into your home, it puts you and your family in danger. When an intruder breaks into your space, it leaves everyone feeling uneasy in their own home for a long time afterwards.
Home security measures should be taken seriously. But what can you actually do to secure your home? We all know to lock the front doors and windows, but often the generic advice isn’t enough.
Keep reading to learn 5 home security tips you never thought of before.
Top 5 Home Security Tips
1. Get to know your neighbors
One of the most effective yet overlooked home security features is your own community. Make an effort to build relationships with your neighbors. People look out for each other in a tight-knit community. Your neighbors can alter you to suspicious activity both around your home and in the general neighborhood.
You should consider making either a Facebook group or some kind of group chat for your neighborhood. At the very least, offer to exchange phone numbers with your neighbors. Offer to look out for their home when they are out of town, and ask them to do the same in return.
2. Take away anything burglars could use
Without knowing it, you might be leaving things outside that burglars could use to enter your home.
- Do not leave spare housekeys anywhere outside on your property. It is much safer to leave them with a trusted neighbor. Have your kids wear them on a necklace if you have to, but never leave them under the doormat.
- Keep outdoor tools, ladders, and stools locked away in an outdoor shed or inside the home when not in use. Opportunistic burglars will try to use things lying on your property to gain access to the home.
3. Add features that discourage burglars
Burglars often scope out a property days or even weeks before deciding to break in. If they can see that your home is hard to break into, or that they might get caught, they will pass your house by.
- Make sure the outside of your home is well-maintained and cared for
- Make it obvious that there are security cameras around your home
- Keep cars parked in the garage if you have one
- Set up motion activated lights, especially in areas that might not be visible to neighbors
- Ensure that your valuables are hidden away and not in sight of any windows
- Set timers for lights and your TVs or radios while you are away
- If out of town, make sure someone comes to check on your house every day
- Put in strong locks on all of your doors and windows
4. Keep your home address private online
You have to be careful about what you post online. Avoid posting anything on your social media accounts that could give away the location of your home. You never know who could see it. For extra security, set your accounts to private and only let people follow you if you know them personally.
Online real estate sites may still have listings of your home. Often these listings include floor plans and even the exact address. Try to take down these listings as soon as possible so that potential burglars can’t find them.
5. Invest in a home surveillance system
A home surveillance system is one of the best ways to keep your home safe from intruders. Modern systems are affordable, effective ways to deter burglars 24/7. They act both as a deterrent and a way to capture evidence if someone does break in. This is an investment in your property, safety, and peace of mind.