According to the US Department of Justice, about 2.5 million burglaries are conducted annually in the United States. Figures like these are horrifying enough to keep anyone up at night. Your “home” is the place where you are at your most vulnerable, where you typically stay off guard, and where you unwind after a hard day at work. It is where your loved ones reside and where you store your valuables.
A home invasion of any manner can spell absolute chaos, destroying your possessions and jeopardizing the lives of your family. It is the worst thing that could happen to a homeowner in this time and age. Fortunately, in this post, we will cover the easiest ways to improve your home security, so you can protect your residence from the get-go. Let’s begin.
Invest in a Home Security Suite
A home security suite consists of all the possible levels and grades of home protection, including smart alarms, HD surveillance, smart locks, motion sensors, professional monitoring, and more. If you’re too busy to keep an eye on your house, you can remotely manage everything using just your smartphone, no matter where you are. A home security suite is your basic line of defense against burglars and is available from multiple vendors in the market. Click here to learn more about a top-rated home security service, coupled with home automation.
Secure Your Entry Points
Source; vivint.com
Doors and windows are the main entry points of your residence. Secure them with sturdy locks to make it hard for a burglar to pry them open from the outside and gain access into your house. The old “Yale” locks, which are found across most households, are only held in place by two screws that can be neutralized by crafty home invaders who carry tools of their own. A mortice lock for your door and a smart locking mechanism for your windows will protect your entry points and improve your home security manifold.
Light Up Your Indoors & Outdoors
Light is a surefire deterrent. Most of the burglars strike under the night sky to evade recognition by passersby. Homes that are steeped in shadows are the perfect target for invaders. To avoid this, install motion-activated and heat-detecting floodlights in the outdoor areas, such as lawns and backyards. These will automatically shine upon a sneaking burglar and prevent an imminent raid upon your house. Not just outdoors, light up your indoors as well with smart bulbs that come with scheduled programming, so they can trick the invaders into thinking that someone’s at home, even when you’re all on vacation.
Install Blaring Alarms in the Right Spots
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In addition to light, the sound is also a strong deterrent. An alarm system, once triggered by a burglar, can unleash a loud siren. This can force the invaders to make a run for it. You can go for a wireless alarm system, a wired alarm system, a professionally monitored alarm system, a manually monitored alarm system, a burglary alarm, intrusion detection alarm, window-break alarm, fire alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, water and gas leak alarm, and other varieties, depending on your unique security requirements.
Hide Your Valuables in Plain Sight
More often than not, seasoned burglars are familiar with the customary hiding spots for valuable items. So, think ten steps ahead of them when tucking away your valuables. For instance, stash your jewelry behind the cereal boxes in a kitchen cabinet. Fold your important papers in a book save. Hide your keys in a fake kitty litter box. Stow extra cash in Tupperware containers and keep them in the freezer. Paste your enveloped files under the shelf drawers. An air return vent is also a good option. So on and so forth. Be clever with your hiding spots and leave the burglars scratching their heads in confusion.
Limit Opportunities of Invasion
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Things in and around your property can help home invaders to break into your house easily. So, don’t leave metal bars, garden tools, landscape material, and ladders out in the open. Lock them up safely when not in use. Besides this, grease the drainpipes with oil or slippery paint to prevent burglars from climbing on them. Speaking of climbing, trim outgrowing tree branches and shrubs, which might give invaders access to your second-floor window or whatnot. Top the garden fences with spikes, barbed wire, or a glass deterrent. Plant thorny hedges around your property, but don’t go overboard with this and make the burglars think you’re hiding something of great value. Keep your defenses subtle.
Block View from the Outside
Whether you live in an average house or an apartment in a high-rise building, always make sure to cover up your windows with tinted and patterned films or thickset curtains. Why is this even important? Because home invaders do their research before they make their move. They scout your house for weeks before the attack, observing the indoors and marking your daily activities through the windows. Thus, an absolute need to cover them up as a safety precaution.
Set Up Signs & Other
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Source: nioselaw.com
Even if you can’t afford an expensive home security suite, you can still manage to protect your home from burglars using the art of deception. How? Request your neighbors to park their car near your driveway, so burglars can be fooled into thinking that someone is home all the time. Put up a “Beware of Dog” sign prominently on your premises as a decoy. Get a real dog, if you can. Install a big and bold outdoor camera in open view for burglars to see from a distance. Sign up for the neighborhood patrol or collective watch program and paste their sticker on your door, etc.
Wrapping Up
Home security is something, which you should never take lightly. As the residential crime rate increases with time, focus on improving your home security to stay on the safe side. Use the aforementioned tips and tricks in this regard to protect your residence from any possible harm.
