Home Security Tips

Your home is your castle, and nothing is more upsetting that finding out your castle was a target for a break-in. Suddenly, that safety that was felt behind those walls is no longer there, as you could feel exposed or uncertain about when a future attack may be. Perhaps you believe that you can be your own home security, however, many homes are broken into when no one is home. Prevention is key, and with our home security tips, you can help ensure that your home does not look like a good target for a thief in the area.

When taken seriously, home security tips can mean the difference between your house being a target and your house being a fortress that no one dares to enter.

• Use lights to your advantage. A well-lit castle is one that no thief willingly wants to enter. Give the illusion of being home all night with a couple of lights left on or even use smart home features to turn lights on and off in certain rooms, all while being miles away. This will keep potential thieves guessing as to your whereabouts.
• Add security cameras around the perimeter. If you're not comfortable having cameras all over your house, that's ok, but you definitely want to have some outside your house, especially near the front, and any back or side doors you may have. This will give you a heads up if someone is casing your house and finding entrance points.
• Keep boxes of new, expensive purchases inside until trash day or take them to the dump. Rather than leave those empty boxes touting your new expensive tv out all week for everyone to see, keep them in the house until pick-up day or take them to your local dump, that way your neighbors and anyone passing through, won't know about your shopping spree.
• Change all the locks when you move. If you've recently moved into a new house, you may want to change out the locks. This is a quick and easy change but ensures that any copies of that key won't be of any use to anyone if they try to get in.
• Don't leave notes on your door. If a burglar is casing out houses, they will see that note as an invitation that you'll be out for hours.
• Change your landscaping to remove any large trees, bushes or concrete walls near the front of your house. Any of these could help conceal an intruder or attacker.
• Don't share if you're on vacation. Wait until after your trip is over to share those pictures, and really, no one needs to know that you're at the airport about to board or needs a picture of a plane wing. Make sure you have a neighbor or friend pick up mail or any packages that could indicate you are out of town.

There are many practical home security tips that don't cost you any money if you're working on a budget or just want to shore up your home's security.