We all want our homes to be safe places where our families and belongings are protected. This is why it is important to have good security features for our homes. The steps we take to secure our property and protect our families will bring us peace of mind. Here are five ways that you can improve home security.
Improve Home Security with an Alarm
One of the best investments you can make in home security is an alarm system. The system will be on duty 24 hours a day and gives an immediate alert about intruders trespassing or gaining entry. Sensors for smoke and carbon monoxide can also be included so that your whole home is monitored for the most serious threats to your family’s safety.
Modern systems have convenient features like integrated surveillance video and remote access. Best of all, a visible security system is a great deterrent to would-be intruders and may even save you money on your homeowners insurance.
Make Access Difficult
Put measures in place that make it tough for intruders to enter your home. Reliable locks are a good start, but you can do more. Plant bulky, thorny shrubs to slow access to lower level windows. Set up rooms in such a way that someone breaking in through a window will knock things over, making enough noise to scare them off.
Don’t Hide a Key
People have all kinds of ideas about where to hide a spare key to the house. Doormats, fake rocks, and flower pots have all been popular hiding places. However, thieves have seen all the tricks and check these areas first.
Skip the hidden keys. Visit a hardware store and make copies for everyone in the family or just install a keypad doorknob or smart locks. Never leave a key just lying around outside the house.
Keep Valuables Hidden
Burglars typically examine a home before breaking into it. They peer through the windows or may even knock on the door claiming to need directions and trying to get a look inside. If they see high-dollar items like jewelry and electronics that are easy to access, they’ll be back when you’re not around.
Upgrade Doors to Improve Home Security
While some intruders get inside through windows, many use the door. Decorative doors featuring glass panels let in good light, but they also give a thief the opportunity to break the glass and reach inside to unlock the door.
Install doors that don’t have glass near the deadbolt or doorknob to make entry more difficult for would-be intruders. While large panes of glass make a lot of noise when they are broken, smaller panels are less noticeable. A mail slot might also be big enough for someone to reach in and unlock the door.
To improve home security, you have to understand how intruders think. When access is too easy, too difficult, or too noisy, they’ll look elsewhere. Make these simple changes to help keep your home safe.
Florida Superior Inspections serves Tampa, Saint Petersburg, and the surrounding communities with home inspections for buyers and sellers. Contact us to schedule your inspection.