Is Your Home Security Too Basic?

Protecting your home isn't the most complicated task. Proper safety practices can go a long way in keeping out unwanted guests. However, it’s not unusual to become lazy with home security and to let it become too easy for criminals to overcome. Burglars who have experience know all the tricks of the trade and the most basic security measures can be too weak to protect your home. You don’t have to batten down the hatches and treat your home like a bunker but you also shouldn't leave your home security up to the dog either. If you think you need to upgrade your home security beyond the basics here are some helpful tips. The Basics: Home Security Systems A home security system is the front line of defense as soon as a burglar walks through the door (or climbs through a window.) Setting off an alarm immediately shatters the element of stealth that most burglars try to maintain when entering a home. Now, his intrusion is being broadcast to the entire neighborhood. Plus, if your system is connected to a security system service, the authorities will arrive quickly. However, it takes some time for your neighbors to actually muster up the will to investigate the sound of an alarm and it also takes time for the security company to alert to the police. The Upgrade: Display Your Security Company Outsides The problem with home security systems is that a criminal has to have already broken into your home for it to work. A veteran burglar knows exactly where to look for valuable goods. In the time that it takes for help to arrive they can grab something of value and be on their way. A typical home robbery lasts about ten minutes but an alarm can really cut into the time that is available to an intruder. However, to deter someone from entering your home at all, you should display your security system on the outside of your home. If a burglar breaks in and an alarm goes off the deed has been done so he might as well grab something. If he sees that you have a security system before breaking in he might move onto an easier target. The Basic: Put Hedges Around Windows What is a better way to protect your castle than with natural deterrents? Planting hedges and other botanical blockades in the way of your windows will repel tentative thieves. In many ways, burglary is a crime that takes advantage of easy targets. When a burglar is scoping out a home he looks for a sign of valuables inside and a simple way in and out. If your home is inconvenient to plunder, it may not be worth the risk. The Upgrade: Trim and Maintain Hedges under a window are an uncomfortable wall to pass through and will deter many thieves but large unkempt bushes can also be a safe haven for a burglar. Criminals look for hiding places between your house and the edge of your property, in case they are about to be discovered. Trim your shrubbery so that is can serve its purpose without aiding the enemy. Plus, manicured landscapes look nicer too. The Basic: Keep Valuables in a Safe If a burglar gets past all the home security measures between the edge of your property and your valuables then there should be one more thing protecting your most prized possessions. A home safe is a great last stand during the threat of an intrusion. If it is too difficult to pick up and carry and it takes too long to crack, a burglar will have no choice but to leave it behind. The Upgrade: Hide Your Safe What’s even better than a sturdy safe? A sturdy safe that a burglar never finds. Using a hidden wall or floor safe is a great way to ensure the safety of your valuables. You can also put it in rooms that burglars don’t spend much time in like laundry rooms, kid’s rooms and guest bathrooms.