It’s important to make sure that your home is secure, as doing so can afford you more peace of mind. This is in light of facts such as that there were almost 35,000 arrests made for theft in 2019 in Pennsylvania. Read on to see five ideas of how you can improve your home’s security to give you ideas that you can act on.
1. Use Smart Door Locks
Instead of hiding an extra key outside of the house for easy access when you or a family member gets back home, install a smart door lock. This should ideally have a key in a safe that needs a pin or passcode to open. This way, an experienced burglar who can easily guess the hiding spot for your key won’t have an easy way to get into your home. Friends and family can have the user code with them and you won’t be at risk of being burglarized thanks to your key being convenient to find both for you and for people with ill motives.
2. Always Keep Valuables Out of Sight
Your valuables need to be concealed because thieves are less likely to break into a house that they’re not sure will have anything worth their time and effort. When you purchase a new item, for instance, dispose of the packaging in an inconspicuous way. Otherwise, you’re offering potential criminals a preview of just what you have in your house. When you leave the house, draw the curtains and keep things like bicycles indoors. When criminals don’t know if they will find something valuable in a specific house, they might not be too interested in taking the risk to find out by breaking into your house.
3. Fix Worn Areas of Your Home
If there are parts of your house that are in need of repair, work on them immediately to avoid having them as weak spots. These provide potential entry points for criminals who will be glad to attempt getting into a home that’s easy to break into. From the doors and windows to the roof, no part of your home is off-limits as far as a potential entry-point for criminals goes. You risk your safety and valuables by leaving your home in such a state, while you could enjoy great returns from making improvements. A replacement roof, for example, can give 85% or even more of the costs invested in it back once the home is sold. Keep this fact in mind and you may be motivated to take on that improvement project after all.
4. Get Outdoor Lighting
A well-lit exterior is a great deterrent for potential criminals. Invest in good lighting around your house, therefore, and pair this with security cameras if you can afford it. Take it a step further and install motion-sensor lights. Apart from saving you valuable energy, these will also startle would-be criminals and dampen their resolve to break into your home. When your home is clearly visible from the street, it may sound like an invitation to trouble, but this is not the case. Thieves know that they will just as easily be visible from the street if they try to get into a well-lit and exposed home so they’re likely to stay away.
5. Keep Your Windows Locked
Finally, invest in good locks for your windows and always ensure that they’re locked when you leave the house. Replace any broken windows, and remember that up to 25% of a home’s energy bill can be accounted for by inefficient window glass. If possible, therefore, get a glass that’s reinforced and will take a lot to break if it’s exposed to a criminal.
Increase your home’s security with these lifestyle upgrades and you will be happy knowing that your family and property are that much safer.