How to Best Enhance Your Home Security

If you don’t make the effort to be pro-active when it comes to looking out for the security and safety of your home, the truth is, your property will be much more attractive to a potential thief. Nevertheless, there are many relatively easy ways to guard your home from break-ins. Of course, you cannot anticipate every possible vulnerability, but you can still take reasonable, cost-effective steps to prevent most circumstances in which a robbery could take place.

Set up basic household rules.

Keep your garage door in good working order, and keep it shut and locked whenever you aren’t home.
Don’t open the door to strangers. (Install a peephole if you don’t have one already.)
Keep your windows and doors locked anytime you leave, as well as when everybody goes to sleep.

Don’t keep a “hidden” key outdoors. Any intruder will easily find your spare key under the welcome mat, or the key you left inside your mailbox, above the door, or beneath the flower pot. Even if you have a keyholder inside a phony rock, a professional criminal will probably recognize it. Instead, give the extra copy of your key to a trusted neighbor or friend.

Don’t keep garage-door remotes and keys out in the open. It’s a lousy idea to have your keys and remotes on display by the door, where anyone can see them through the window. It’s better to store them hidden inside a cupboard door or in a drawer.

Don’t leave ladders outside. Someone could pretend to be a contractor or handyman, and could attempt to use your ladder to get inside through your second-floor window, or use it to alight upon your balcony.

Hide your valuables well.

Rent a safe-deposit box at your bank to safeguard any especially valuable items.
Put your emergency cash, fine jewelry, and other treasured possessions in unexpected places.
A home safe is likely better for your needs than a safe-deposit box, perhaps one you can anchor to the floor or hide in a wall.

Secure the air conditioning unit. You wouldn’t want a burglar to get inside through your unsecured window. Use an air-conditioner bracket, sliding window lock, or corner braces.
Put up warning signs and stickers. It may seem silly to some people, but it can be quite effective to post a sign or window insignia from a security company next to each window or door - even if you don’t really have a security system. You could also put up a “No Trespassing” or “Beware of Dog” sign.

Use lights efficiently. Install exterior lighting with infrared motion detectors next to each door. Motion detector lights discourage trespassers. They can even be connected to your smart device, so you can detect any unwelcome activity, and respond instantly. Some respond to changes in light, temperature, or sound. Furthermore, make it a point to keep some of your interior lights on when you’re not home.

Install timers. If you put your porch lights on timers, when you’re gone during the daytime, or if you’ll be out for a long time, you can make it appear that people are still home. You can also put timers on your TVs, radios, and computers. If you have a smart device attached to your timers, you can monitor and control everything with a mobile app, so you can make it look like your home is occupied the whole time you’re away.

Eliminate potential hiding places. Keep your trees, shrubs, hedges, and other plants trimmed. If they’re too tall, ungainly, or badly spaced, a prowler can easily hide.

Additional Ways to Optimize Your Home Security

There are plenty of other ways to augment your home’s security. Some will take a bit more effort, but might still be affordable to you. To find out more about the options available to you, if you’re located in Tuckahoe, Virginia, you ought to consider scheduling a free consultation with a mobile residential locksmith specialist on staff at a legitimate company such as Tuckahoe Locksmith Services.

Upgrade the locks. Any locksmith professional will advise you that deadbolts offer superior security. Get a grade-2 deadbolt lock, which penetrates the doorframe.
Digital or smart locks are electronic devices that will provide more security at your front door. With some, you can synchronize your smart lock with your smart device, so you won’t need to carry a house key at all.

Reinforce your doors. Inspect your exterior entry points. A hollow door is of lower quality, and thus easier for a robber to penetrate. It’s best to replace it with a solid door of metal or wood.

Investigate your front- and back-door locks. If any locks show weaknesses, fortify them by replacing the strike plate (the stationary piece where the bolt enters), and by mounting an extra solid metal plate on the doorjamb for the sliding bolt. If you presently have short mounting screws, replace them with longer screws, which will reach the door’s studs and add more strength to the doorframe.

If you have any sliding-glass doors, make them more secure by putting in a cut-to-size wooden dowel, or an adjustable safety bar, in the floor track. Also, you can add a floor bolt.

Install surveillance cameras. Surveillance cameras will keep you aware of everything that’s going on around your perimeter, so you can call the authorities immediately if you see any sign of foul play. You can choose to buy a prime-quality surveillance camera if you want to record video footage. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can add additional high-tech security measures.

Use state-of-the-art home automation. If you have a bigger budget, you can monitor all your home’s activities using a smart app. It’s possible to manage your entire household if you install a smart alarm system. From simulating routine habits to checking on activity anytime you want to, even when you’re away, your property almost takes care of itself! If you identify anything suspicious, you’ll be notified by an alert on your smart device. You’ll certainly have wide-ranging safety with such a smart home security system.