Every Home Security Tip You Need to Know
Property crime is very common in the United States: according to a recent report, there were 2109.9 property crimes per 100,000 people in the US. If you don't want to fall victim to these crimes, you need to know how to keep your home safe.
You may think that you've got that covered already but not every home security tip is obvious. If you don't know them until it's too late, all your other home security work will have been for naught.
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Meanwhile in this guide, we're going to take a look at how to keep your home secure so you can rest easy. Are you ready to learn more and tighten your home's security? Then read on!
1. Cameras Can Deter Criminals
The best home security is that which never needs to actually be used: CCTV cameras are a great example. According to former criminals, these are one of the best deterrents, and it's easy to see why. The threat that they imply is clear: if you break into this home, your identity will be captured on camera and there's a better chance of you getting caught.
You might think that CCTV cameras are an unnecessary expense but look at it this way: either you'll never need to actively use them and they will deter thieves, or if you are the victim of a crime, the police will have a better chance of catching them and recovering your stolen goods.
2. Keep Your Valuables Out of View
If you leave your valuable goods out on display, you're posting an open invitation to burglars. They know how much that laptop, that TV, or that games console is worth. This doesn't mean that you need to live your life being paranoid but it behooves you to use your common sense.
For instance, if you're going to be out of the house at night, close the curtains to keep your valuables out of view Don't leave a gold chain next to a window, even if it's locked: there's little to stop a burglar from smashing the window and grabbing it.
Stay smart and don't advertise your belongings to burglars.
3. Light Up Your Home
You want to have as few poorly-lit areas around your property as possible. Dark spots are perfect hiding places for burglars and makes casing your home easy. You should ensure that you have lights set up around your property, motion-sensing lights are particularly good, as these can let you know if someone's outside who shouldn't be there.
Motion-sensing lights can also keep your bills down, which is another plus.
Another important step to take is to trim any bushes that cover up windows. If you can't see out, there could be anyone outside and you'd never know. Trim bushes to give yourself a line of sight out into your yard.
Think about possible hiding places and work to ensure that there are as few of them as possible.
4. The Right Gun Is a Great Last Resort
Depending on where you live, a gun is a great way to defend your home in the event of a home invasion or other burglary. You do, however, need to choose the right gun.
While it might be tempting to grab an AR or other assault rifle, these make poor home defense choices. This is because rounds like the 5.56 or 7.62 NATO rounds have a lot of penetration capacity, which means that a bullet could pass through an intruder, through a wall, and then hit someone you care about.
Instead of an AR, consider a shotgun. There are a lot of advantages to a shotgun: you can customize the load to be either lethal or less-lethal (birdshot), and even buckshot has lower penetration capacity than a rifle round. This means that they're relatively safe to fire indoors.
Another great option is a handgun but knowing how to choose a handgun is vital. A handgun that fires .357 Magnum will, again, have higher penetration than a .38 Special or a 9mm cartridge.
If you're considering using a gun to defend your home, make sure that it's legal to kill an intruder where you live and also make sure that you've got the right gun for the task.
5. Be Careful When Going Away
Wherever possible, a burglar should never know that you're going to be going away and leaving your home empty. If you have to publicize the fact that you'll be away, for instance, for a wedding, funeral, or other such public event, then you should hire a house sitter to occupy your home while you're gone.
You should also be careful to keep Facebook posts mentioning holidays and the like out of public view. Reserve that kind of information for your friends and no one else.
You should also consider doing things like asking your neighbors to use and put out your trash cans while you're away. This kind of deception could stop someone from robbing you.
6. Lock Doors and Windows
It may sound obvious but you'd be surprised how many people walk out of the home and leave the backdoor unlocked or leave windows unlocked. If you do this, you're asking for trouble: make sure that every point of access to your home is secured when you leave. When it comes to adding that layer of protection, you have to start with the doors, which is where the best door jammer and bars steps in. These will allow you to secure your rooms from the inside, which will make it harder for potential thieves to break-in.
Put Every Home Security Tip on This List Into Practice
Every home security tip that we've covered on this list could save your valuables from being stolen. Make sure that you put each of them into practice and you'll have a much more secure property.
Plus you'll find lots more good tips here: A Guide on How to Secure Your Home.
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