3 Ways to Improve Your Home's Security
As a homeowner with a family, your main concern is protecting your property and your family. With burglaries occurring roughly every 15 seconds here in the United States, you want to do everything that you can to ensure that your home is the sanctuary that it should be.
Thankfully, you can take certain measures to increase the security of your home and reduce the overall risk that your home will be broken into and something will be stolen — with or without you or a family member home. Here are a few of them.
1. Add Landscaping
It may sound a bit strange, but adding certain types of landscaping in strategic locations in your yard can help to deter burglars. For example, thieves may be discouraged to try to enter your home when you have thorny bushes planted beneath your windows.
If you have shrubbery around your windows and doors, it is important that you keep it well trimmed because overgrown shrubs and plants in the yard can offer burglars the perfect hiding place. In addition, landscape lighting, such as motion-activated lights, should be installed around your property to help ward off burglars.
2. Hide Your Valuables
If someone who passes by your home can see inside it and see what you own, then so can a criminal. So if your 60" flat-screen LCD TV is on the wall or an expensive piece of artwork is on the wall directly in front of a street-facing window, anyone can see it from the road as they drive or walk by.
Rearrange your valuables so that they are less visible to passersby. This goes for car keys, garage openers, etc. — all of which often sit on a table or hang on a hook near the front door. Consider storing these items in a drawer or cabinet where they are not in plain sight and are away from the front entry.
3. Prevent Package Thieves
With the holidays coming up, you may be planning on doing a lot of online shopping; after all, it is incredibly easier to do your shopping online when you lead a hectic lifestyle the way so many of us do today. However, when packages are left on the doorstep, they are very tempting for thieves. In fact, 20 percent of homeowners who participated in a survey had at least one package stolen in 2016.
Luckily, it is possible to take a few measures to reduce the risk of having packages stolen by thieves this holiday season — as well as any other time of year.
Work with the delivery company to require a signature, send you a text once the package has been delivered, or request that the package be left in a location that is less prominent than the front door. In some cases, you may ask that it be left with a neighbor.
Ultimately, the best and most effective solution is to have security cameras installed around your home so that activity can be monitored. In fact, a full alarm system is an even better idea because it will sound an alarm if a burglar tries to break into your home. For these to be the most effective, you should work with a security company to have the cameras and alarm installed.
In addition, for the best burglar deterrent value, you should place the security company lawn sign in your yard. Many homeowners view these as unsightly, but the signs make burglars feel uncomfortable and change their minds about breaking into your home.
If you would like to learn more about residential security or would like to schedule a free estimate, contact us today at Security Services Northwest, Inc.