Simple Ways to Improve Home Security

Your home is your castle, but how secure is that castle? Home security is a major concern for most homeowners, and if you've ever been burgled, you know how helpless and frightening it can feel to know that your home has been invaded. If you're looking for simple ways to make your home just a little more secure, look no further.

Think Like a Thief

Start by looking at your home the way a home invader might look at your home. Where are the vulnerable spots and what is worth stealing. If you were going to break into your own home, how would you do it? What can you see from the street that shows vulnerability or looks especially tempting? This new way of thinking may feel unnatural or paranoid, but it's the first step towards really securing your home from all the serious threats.

Securing Valuables

The next most important step is to do what you can to identify and secure the most valuable things in your home. Maybe you can afford to install a vault door for your most precious heirlooms and maybe all you need is a small fire safe for a few important papers and a couple of precious things. Either way, you've taken steps to identify what is valuable to you and taken time to make it that little extra bit safer. Even if your home is broken into, at least you can be confident that those important things are reasonably safe and secure.

Points of Entry

Now it's time to make your whole house a little bit more airtight. Where are the points of entry in your house and how tightly secured are they? This means locking doors and bolting windows, but it may also include other precautions. Glass and wood are a lot easier to get through than metal, which is why barred windows are more common in high crime areas and why so many homeowners have replaced their wooden front doors with more secure metal models.

Watchful Eyes

A watchful eye is almost better than a secure lock. If you notice suspicious characters around the neighborhood, or you have a neighbor who does that for you, you can stop crime before it happens. Now, it's important to be able to identify genuine threats and distinguish them from normal people who just happen to look suspicious to you. You don't want to be the proverbial boy who cried wolf, after all.

Alarms

Watchful eyes are now even going digital with alarm systems that include cameras and give you more complete control over your home's safety and security. With alarm systems becoming more sophisticated and easier to install, more people are getting them. However, you have to balance the convenience of these systems with the risks posed by hackers who may be able to get into your home network and spy on your family, or worse.

Beyond Breaking and Entering

It is also important to remember that there are more risks to your home than the risks of people getting in and burgling the place. Your home's security is also threatened by other small disasters like floods, fire and storms. Mitigate the risk of fire by keeping your smoke alarms fresh and your fire extinguishers fully charged. Reduce the danger of storm and flood damage by doing your regular home maintenance on the roof, gutters and basement, if you have one. Make sure that your home and all its contents are insured, just in case the worse should happen despite your best efforts.

Home security is more than just locking up and turning on the alarm system. It's a matter of thinking strategically, and thinking as your enemy thinks. There is nothing more important than keeping your home, yourself and your family as safe as possible. Anything you can do in service of that goal is worth serious consideration, despite the expense or inconvenience. A home invasion is more expensive and inconvenient by far.