You know that your home is important. You sleep there, eat there, and enjoy your life there. Tha’ts why you need to keep it safe, as well as everyone inside your home. Here are some things you can do to help your home stay secure, so that you can keep feeling safe.

If you will be away on vacation it is important to make your home looked lived in while you are gone. Investing in some inexpensive outlet timers can allow you to set your lights to turn on and off at predetermined times. This can help to give the illusion that you are home and deter thieves.

Keep lights on in your home or put the stereo on when you are going on vacation. This is important as it makes it look like someone is there at the house, so burglars will refrain from taking action with a potential robbery. This will keep your house safe and protected.

Purchase a safe to lock all of the extremely valuable items in your home in one place. A safe is the best way to protect your diamonds, gold and important documents. Hide your safe in a place that is hard to get to, like a basement closet or an attic.

If you use a social media site such as Facebook it can be tempting to tell everyone that you are planning to go away or are already away. Try your best not to post about being away until you are back, especially if your site is not private. You never know who could be watching and see it as an opportunity to break in.

If you have every been the victim of a robbery, you are likely to see the value of a home security system. Your peace of mind can take precedence over the expense of installing the system. Shop carefully to be sure you are getting the best system available at the best price.

Add lights to your lawn. You don’t need crazy bright spotlights to keep thieves away. All you need is some decent general lighting that makes your property just a little less appealing to criminals than homes that offer a lot more cover. You can even use lights on timers to help save on the overall electricity bill while still helping to keep you safe.

Because so many people are numb to the sound of alarms, it is important that you have your home security system linked to the local police station. This is helpful in case you are home and can not call 911 yourself, or you are away from home during a break in.

Don’t hide an extra key under a rock or in a planter. You may believe you are making life easier for yourself, but you may just be giving thieves simple access to your house. Burglars are familiar with these hiding spots. The wisest course of action is to leave a spare key with a trusted friend or a reliable neighbor.

Your valuables should not be easily seen from outside your home. A big front window gives you a good view; however, it also gives burglars a good view of the interior of your house. If your house has street-facing windows, make sure they are always covered and your make sure your valuables are hidden away.

Do not do any landscaping that will obscure the entrances of your home. While you may think it is a good idea to plant a huge rosebush in front of your living room windows, this gives a thief a place to hide while they figure out a way to get into your home.

Make sure to choose an alarm company that offers monitoring. An alarm that just buzzes if an intruder tries to enter is statistically shown to be mostly ineffective. When you add the additional monitoring however, you have a direct link to someone who can call the police and get you help. There may be an extra charge for a monitored alarm, but it is well worth the cost.

Always lock your home up tight. Even if you are just popping over to a neighbors house, you need to ensure your house is secure. Most break ins happen with no damage at all – the thief just walks through an open door or slips through an open window somewhere.

Before you let a security company representative enter your home, make sure they are in uniform, and don’t hesitate to ask them for identification. It is very common for thieves to pretend to be company reps in order to get into your home. This is dangerous to your valuables and your family. Take care to steer clear of danger.

After reading this article, you should have enough information to make your home very secure. It’s important that you take a close look at everything said here, so that you can apply the tips to your own security. You will feel much safer when you secure your home, so let these tips help you do that.

Your Home Is Your Haven! Be Safe was originally published on Spring