If you are thinking about ways to secure your home and you are not an animal lover, think about putting up a “large dog” sign despite not owning one! A burglar will never know the difference, and you’ll be protected. Read on for more tips on making your home safer.

When you move into a new home change all the locks. Even though the previous homeowner may have given you keys to the house, there might be a key out there that someone has. To be sure you are as safe as possible, get all new locks for your new house.

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.

Install a peep hole so that you can see who is at your door before you open it. Criminals will knock at a door so that they can push past you when you open it. You should never open a door without knowing the person that is on the other side of it.

Keep hedges and vegetation trimmed and away from doors and windows. Large bushes may look nice, but they provide easy cover for potential home invaders. If you can, try to keep an open area completely surrounding the perimeter of your home, and if you have vegetation, keep them well trimmed.

Don’t let strangers enter your house. While their story may seem legit, that doesn’t mean it is true. Some people may simply be trying to determine whether or not you have a home security installed; if you don’t, they may plan to return later if you are away from your home.

Get your garage clean. Homeowners often use their garage for storage, filling it so full that you can no longer fit a car in. Parking your car in the garage can foil potential thieves in several ways. First of all, they will not be able to break into your car. Additionally, when your car is hidden away in the garage, it is harder to track whether you are actually home or not.

Always make sure your doors are locked. Every time you open your windows to air out the house, go around and double check the locks in the evening. Many people forget to do this, and the reality is, most burglars gain entry through windows and doors. Lock everything, no matter what time of day it is.

It can be especially helpful if you are an elderly person who remains living in your home to have a home security system installed. This will not only alert the authorities to any fires and intruders, but it gives you a direct link to help if needed, allowing you to keep your independence.

Remove and replace any wood that is not up to par. Anybody wanting to break into your house can just pry off rotted wood and get inside. Replace it as soon as possible.

If you work from home or have your own business, do not put your address or phone number on your website. Disgruntled customers or thieves could come to your home and try to get inside. Instead, get a post office box and have customers or associates send you mail to this address.

One of the best hiding places for valuables in the home is within the walls. A wall safe is okay, but a thief can just rip the entire safe out of the wall. Look to unused outlets to hide valuables. Crooks will almost never go from outlet to outlet looking for valuables.

If you don’t own a paper shredder already, you might want to get one. You will be astonished at how burglars find important information from loose paper that they could use to break into your house. If you can’t get a paper shredder, try ripping papers into smaller pieces.

Make sure you advertise the fact that you have an alarm system. Post a sign in your yard or put a large sticker in the window near your front door. You don’t want the burglar to break in, only to realize that you have an alarm. While it should scare them off at that point, you want to stop the intruder from ever getting in to start with.

A big mistake that people make when doing home improvements is they will leave their tools lying around during the process. This is an invitation for a criminal to either steal the tools or utilize your own tools to break into your home. Ladders, hammers, pry bars and other home improvement tools can help a crook break in and steal from you.

Instead of thinking that the only way to secure your home is installing an expensive home security system, educate yourself about other options. Simply putting large, muddy boots on the front porch or installing more locks in the door can help. Remember these tips so you can create a safer home.

Home Safety Tips You Can Use was originally published on Spring