You just got your new home. You’re happy and excited about it, and you can’t wait to move in and make that place your own. However, it would be a great idea to actually make sure your home is secure before it’s all set and done.
Fortunately, securing your new home is pretty simple. You’ll need a good security system, and you’ll need to keep a few things in mind, but you’ll have that peace of mind before you know it – and it’s more than worth it.
With that said, let’s take a look at a few tips on how you can secure your new home.
The first order of business is to change the locks
We can’t stress how important this is, especially if the home isn’t brand new but you’ve bought it from a previous homeowner. Regardless of who they are, and how much you trust them, it’s never a good idea to have another person have the keys to your home unless they live there.
Therefore, when you’re buying your new home, make sure you have an emergency locksmith meet you there when you’re moving in. Change all the locks – the one on the front door, the rear door, the garage. If you have that option, it would also be smart to put some locks on the windows, too, especially if you’ve got a house on the ground floor. If a burglar can’t get in through the door, they might try the windows.
While you’re changing them, you might go one step further, and start creating your home security system with a smart lock and video doorbell. A smart lock lets you access your home via your smartphone, and lock or unlock the door remotely. A video doorbell will allow you to see what’s happening on your doorstep, and you have a two-way speaker that lets you talk to the person at your door, potentially scaring them away if it’s a burglar checking to see whether you’re at home.
Install a good security system
While there’s plenty of things to do to improve your security, a good security system is always the core of things. With today’s technological improvements, you’ll want one that’s as good as you can afford – it will be more than worth it in case something happens.
It all starts with surveillance cameras. The rule of thumb is not to let a place of your home go on unsupervised. Well, except areas where people have an expectation of privacy. You can do this with multiple cameras, or with fewer ones but with a wider field of view. Make sure they work well at night too and get connected ones. They’ll let you see what’s happening, live, as well as control, download footage and review things remotely, from your smartphone.
Then, set up sensors that detect motion on the inside and outside of your home. The outside ones are especially useful – they will let you know someone is coming at the front door, or if someone is snooping around your home late at night. You could even have them connected to your porch lights, and have them turn on if someone is nearby. If you need help from someone to install your digital lock systems, contact your nearest local locksmith for assistance.
Make sure your yard doesn’t help thieves
If you’ve bought a house with a large yard, that can quickly turn into a burglar’s paradise. When you’ve got plants, trees, and bushes, they actually provide a place for a thief to hide in darkness. Your motion detectors and surveillance cameras may not pick them up, and they’ll be able to sneak up to your house without anyone noticing. If you’ve got such plants and bushes near your windows, they might give a potential thief easy access to the windows.
To combat this, you’ll want to keep all plants in your yard trimmed and in good shape. As we mentioned, those near the windows are especially crucial, but try to limit the places where a thief may hide in your yard.
Also, when you’re moving in, try and go around your house when it gets dark. Try to identify any particularly dark spots, ones that a thief might use to get near your house. If you do find such places, it would be smart to install lights that basically eliminate them. That way, a potential burglar may not be able to get close to your home without one light (or more) shining on them.
Wrapping things up
Even though this is barely scratching the surface, and there’s a lot more you can do to keep your home secure, these are the essential things to keep in mind. They’ll give you peace of mind, and you will be able to leave your home without worrying that someone may get in when you aren’t around.
