MAXIMIZE YOUR HOME’S SECURITY

Your property will become more attractive to a burglar if you forget to pay attention to keeping your home safe. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to safeguard your home from break-ins and theft. A professional thief will always find a way to get in, so of course you can’t foresee every possible vulnerability. Still, you can take a good number of reasonable measures to effectively prevent most scenarios in which a robbery could take place.

Set up some simple household rules.

• Keep doors and windows locked anytime you leave, and also before everyone in the household goes to sleep for the night.
• Keep your garage door in good working order, and keep the garage door closed and locked if you’re away.
• Don’t answer your door to strangers. (If you don’t have a peephole yet, it’s time to install one.)

Store garage-door remotes and your keys and in a discreet location.

It’s not a very good idea to keep your keys and remotes on display near the door, where anyone could peek through a door window. Instead, keep these crucial objects hidden inside a cupboard or drawer.

Keep all valuables well hidden.

• Stash jewelry, cash, and other treasures in uncommon locations.
• Rent a safe-deposit box at your bank for any exceptionally valuable items.
• Consider purchasing a home safe, especially one that’s anchored to the floor.

Don’t keep a “hidden” key outside.

Most thieves will easily find your key under the welcome mat, or quickly locate the one you left inside the mailbox. Even if you have a keyholder disguised as a fake rock, professional robbers will probably already recognize it. Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.

Do not leave any ladders outside.

A burglar could pretend to be a handyman or contractor, and might try to use your ladder to gain easy entry through a window on your second floor, or use it to get up to your balcony if you have one.

Put up warning signs and insignias.

It may sound silly, but it takes very little effort to put up a sign or window sticker from a security company near each door, even if you do not really have a security system. Be creative if you like. Post a “Beware of Dog” sign, or a sign that says “Trespassers Will Be Shot.”

Keep your air conditioning unit secured.

You don’t want a criminal to get through an unsecured window using an air-conditioner bracket, corner braces, or a sliding window lock.

Use lights effectively.

Install outdoor lighting with infrared motion detectors near each of your doors. Motion detector lights help to discourage trespassers. They can even be connected to your smart device, so you can quickly detect any unwelcome activity, and respond immediately. Some are made to respond to changes in temperature, light, or sound. Be sure also to make it a point to keep some of your indoor lights on if you’re going to be gone.

Install timers.

You can put your porch lights on timers. When you’re out for the day, or gone for an extended period, you can make it look like someone is still at home by putting timers on your lights, TVs, computers, and radios.

If you have a smart light timer installed, you can actually monitor and control everything with a mobile app. Thus you can make your home look as if it’s occupied the whole time you’re away.

Get rid of potential intruder hiding places.

Keep your hedges, shrubs, trees and all other plants trimmed. If they’re too tall, ungainly, or not well spaced, a potential burglar can easily hide.

Additional Affordable Ways to Boost Your Home’s Security:

There are other good ways to augment your home’s security that can take a little more effort, but they are still reasonably priced. To learn more about all these options and more, if you’re anywhere in Chino, California, you may want to schedule a free consultation with a staff professional at Chino Fast Locksmith. Below are some measures to consider that don’t take too much effort or money.

Reinforce your doors.

Inspect all your outside points of entry. A hollow door is of lower quality, and therefore easier to penetrate. Replace it with a solid-core door made of metal or of wood.

Check your front and back door locks. If any of your doors’ locks are weak, you can fortify them by replacing the strike plate (the stationary piece where the bolt enters), and mounting an extra solid metal plate on the doorjamb for the sliding bolt. If there are short mounting screws, you can replace them with longer screws, which will reach the door’s studs. This will add extra strength to the doorframe.

Make a sliding-glass door more secure by placing a wooden dowel cut to size, or an adjustable safety bar, in the floor track. You might also add a floor bolt.

Use better locks.

Deadbolts always provide extra security. Be sure to get a grade-2 deadbolt lock, which penetrates the doorframe. Heavy-duty is tougher and better.

Smart or digital locks are electronic devices which provide more security for your front door. With some, you can synchronize your smart lock with your smartphone, so you don’t even have to carry a house key at all.

Install surveillance cameras.

Surveillance cameras will obviously keep you aware of what’s happening around your property’s perimeter, so that you can contact the authorities immediately if you see any indication of foul play. If you decide to purchase a top-of-the-line surveillance camera, it can take video footage.

Use high-tech home automation.

If you have a bigger budget, nowadays you can monitor all home activities with a smart app. You can actually manage your whole house with a smart alarm system. From simulating routine habits, to checking your property anytime you wish while you’re not home, your properly can almost take care of itself! If any unwanted activity is detected, you’ll immediately be notified by an alert on your smartphone. With such a smart home security system, you will enjoy across-the-board safety.