Good Ways to Protect your Residential Property

In general, whenever we think about home security, what usually comes to mind is an alarm system. This is indeed an effective way to protect your home. But there are many other ways to secure your home, which you can take care of yourself, or hire an expert to do, without spending too much money. No home can be made completely impermeable, so the goal is basically to discourage a burglar, making it more difficult for someone to break in.

First, some basic rules:

• Don’t answer the door, unless you know the person. (If you don’t have a peephole, get one installed.)
• Whenever you go out, and before going to bed, lock your doors and windows.
• Keep your garage door closed and locked.

Additional lines of defense:

Reinforce the doors. A hollow door is of lower quality and therefore easier to penetrate. Put in solid-core doors made of wood or metal.

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

If you have an air conditioner, you can prevent a criminal from getting through an unsecured window by using an air-conditioner bracket, sliding window lock, or corner braces.

Make it difficult for an intruder to hide. Avoid thick and tall shrubs around your doors and windows, and also avoid having tall fences.

Don’t keep keys and remotes near the door, or otherwise visible to anyone outside your home. Keep them hidden inside a cupboard or a drawer.

Don’t keep a “hidden” house key. Most burglars will find your key under the mat or inside your mailbox. Even if you have a keyholder disguised as a rock, expert burglars will already recognize it. Instead, give an extra key to a trusted neighbor for safekeeping.

Don’t leave ladders outside. A burglar can pretend to be a handyman or contractor, and easily use your ladder to gain entry through a window on the second floor or balcony.

Install good exterior lighting. You can also put them on a timer. Put these lights at the front door and/or porch, back door, basement door, and garage entrance. Motion sensor floodlights are ideal, because anytime anyone passes nearby, they’ll illuminate, so the trespasser cannot hide. Some are even made to respond to changes in temperature, light, or sound. Some can be connected to your smart device so you can detect any undesirable activity and respond immediately.

Keep some indoor lights on, too, whenever you’re away. Furthermore, when you’re out for the day, or away for an extended period, you can make it look like someone’s at home by using timers on your lights, radios, and televisions. Nowadays, you can even monitor and control activities with a mobile app, so you can keep your home seemingly occupied all while you’re gone.

Don’t stand out too much. Professional thieves case the neighborhood before pulling a job, so they’ll know when each person’s comings and goings. If they know that you’re home during the day, they’ll likely move on to the next house. Compare your home to the others in your neighborhood, and adjust your appearance accordingly. Put forth the look of responsibility and upkeep, but don’t be too obvious.

Outside, don’t keep valuables in plain sight, obvious evidence that you have things for robbers to steal. Keep your top-of-the-line car safe inside the garage.

Inside, be creative about hiding valuables. Keep your blinds closed if you have exceptional possessions. Stash jewelry, cash, and other treasures in unexpected locations.

Avoid having windows on or near doors. They’re easily broken for quick entry. If you have any sliding-glass doors, even if they’re locked with a latch, they can often be easy for a burglar to open. You can make them more secure by putting a wooden dowel cut to size, or an adjustable safety bar, in the floor track. You can also add a floor bolt.

A barking dog can often be a good deterrent. While you’re away, you could even play a recording of a dog barking, and put up a big sign that says, “BEWARE OF DOG”!

Posting any sign at your front door is often enough to keep people away: “NO TRESPASSING” is basic, but you could be more imaginative, with something like, “Owner Has Gun, Will Shoot.”

You may want to purchase a home safe, especially one anchored to the floor, for one-of-a-kind valuables, important documents, and emergency cash. The best are fireproof and waterproof.

Consider adding gate entry. Depending on your location, you may want to add a security gate to monitor the movement of everyone who comes in. You can install a simple intercom system, a keypad, or something more sophisticated, giving individuals an appropriate level of security clearance based upon a list of criteria you establish.

Invest in surveillance cameras if you feel the need. There are many different types, depending upon your needs and budget. Consider image resolution, and other technical aspects of your system’s setup. Will you want to record and keep 24/7 video footage? Will it be necessary to include sophisticated software that has specific capture capabilities - such as time and date stamp code, facial recognition, vehicle number plate recognition, as well as high-security monitoring and access control functions? Most people won’t go this far, but it really depends upon your property, your area, and your pocketbook. When anyone who has criminal intentions, vandals, or arsonists see the level of your building’s access control system, they’ll think twice and move on.

There are still more ways to enhance your home’s security, most that are easy to take care of, and relatively affordable. To find out more about your options, if you’re located anywhere in Aurora, Colorado, it’s a good idea to request a free consultation from a reputable locksmith company. Aurora Master Locksmith, for example has staff mobile locksmith professionals available 24/7, happy to assist you.