Making sure that your home is secure should be a priority in your life not only because you want to protect what’s rightfully yours, but more specifically because it could be the most important thing that you do for your family and for yourself.

Lock Your Locks

When it comes to home security, the single most important thing that you can do is to make sure that both your windows and doors are locked.  We no longer live in a time when it’s safe to go to bed at night with the door unlocked or the windows open, so do yourself and your family a favor by double checking those locks and making sure that all latches and hinges are functioning properly.

Light Your Lawn

What would you do if you were to hear a noise outside, but had no way to see without opening the door?  The proper lighting outside your home is essential as it allows you to view your outside space from the safety of your home’s interior.  A bright porch light or even a motion light is perfect and, for home security, it is a must.

Keep Out

One way to ensure the security of your home and family is to make sure that the possible entry ways are minimized.  This means that you should take a look around your home, evaluate how many ways a potential intruder could conceivably find a way in and do your best to make the necessary upgrades and repairs to prevent that from happening.

Clean It Up

If you have any clutter in the yard, such as gardening or lawn tools, place them in a locked storage building or your garage.  The reason why this is so important to home security is because an intruder could use almost anything to break into your home, but you can deter them by making their task more difficult.

Customize Your System

If you don’t have a home security system, get one.  If you purchase a home that already has a system in place, change the code just as you would change the locks to any doors.  Before you bought the home, who knew the security code that the former owner had programmed?  You have no idea, right?  That’s why you need to change the information.  It’s also important that you not leave the code written on a piece of paper, which is lying around the house.  The code to your security system is private information and it should be treated as such in order to protect the security of your home and family.

Trim Down

If you have large trees, bushes or hedges in your yard, trim them to a level that will allow you to see out the window without an obstructed view.  If you hear a noise or a knock at the door, you will need to be able to turn on the porch light and glance outside the window before opening the door.  An important rule of thumb is to remove or trim anything that may block your view of the lawn in any way.