The 10 Simple Ways to Secure Your New Home

Home security is a must for every type of neighborhood. Not only is the house itself a financial investment, but also everything inside it. The importance of home security makes your treasured belongings safe, and most importantly, you and your family secure in your sleep.

If you are constantly worried about home security, on top of balancing work and family affairs, here are the ways to secure your new home.

Secure the Doors

The first thing you need for home security is strong and well-locked doors. Your door should have strong frames, and its hinges must be protected to avoid any burglary cases. In case your front door has a small opening for the mail slot, make sure that it does not grant anyone access to unlock the door from the outside.

If you just moved into a new house with a former owner, immediately change the door locks with the best locks in the market.

Sliding doors are more prone to burglars, so ensure that yours is protected either with a window bar or dowel in the track to keep the door from being forced open or through a door sensor or glass break sensor, which will alert you if the glass door has tampered.

For extra security, you can:

  • Install a deadbolt
  • Add a strike plate. This is a metal plate attached to a doorjamb with a hole or holes for the door’s bolt. This protects the jamb against friction from the bolt and increases security in the case of a jamb made of a softer material (such as wood) than the strike plate.
  • Opt for smart locks. Smart locks are electromechanical devices designed to perform locking and unlocking operations via a customized wireless protocol and cryptographic keys.
  • Install a video doorbell.

Windows

Doors and windows are both the common entry points for burglars, but some windows are manufactured with ineffective and weak latches.

To compensate for this, you can put window security film, window or glass break sensors, or window bars on your windows. From the outside, you can also place prickly bushes just beneath your window openings.

Provide Sufficient Lighting, Especially Outside

Another thing you need for home security is light. Sufficient outdoor lighting will reduce the risks of breaking in. Make sure that entry points are well-lit: front and back yards, pathways, near the garage, and other outdoor structures.

For more efficiency, you can use motion-activated lights or save up energy with some solar-powered ones – a famous 

Secure your Garage

The garage area is an infamous entryway for criminals and burglars. While there may not be as many valuable items in there as inside your house, there may still be some good finds in your garage, so you need to secure them.

Make it a habit to lock all doors to the garage. If you are using a security code to open the garage, keep it only among family members who need it and be careful enough not to input the code with strangers around.

You can also cover the garage windows so thieves would not be enticed to break in.

Install a Security system

two security cameras

Of course, one of the best ways to secure your home is to install a home security system. Whether you are opting for a basic DIY system or one installed by a professional, your home security system should provide enough protection, and at the same time, works well with your budget and level of protection needed.

Get to Know Your Neighborhood

If you are new to the neighborhood, one way to assess the vulnerability of your place to break-ins is to check with the local police department on the crime statistics of your area. This will help you evaluate the level of protection you need with a home security system.

This might get tricky when you are living off-grid. In such cases, you can have minimal home security features.

Eliminate Possible hiding places

A front yard filled with trees and bushes is a possible hiding place for people who may want to break into your home. You can eliminate some of these plants and go for shorter flowers. A few trees in the yard may not hurt as long as you keep the area well-lit.

In case there are trees near one of your windows, reinforce extra security for your windows.

Also, remember to always put away stools and ladders. Never leave them outside. Lock your main gate and other entryways to your property, including sheds and other outdoor storage.

Install Security cameras

What is home security with security cameras? These are things you need for home security. Security cameras do not only serve as real-time warnings, but footages are also valuable pieces of evidence for a police report.

For maximum efficiency, opt for security cameras that have:

  • Motion detection
  • Night vision
  • Wi-Fi capability
  • Two-way talk
  • Local or cloud storage
  • Weatherproof casing for outdoor cameras

a person with phone accessing areas in the house

Get a Safe

A safe is a box that secures your valuable items with a security code. When getting one, opt for the fire-resistant, waterproof, and heavy type. This way, burglars would still find it hard to crack it open should it get stolen. Also, go for a tow-lock safe for extra security.

Upgrade to Home automation

Home automation allows you to control lights, door locks, security cameras, smoke alarms, and other safety devices. This also provides you real-time alerts on your home for immediate responses.

Use home automation in these clever ways:

  • Schedule your lights and TV to turn on and off when on vacation to make people think there are still people inside the house
  • Apply a two-way talk through a smart doorbell.
  • Get an instant alarm and video feed whenever someone walks up to your driveway.