7 home security tips that can protect your family and belongings

Your family’s safety should be of the utmost importance to you, and that’s why home security should be a major consideration for any property owner. Even beyond making sure your loved ones are secure, it’s also important to protect your investment, whether that’s the home itself or the possessions you keep inside it.

With all that in mind, there’s probably more you can do to boost your home security, and that doesn’t necessarily have to involve adding a high-tech monitoring system at a huge price tag. Some of the following tweaks don’t cost a thing, and many more will only run you a few dollars. Read on to learn more:

1. Assess potential weaknesses

The first thing to do when you’re thinking about home security is to look at areas that could put your property and family at risk. For instance, if you have a lot of windows on the ground floor and they’re sometimes left open, that’s an obvious issue you must address. A careful, common-sense examination of your whole property will go a long way.

2. Trim trees and bushes around your home

Experts will tell you that if you have bushes or big trees near your home, that’s a good place for a criminal to hide or leave tools to come back later. Keeping them trimmed, or moving them away from the house itself, will reduce that risk.

3. Make it a habit to lock up

Even when you’re home, it’s a good idea to keep windows and doors locked, just in case. Many people don’t do this, so if you make a mental note to be more attentive, you may put yourself in a much better position to remain secure.

4. Instal motion detector lights

Something as simple as a light that switches on when it senses movement is a good deterrent to would-be thieves: Even if they know it’s motion-detecting in advance, they may not want to try anything while they’re illuminated for any neighbours or passersby to see.

5. Invest in more locks

Many homeowners just rely on the lock mechanisms in their front doors to keep unwanted people out. However, these can be somewhat easy to get around. Adding a deadbolt or chain lock adds extra layers of security at a relatively low cost.

6. Put your valuables in a safe

There are some items in your home that are worth quite a bit more than others – or are important to protecting your identities – and these should be stored in a safe when not in use. That includes things like jewelry or irreplaceable items with sentimental value, but also documents such as birth certificates, passports, tax files and so on.

7. Think about cybersecurity risks

Finally, while computers and tablets are valuable for a thief to steal no matter what, their theft can pose an even more significant threat if they’re not properly password-protected. That’s because you store a lot of extremely valuable information in these devices, from credit card numbers and personal details to access to your various online accounts. For that reason, while it’s impractical to keep these items in a safe when you’re not home, you should certainly do more to beef up your cybersecurity as part of your bigger home security project.

The above steps are important for both current homeowners and those who are thinking about buying in the near future. If you’re thinking about buying or selling in the near future, get in touch with the sales experts at Ray White Surfers Paradise. We can walk you through every aspect of the process and help you find the solution that works best for your unique needs.