Stop Doing These 4 Things and Make Your Home More Secure

Installing an alarmed security system is just one step that can be taken to ensure a more secure home. While it is certainly one of the most effective forms of home security, there are various ways in which you can make your home more secure, many of which involve dropping bad habits that can make your home a bigger target for any would-be intruders.

By stopping any of the following mistakes, you can easily make your home more secure:

1. Stashing a spare key outside

Any good thief knows all of the common locations where spare keys are left outside and will know immediately where to search, whether it’s under a doormat, rock, or placed inside your mail box, so be sure to avoid doing this at all costs.

Yes, having a spare key stashed outside can be very useful for emergencies, but it really isn’t worth the risk of helping someone break into your home unforced. For those that want to leave a spare key for emergencies, give it to trusted neighbor or friend living nearby.

2. Keep expensive items out of plain sight

One of the simplest mistakes homeowners make when decorating is to leave their most prized possessions in plain sight. There’s no problem with wanting to proudly display your favorite and most valued possessions, but it may be a very attractive prospect for any opportunistic thieves passing by.

Placing any overly expensive goods on your window may prove to be too tempting for some criminals, so try not to display anything too valuable in view of your windows.

3. Not preparing for a vacation

Most break-ins occur when nobody is home, making vacations a particularly dangerous time for homeowners. The reason this often happens is because people don’t prepare their home for going away, leaving many clear signs that nobody is home to deter intruders.

For instance, you may forget to cancel deliveries and end up with a pile up of water bottles or newspapers, which is a clear indicator that nobody has been home for a while. Similarly, leaving your trash bins out to be emptied without returning them is another sign you’re absent.

So, try to postpone your deliveries during this time or have a neighbor or friend take everything in. Basically, you want your home to look as if it’s still being lived in even when this isn’t the case!

4. Forgetting to lock your doors and windows

You will be shocked at the number of break-ins that happen due to unlocked doors and windows, but the simple fact is many people forget to lock up when leaving their house. Despite how obvious it is, countless intruders will simply walk through an unlocked front or rear door – it’s one of the easiest and simplest methods for trying to break in.

Windows are more problematic as it’s not always easy to remember to lock them up when leaving, especially in warmer climates. Be sure to use an AC unit to ensure you don’t have to keep windows open when you’re out the house if this is an issue, and try especially to remember to lock the riskiest windows in the house such as those on the bottom floor.

If you have a home in The Coachella Valley and are concerned about the overall security of your property, see our page for special offers on a new alarm system, then contact the professional alarm consultants at Command One Security! We are eager to discuss with you the most effective and economical options we have available for home security today. Call us today at (760) 568-0052!