So you want to make sure that your home, and all the possessions you have obtained that are kept inside it, will be safe from outside forces? Well, there are some very basic steps you can take right now to secure your home for the future.
1. Lock Your Doors Regularly – You must make locking the doors an absolutely automatic behavior whenever you’re coming and going. This won’t stop all criminals, but it is the very first step you can take to discourage them from attempting to enter your residence.
2. Secure All Your Doors And Reachable Windows – You can make some homemade security devices very simply. To do so, you first buy round wooden dowels of about three feet in length. Then, you go to each window and sliding door, and measure the space between the moving section of them and the window frame; you should try to do this inside of the rail that the window slides along. Then take that measurement, subtract about three inches and cut your rounded dowel to that length. Finally, you slide your pre-measured and cut to size dowel and slide it into that railing, firmly securing that window from being opened by anybody, until the dowel is removed again. This gives you more control of the access points of your home, as only you- or someone else already inside your home- can remove these dowels to open a window or sliding door, once they are all installed.
Some More Actions You Can Take, To Make Your Home More Secure
Some other things you can do to really become secured in your home and with your possessions are to invest in peace of mind products. We mention these as an after thought because these options may not always be available, possible, or cost effective in the big scheme of things. Although, they are great ideas and you can’t beat their security level they instill into your mind as a resident.
1. Invest In High Quality Lock Sets – If you choose to take this step, make sure you do your homework by researching the various options and seeing what all they have to offer, and then think through what these features mean in a practical sense. For example, maybe one lock set proclaims that they are 100% pick proof. Well that is all great, but how many crooks in today’s world even know how to pick locks anymore? You don’t hear about many slow operating criminals because in the technology age, with cell phones saturating our world, they rarely have more than the matter of a couple minutes to commit their crimes. This means most would-be burglars will opt for the more forceful, and instantaneous results provided by kicking in a door instead. So while a lock being unpickable is a great additional feature, it should not be what you base your decision on. Instead look for long deadbolts and kick-plated surroundings for your exterior door handles.
2. Invest In Comprehensive Homeowners Or Renters Insurance – That’s correct, a good home contents insurance plan can make all the difference in your level of peace of mind. You will be thankful should any of the worst case scenarios actually happen to you, and be jumping for joy that you planned ahead and took this step when you did. So don’t procrastinate on this step, it may be the most important option to securing your home and all the belongings inside that have taken you an entire lifetime to accumulate. You can rest easy when away from your home that all your valuables will be there when you return, and if not, then they will be replaced by the simple act of filing a claim. Again, here we suggest you really do your homework.
First, in choosing which company you want to be the one you entrust with your piece of mind. Make sure they are reputable and a big enough firm to stay in business for some time to come, and make sure that they have great ratings/reviews by other customers of theirs. Finally, you must decide on the types and amounts of policies you will need. Live in a 100 year flood plain? Or maybe you live somewhere that experiences or is at risk of having a forest fire nearby.
In the first case you may want to have flood damage coverage, while in the second you assuredly want to have fire protections in your policy. Just make sure that you know all the important details of your policy before signing that. Like what will your monthly payments be like, and what are your deductible amounts for different scenarios (this is the amount you will still be responsible for paying for, in the event something bad happens).
