Your home is your safe haven where you can relax and enjoy life the most. However, some people are just looking for the opportunity to disrupt your peace and grab your valuables. If you don’t make any improvements to your property’s security, experienced burglars will find their way inside in minutes.
So, how to make burglars and criminals avoid your home or at least work hard for their score? Here are a few home improvement ideas that will make your property more secure and less desirable for criminals:
Advertise your dog
A dog is one of the best burglary prevention tools. If you have a family dog, no matter how small or big, it can alarm you and your neighbors and help in the defense of your property in many ways. No matter if your dog loves all visitors, even those who choose to come through the back window, or if your pup barks when someone gets too close to your door, do your best to show the world that you have a four-legged buddy in your yard or home.
To trick burglars into thinking your dog is big and scary, place a large water bowl next to your door, hang a spiky collar somewhere nearby and get a ‘danger: beware of dog’ sign for your fence. Criminals won’t try to check whether you have a dangerous dog or not, and many will just skip your house altogether.
Install new doors
The doors and windows that came with your house originally are most likely super flimsy and easy to open for burglars. It’s time to make an upgrade and invest in doors and windows that will require more than a credit card to be picked. What you can do to boost the security of your most vulnerable entry points is to install ANSI/BHMA certified door locks and consider using more than one deadbolt. Next, you can grab a window tinting film and use it on your windows to make them harder to shatter. And finally, provide your doors with a larger strike plate and longer hinge screws.
Install a safe
Let’s say criminals manage to break in after all—the least you can do is complicate their job of clearing out the place. Burglars know all the most common spots where people keep their money, jewelry and other valuables, so you need to do something different. Make sure your most valuable things are secured in a safe. The best safe is bolted to your floor and wall, so there’s no way someone can just pick it up and take it out of your house. If you have a decent-size safe, you can keep all your cash, bonds, jewelry, important documents and even valuable electronics when you go on vacation.
Install a home security system
If you’re serious about your home security and want to make everyone in your house feel safe, then investing in home security systems is the way to go. Most quality home security systems with CCTV have motion detection sensors that when activated, start recording and send notifications to your email. And if you combine surveillance with an alarm system that activates inside the home and calls authorities when triggered, your home will be properly protected.
In case someone breaks in, they will soon be surrounded by authorities, caught by the neighbors peeking through the windows and checking the loud alarm sound, and even captured on camera. Even if they manage to run away, they will be easily identified and brought to justice. Home security systems are not cheap, but they are worth every cent.
Do some landscaping
Landscaping is actually a pretty amazing security feature and a cheap one at that. Criminals usually want fast access to your interior, and they don’t want to be seen in the process by neighbors and passersby. Most burglars simply get in through the front door, but they also choose windows. Make sure these two entry points are clear of bushes and trees so they feel completely exposed. Vegetation might look very pretty around your entrance or under your windows, but it provides a perfect place for suspicious people to hide.
What you should do is trim all vegetation near entry points or choose to plant short thorny shrubs that will leave anyone who gets too close maimed. If you have any motion sensors or motion lights, focus them on landscaping and the lower perimeter of your property.
In conclusion
With only five security ideas, you can make your home completely undesirable for burglars and allow yourself to feel much more secure than before, so don’t hesitate to invest some time, money and effort into these easy home improvements.
Written by Mike Johnston
