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When it comes to home security, you can never be too prepared. Keeping your home and family safe is a top priority, but you might not know the best strategies to deter crime. Keep reading for the eight best home security tips to give you peace of mind that what you value most is safe at home.
You can never be too careful when it comes to your family’s safety. Here are the best home security tips to protect your loved ones and valuable possessions.
One of the essential home security tips that can have the biggest impact is to ensure you lock all windows and doors anytime you leave the house, even if you’re just going for a short walk around the block. Over 30% of burglars break into a home via an unlocked front door, and over 20% enter through an open first-floor window. So, lock all windows and deadbolt exterior doors at night and anytime you’re away during the day.
9% of burglars gain entrance to homes via the garage, so make it a habit to lock all interior and exterior garage doors. You can also install a garage door motion sensor from Vivint, ADT, or Ring to notify you when someone opens your garage door and give you remote access to control your garage door from anywhere.
Getting to know your neighbors and exchanging contact information is a great way to help keep your home safe. 66% of burglars know their victims, and most break-ins happen by people who live in the area. You can help protect your home and family by getting to know the people around you and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
Don’t give someone a reason to break into your home! Keep all valuables out of sight, and close your blinds, especially when away. Take this further and ensure all important documents or expensive items are locked in a safe. That way, should someone break into your home, they won’t be able to find and take what’s most important to you.
Most burglars wait to break into someone’s home when they know they aren’t there. If you’re going out of town, one of the best home security tips is to wait to post about it online until you’re back to minimize the number of people who know your home is unoccupied.
While you may think having large trees and shrubs increases privacy, it actually increases the areas criminals can hide while planning to break into your home. By trimming back shrubs and trees near entrances to your house, potential burglars have fewer places to hide. This deters criminals and increases the likelihood of catching them on camera should they go through with the act.
One of the best home security tips to deter criminals is to install motion sensor lights. These lights are activated by movement and turn on whenever someone comes near your home, making it easier to spot an intruder. Burglars tend to prefer homes that are dark and secluded, so by installing these lights, you can make your home less attractive to would-be criminals.
While all of these home security tips are essential to protect your family, installing a home security system is the best thing you can do. A complete system includes:
By following these simple home security tips, you can help deter criminals and give yourself peace of mind knowing that your loved ones are safe at home. To get started, compare the top home security systems today to find one in your budget!
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Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $38.99/mo. without QSP (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees from $935.76) and minimum installation amount of $599 for professionally installed systems OR month-to-month monitoring contract for ADT Self Setup systems starting at $24.99 without QSP (one month minimum) and minimum purchase amount of $194.98. Professional monitoring required for ADT to notify emergency contacts or services on your behalf. Service and installation charges vary depending on system configuration, equipment and services selected. For reactivations of professionally installed systems, a $99 test and inspect fee applies . Upon early termination by Customer, ADT may charge 75% of the monthly service charges due for the balance of the initial contract term. Quality Service Plan (QSP) is ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty and is available for additional fee. Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. Professionally installed system remains property of ADT. Local permit fees may be required. Prices and offers subject to change and may vary by market. Additional taxes and fees may apply. Satisfactory credit required. A security deposit may be required. Simulated screen images and photos are for illustrative purposes only. For Self-Setup Systems, cancel by calling 888-392-2039 or by following the instructions in your order confirmation email. To avoid contract termination charges, cancellation must occur no later than 30 days after the contract date. Contract termination charges may be applied for cancellation after the initial 30-day period. Equipment must be fully removed and returned before a refund will be processed. Any shipping costs previously paid are non-refundable. Google and Nest Doorbell are trademarks of Google LLC. Some features, including mobile notifications, remote control, video streaming and video recording, require working internet and Wi-Fi. Minimum OS requirements are available at g.co/home/req. iOS is a trademark of Cisco and is used under license. Google Nest products and services featured are designed to make life easier and to build a helpful home and were not designed specifically for life-sustaining or safety-critical use cases. These products and services are compatible with the ADT Self Setup System, and depend upon working internet, Wi-Fi, and, in some cases, the service availability from ADT and/or Google. To learn more, please visit http://g.co/nest/TOS.
Money-back guarantee only applies after ADT has made attempts to resolve a system-related issue and has not been able to resolve that issue within the first six (6) months of your original activation. ADT Money-Back Guarantee is not transferable. Equipment must be returned before a refund will be processed. Conditions preventing normal system operation cannot be caused by the customer. For professionally installed systems only.
Customer may receive reimbursement of up to five hundred dollars ($500) of Customer’s homeowner’s insurance deductible (if any) if, and only if, ALL requirements for Theft Protection Guarantee are met to ADT’s reasonable satisfaction. Customer must request reimbursement within 60 days of property loss. Request must be mailed to ADT and include: Theft Protection Guarantee certificate signed by Customer, a letter from Customer requesting reimbursement, a copy of the police report, and a copy of the accepted insurance claim. ADT reserves the right to reject any application for reimbursement that does not comply with all of the requirements. For professionally installed systems only.