Buying and moving to a new home is a wonderful experience and, even if it’s not your first property, it’s an important milestone for any family. It’s probably the biggest investment you are going to make in your life and, as such, it warrants a high level of home protection.
You need your home to be a safe haven for your family, pets, and possessions, but how do you go about ensuring you have the best levels of protection in place? To help you feel and stay safe, here are some important tips to keep in mind when protecting your home.
Get Home Protection
While prevention is obviously better than cure when it comes to home protection and security, it’s crucial to have home insurance in place which will cover you should you be burgled or your property damaged. When looking for different home protection plans you will find many different providers offering varying levels of cover, so take time to choose the plan which suits you best.
Introduce yourself to your neighbors
While many people will try to get to know their neighbors as a matter of social courtesy, it’s also a key security measure. It not only helps to have good relationships with your neighbors in terms of making your community a more friendly place to live, but it also establishes a support network. Your neighbors can watch over your homestead when you’re not there and vice versa which will be crucial when you or they go away on vacation.
Change the locks on the doors
When you move into a new home, you don’t know who else may have copies of your keys such as relatives of the previous owners, neighbors, babysitters or dog walkers. Change the locks on your home as soon as you can to give yourself peace of mind and invest in the best quality locks you can afford for good home protection. There are many options to choose from including deadlocks or even a video doorbell which you can monitor via your smartphone even when you’re not home.
Remember to lock the windows
Make sure that the latches on your windows shut firmly and add locks to those that are on the ground floor. You may also want to add home security film to the interior of the glass which means that the glass will not fall apart when shattered. Hanging blinds can also prevent prying criminal eyes from looking into your home to assess the value of your possessions.
Install outside lighting
By installing lighting outside the home, you may be able to deter burglars as they often prefer to target homes where they can work in darkness. Motion-activated lighting or lights on a timer can also be effective home protection when trying to give the impression that there is someone at home and the intruder is being watched.
Don’t forget to secure the garage
Burglars may try to access the garage as they are usually less secure than the home and can often hold items of value. Make sure the garage is locked at all times and if the garage door has windows cover them up to block your possessions from view.
Consider getting a dog
Finally, consider getting a dog for home protection. In addition to being loving and fun, dogs are pack animals and naturally protective of their family which usually means they make a great alarm when someone they don’t know is on the property.
Hopefully, these tips will help you protect your family homestead and give you peace of mind!
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