5 Home Protection Tips

As a brand-new homeowner, there are numerous things you will be discovering for the first time. One of these things will be how to keep your homestead protected without this concern intervening too much with life. Most remember to lock the door when they leave and keep an eye out for suspicious people in the community, but are there other precautions you should be taking? Simply put, yes.

 Here are five pointers to keeping your livelihood secure as a new homeowner:

 1. Replace the locks.

 First, change your locks: the previous owners likely possess a key somewhere as does anyone involved in selling the property to you. That means that your home is not only to your family, and thus, not secure.

 Ensure you change your locks upon arriving at the new home to guarantee no one else has access to it, such as the previous family or realtor. Furthermore, make sure you reconfigure your garage door code.

 2. Get a home security system.

 Next, install a home security system. Make your home less appealing to a criminal that enters the neighborhood, from the trimmed bushes allowing for a great line of sight to the motion-detecting lights, make sure no criminal will want to bother breaking into your home.

 Be sure to set up your home with a trustworthy home security system that will notify you if there is a security breach. Make sure to have a professional install it and remember to tell your homeowners insurance since you’ll likely receive a discount for having one installed.

 3. Get to know your neighbors and the area.

 One of the simplest ways to keep your home and family safe is to get to know your neighbors and your surroundings. When you know who lives near you, it’ll be easier to spot a visitor to the area to watch for suspicious activity. You’ll also have neighbors to view your home as you do the same for them if suspicious activity is taking place.

 You can even join the neighborhood watch program and volunteer to collect mail and newspapers for neighbors that go on vacation, as they can do the same for you. Then, be sure to get to know your surroundings to get familiar with what habits are standard in the neighborhood compared to the times when something new comes up. Do you always see this specific service provider and delivery truck, while that moving van or construction crew has never been here before?

 4. Think about fire safety.

 In addition to security, you’ll want to think about fire safety. Make sure you’ve made a plan for home fire defense and have a fire-monitoring package with your home security system. Smoke detectors throughout the house are vital, as well as fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors.

 5. Keep up with the maintenance.

 Having all of these items checked off will be a great feeling, but keeping up with maintaining everything is just as important. You need to be regularly checking your outside lights, your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, your fire extinguishers, and your window locks to ensure everything is in working order.

 If something isn’t functioning correctly, it can be all it takes to have a breach in your safety. Make sure you are trimming the bushes, verifying your home security system is working, and things on your property meant to deter an intruder are ready to perform.

 These are the top five ways that you can make sure your new home is secure and prepared in the event of a fire or home invasion.