How secure is your castle?
If you are unsure, there is some good news: There are several easy, no-tech ways to improve your homeโs security for free, or next to nothing.
1. Enlist Local Police
Local police departments typically will send a trained officer to your home to do a walk-through with you, pointing out your vulnerabilities and suggesting simple fixes.
Also, check your police departmentโs website for crime statistics and tips. For example, here is the Los Angeles Police Departmentโs detailed list of home-security tips for residents.
Finally, remember to alert police when youโll be out of town so they can keep a watch over your home.
2. Chat up the Neighbors
Join the local Neighborhood Watch program or start one. Chatting with neighbors updates you on local crime problems and enlists allies whoโll watch your home while youโre away. Neighbors are terrific watchdogs.
3. Use Your Locks
Even if your neighborhood feels safe, make locking up a habit. Burglars often test a home by knocking on a door and, if no one answers, opening it. Keep every exterior door and window locked, including the door between the garage and house.
4. Pretend You Have a Dog
Getting a dog is a great security move. But if you canโt, pretend to have one. Buy a couple of โBeware of Dogโ signs at a hardware store and put them up. When a stranger is at the door, make a show of putting the โdogโ in the other room before you open the door.
5. Keep Your Home Looking Theft-Proof
Appearances count, especially when you are trying to keep burglars away. So keep your place looking lived-in. Rotate lights on timers when youโre gone. Ask the post office to hold your mail, reschedule expected deliveries, and get friends to drop by randomly to water plants or just walk around.
Also, make cosmetic changes to your home that will deter thieves. Remember that bushy trees and shrubs provide cover for bad deeds. Keep the foliage well-trimmed. Paste a local security companyโs sticker on your front window.
6. Use Your Head
Donโt open the door โ and donโt let kids open the door โ to uninvited strangers. Stay home when workers are in or around your home.
Donโt put keys in obvious places like fake rocks and under pots and doormats. Train children (especially teens) to keep key locations, alarm codes and other family security information private from their friends.
This post originally appeared on Money Talks News.
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