Home Security Checklist

Homeowners should know that protecting their home from potential thieves and other criminals can be done with enough preparation and planning ahead of time. Putting enough measures in place to properly protect their home from potential criminals is not only a way to add an additional layer of safety and security to their property, but it is also a way for them to have peace of mind whether they are in the home or out of town.

Here’s a home security checklist to offer your homeowners:

Install a Security System for Your Home

Installing a security system for your home is one of the best ways police advice residents to protect their home from potential criminals and burglars today. Once you have a home security system of your choice in place, you can also place various signs around your property to ward off thieves and those seeking out easy targets in your own neighborhood. Security systems and home alarms today are no longer limited to simple setups, and now give you the ability to monitor windows, doors, specific rooms and even various temperatures and the working order of appliances in your house, depending on the system you have installed.

Invest in a Warranty

Investing in a home warranty is highly recommended whether you want to protect your appliances in your home or any of the home systems and components you currently have in place as well, such as a security system or alarm. Having a warranty for your home ensures the necessary repairs or replacements are provided for any appliances or home systems you are paying to protect in the event that they break down from natural use or if they simply stop working altogether.

“Educated buyers want warranties, and they should,” says Brennan Buckley, senior vice president and general manager of Iowa Realty in West Des Moines, Iowa, who relies on home warranties from HSA Home Warranty for many of the company’s transactions.

“There’s been some uncertainty in our industry over the last several years,” says, “so anything that can provide stability and certainty is a real value for buyers and sellers.”

Alert Neighbors of Any Planned Vacancies and Work Schedules

Getting to know your neighbors and those who surround you on a friendly level is highly advisable when you want to ensure you are doing your best to protect your home from any potential criminals or burglars. Inform any neighbors surrounding you that you can trust about your work schedule and when you often return home. Passing on emergency contact numbers and your personal contact information to those who live in your neighborhood is also recommended when you want others to help with keeping an eye on your home, especially if you have children in your household.

Whenever you have a business trip that has been planned or if you are thinking of taking a vacation, it is also advisable to speak with neighbors near your home about your upcoming schedule and when you will return home. Asking a neighbor or a close friend to check on your property when you are not in it is another method of warding off potential criminals. Changing lighting schedules also tells burglars the home is not vacant, often prompting them to move on to an easier target.

Use Applications to Monitor Systems You Have in Place

Another method of keeping track of your home’s security system and any measures you have put in place to keep your property safe is to do so with the use of downloadable applications for mobile smartphones, tablets and even computers with any form of Internet access.

Monitoring cameras you have set up and installed in your home while also ensuring your alarm is activated and working properly at all times when you are not in the house itself is possible with the use of downloadable applications. Using downloading applications give you the power to monitor your home from just about any location.

Having the insight and knowledge necessary to properly protect your home from criminals can give you a relief from stress and worry whether you are on your property, out of town on business or even taking a vacation with your entire household. The more prepared you are with equipment and tools necessary to keep your property protected, the less you have to worry about the possibility of encountering a potential burglar, thief or other criminal.

Connect with us: Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn – YouTube – Pinterest – Google+ – HOUZZView Our Communities – View our available new home floor plans – View our photo gallery