The home is meant to be a safe and secure place for you and your family and when that safety is violated, it can leave a lasting negative impact on the people living inside. The trauma from a home invasion can cause anxiety, stress, and even PTSD – no family should have to endure any of those at the hands of a burglar.
According to The Atlantic Magazine, home invasion is rare and crime is on the overall decline – but it does still happen. Peace of mind is often invaluable even in these circumstances. Here are five easy ways to secure your home, protect your family, and make everyone inside feel much more safe:
Home Security Bars
Some find the metal bars over the front of windows unsightly, but in many places they’re extremely common and actually rather artistic. Take a walk through even the nicest neighborhoods in New York City and you’ll find decorative bars over brownstone apartments. If you live in an urban neighborhood or any area where window bars are common, find some at your local hardware store. They cheap, easy to install, and at the very least make it difficult for burglars to enter through windows (these also make a great deterrent as burglars know there is no easy way past them).
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Security Camera System
In the rare event a break-in does occur, the best evidence to catch the criminals, possibly recover what they stole, and protect your neighbors is a security camera system. The big home security companies will charge you to install a sophisticated system, but that is overkill for most homes. With Lorex Technology, less than $1,000 will buy you several HD cameras and a recording system that’s easy to install. Now you have eyes on your home and criminals will usually turn the other way if they see one of these cameras mounted near the front door.
Man’s Best Friend
You don’t need to train a dog to fight, just to bark at strangers in the night. The moment an intruder hears a dog barking at 3 a.m., they usually won’t stick around to see if they’re dealing with a poodle or a pit bull. Plus, having a dog around the house improves quality of life for the whole family. Protection is just the icing on the cake.
Privacy Locks
Skilled burglars don’t need to break down a door or crack a window when a perfectly good lock can be picked. No lock is completely secure, even a deadbolt, but a privacy lock cuts out the keyhole completely from the outside. These are deadbolt locks than can only be controlled from inside the house, so they’re only useful when everyone is home. These are popular with small apartments with only one point of entry but there’s no reason a whole home can’t be outfitted with them for complete peace of mind.
Securing your home doesn’t have to break the bank. With a few adjustments and a couple minor investments, you can keep your family safe and sound.