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Home Security

Different Ways To Prep Your Home Before Vacation

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Being a hardworking father is, well, hard. That’s why everyone needs some time away from their work and home, regardless of their profession. A family vacation is a great way to sightsee new places or visit friends or family in other parts of the country. Time off also rejuvenates you for when you come back. Still, there are different ways to prep your home before vacation that you must do to protect your house and your sanity.

Clean

The most obvious way to prep your house before leaving for vacation is to clean it. A clean house is a nice house. Cleaning doesn’t mean a basic sweep around the house either. Thoroughly clean your home before you leave to reduce pests, grime, dirt, and dust. Take out trash and recycling, wipe the floors, sweep dust, and perform deep cleans in your rooms. The last thing you want to come home to is a house full of mold and vermin. Additionally, clear out any foods that might spoil during your trip. Eat or toss the foods that might rot.

Lock All Entryways

It’s also important that you lock all entryways into the home, especially windows and doors. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood, you never want to leave windows partially open, as it makes it easier for thieves to get inside. Not to mention, bugs can chew through screen doors and nest in your house while you’re away. Lock all doors—even those in the home leading to the garage or basement. You never know if someone could gain access to your home. Securing all possible entryways reduces their opportunity to get inside the house. It may also help to program the house’s lights on a timed schedule to make it seem like someone is still inside.

Prep Your HVAC System

Your HVAC system is an essential component of your house. There are many ways to prep your HVAC system before an extended vacation. You must consider these to save money while reducing your energy bill. Set the thermostat to a routine system to preserve energy. Additionally, install a surge protector in case of thunderstorms. You’ll spend considerably more money replacing or repairing busted electronics if you overlook these things.

Get Help With Mail and Pets

The last way to prep your home before vacation is to have a trusted individual look after your mail and pets while you’re away. Having mail and packages pile up in your mailbox or outside your door is a clear sign no one is home. Someone could use that information to steal your mail and break into the house. It helps to have a trustworthy person, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, collect your mail. You should also enlist that person’s help to feed, maintain, and care for pets if you have any. This way, you won’t need to stress about them later.

Best Ways To Protect Your Home From Intruders

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There’s nothing more important to a father than keeping his family safe in their home. That’s why we put so much effort into precautionary measures. For those new dads or those who have decided it’s time to really focus on house security, this article on the best ways to protect your home from intruders is just the thing you’re looking for.

Lock All Doors and Windows

When we say that you should lock everything up, we don’t mean you should do it 24/7. We simply mean that you should ensure everything is secure when you leave or when everyone is asleep. Of course, opening some windows or doors on a nice summer day is always nice.

If you feel like you aren’t the best at remembering or checking all the doors and windows, there are products on the market that allow you to do it all with the press of a button. This is especially useful if you are out and can’t recall if you locked everything up before you left.

Light Up Your Front Yard

Most burglars use the cover of night to try to sneak into people’s homes. If you use lights to cover all the entrances to your yard, intruders are much less likely to try to break into your place. One major downside to doing this every night is the increased electric bill. If that is a concern for you, motion-sensor lights will only turn on when someone approaches them.

Set Up a Security System

The options for at-home security systems are practically endless these days. If you want to keep things simple, the standard alarm system route is a tried-and-true method. However, if you are looking for something more comprehensive, many packages include an alarm system, cameras, and automatic locks, all controlled by a simple app. Homes have never been as secure as they are today.

Look Into Self-Defense Options

Sometimes, no matter how secure you make the exterior of your house, some people still manage to find a way inside. That’s why you should have a last line of defense. One of the very best ways to protect your home from intruders is to know how to protect yourself.

One of the most common options for self-defense is to own a firearm. They have the benefit of allowing you to keep your distance, and they provide an inherent fear factor. Most intruders will flee the second they see a gun. However, firearms can be dangerous to have in a house with children in it, so make sure you understand how to be a responsible gun owner.

If you don’t feel like a gun is a good option for your family, look into self-defense classes. There are many different forms out there, so make sure you do your research to figure out which is best for home defense.

Thinking About Home Safety When Purchasing A New Home

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As if the real-estate market wasn’t complicated enough these days, on top of all the concerns, there is the one of home safety. Trailing behind price, location, and quality of the building, we usually ask about safety after the purchase. By then, it could be too late, because we have inadvertently created a dangerous surrounding for our family. Now we have to do our best to ensure our home is safe against a whole gamut of threats. We have singled out for you the most common ones and the solutions to them.

Burglary

Home invasion is a problem nowadays, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot do anything about it. The best precaution is to simply walk around the house or building and inspect any possible weak spots. This includes easily-accessible windows or doors that might lure the burglar in. Additionally, make sure that the most valuable items in your house are not in plain sight from the street. Keep in mind that once the person breaks in, your family is in danger and not just the material possessions.

Introduce yourself to the neighborhood

It might seem like a scene from a bad movie, but a basket of cookies as a gift to your first door neighbor is very practical. If you establish a good rapport from day one, you have made a giant step to home safety. Personally getting to know the people who live close to you is important since they will be the first to reach in case of emergency. If they see smoke coming from your house or a water leakage, they will call emergency services if you are away. Depending on the level of safety in your area, it would be possible for all the neighbors who know each other to form a neighborhood watch. They would work together with the local police force to ensure law and order is upheld in the place where you live. Your own home would benefit from this as potential burglars would be deterred from even attempting to invade your home.

Fire alarm

Most houses are equipped with a home security system, including a fire alarm. Most, but not all. This is why you should check before buying the estate if this feature is functional. If not, it has to be fixed immediately, since the list of fire hazards in a home is endless.

Building a fence

It might seem like a radical solution, but fencing off your house is more of a necessity than a luxury. It is sure to keep the unwanted guest out. This is not restricted to people alone, as animals, such as street dogs, can be dangerous if they enter your property. If you put up a fence, a pack of stray dogs won’t be able to harm your children playing in the garden. Not only does fencing protect you from outside dangers, but it acts as an inverted fortress of sorts. Kids won’t be able to simply run onto the street while playing. As far as the type of the fence is concerned, it can be made of metal and it doesn’t have to be expensive, but those with a deeper pocket might opt for one made out of stone.

Locking the gate

In order for the fences to have the desired effect, the gates should be kept locked. This does not apply only to nighttime, but to the whole day. Not only the front door, but all points of entry should be kept locked, such as windows, the back door and especially the garage door. This is by no means rude to your family’s visitors. People who come to visit can always say they are coming in advance, use the buzzer, or call you to let them in. The most convenient solution is to use automated gates. These swing gates in Australia, for example, have become a hit. Homeowners prefer them to traditional ones since you do not have to leave your vehicle to open them. This is especially useful if you’re hauling something.

Change the lock

An obvious course of action when moving into a new home, but one that many people tend to oversee. This should be done immediately upon arrival before the furniture is moved in. Even if the previous tenants return the whole set of keys, new ones have to be installed. No one knows how many copies were made, perhaps unaware to them. Failure to perform this simple task can jeopardize the safety of the entire family. Just imagine a stranger gaining access to your private quarters by a simple turn of a key.

All in all, safety does fall on the shoulders of the family provider, but he doesn’t have to do all the work himself. Precaution is the key word when it comes to home safety in a new home. Making sure that there is a working alarm system, a fence around the house, and that the gates are locked in the most important action you can take to ensure the lives of your loved ones are safe.