If there’s one place where good security is essential, it’s your home! This is a fact that simple needs no explanation. The real mystery is how to get it and without spending too much money in the process. Keep reading to see some of the many residential security tips offered by the home lock and key experts at Ames Locksmith Service. While we don’t want to ever alarm you, it’s best to inform our readers and customers of some of the easy and affordable ways to achieve good residential property protection.
All too often we hear reports in the news of break-ins, home invasions, burglaries, car thefts, vandalism and even abductions. While these can’t all be prevented, the number of incidents can be cut down to a bare minimum if homeowners (and renters) would follow some simple security precautions on a regular basis.
I Already Have a Lock On My Door!
If you bought or rented a home, it’s a sure bet that there is a lock on the door. It’s a little known fact, but all locks are NOT equal or even adequate. Most homebuilders and contractors will put the bare minimum security lock on the door before selling the property. Their goal is not better security for you; it’s to fulfill basic housing and security needs by supplying a locked door. If you want to upgrade now or later, that’s your option. 90% of these residential locks can be picked open, bumped open or pried open in mere seconds by just about anyone with a minimum of tools and skill. Lock bumping is particularly bad as it leaves NO evidence of forced entry which is needed for police and insurance reports.
So What Can I Do?
Relax. Here in Elgin, IL there are many residential locksmiths that can help. We’ll talk more about this option in a minute. First, let’s cover some easy and very cost effective ways to reduce your chances of having home protection or security problems. The first way is to simply learn a new habit; locking your doors both when you away AND at home! It’s an established fact – a huge percentage of residential security problems occur when an intruder simply walks through an unlocked door or crawls through an open window. Even if you haven’t upgraded to better locks yet, Ames Locksmith Service recommends that you start locking up at all times! The old days of black and white TV shows where neighbors and friends just freely opened your door and came inside are now gone forever! Don’t become paranoid but do start being more alert about your door locking status, unaccounted for packages and strange, unfamiliar people in your neighborhood or street.
Check Your Landscaping!
Yes, you read that right. Police records show that many times before a burglary took place, the perpetrator watched the home and/or occupants by hiding behind a tree, hedge or bush. While you don’t want to reduce your foliage and home landscaping to “lunar surface” status, you do want to keep overgrown tree branches, bushes and other shrubbery neatly trimmed and not easy to hide behind. While on the subject of being observed; it’s smart to close blinds and curtains at night, or when not at home so that your actions are not as obvious to crooks and thieves.
Add A Deadbolt!
This advice always surprises our Elgin, IL customers and readers. Deadbolts are simple, affordable and relatively easy to install. A good residential deadbolt is also a huge deterrent to home invasion and/or burglary. This is because your deadbolt acts as a second line of protection behind your door locks. If a burglar succeeds in finally picking or bumping open your front door lock, he is not faced with getting past your deadbolt! Most crooks want the “quick fix” and an easy in and out of your house. They will usually give up and move on, after all, the longer they take to get inside your home, the more time you have to arm yourself or call for help.
Add Alarm Service
Many newer homes, condos and apartments have alarms installed. They simply need activation with a local monitoring service to get full use out of them. Alarm monitors can be placed on doors, windows and can even include motion detectors and fire and carbon monoxide monitoring. If you are interested in getting your service installed and activated, be sure to check around and compare prices, customer reviews and most of all; the fine print. Alarm companies often have many complaints about them because of changing rates, wrong billing and extra costs. Do your homework on this subject and you’ll sleep better at night and feel better about your home security and safety.
High Security Locks
Relax! They only sound expensive! Actually high security locks are affordable, easy to install, and come with warranty protection. Best of all, they add peace of mind in droves! So what’s the difference between high security locks and regular ones? Plenty! While common place locks are often made of tin, high security ones are made of solid brass. Furthermore, they are smash-proof, pick-proof, fire-proof, and even blast proof! Here at Ames Locksmith Service we offer a huge variety of these specialty locks so be sure and call our shop and inquire about them!
Smart Technology
Smart technology is here to stay. It’s accessible, affordable and boy, can you get used to its benefits and convenience! This includes video surveillance, remote access cameras and other high-tech sounding products. Even if you’re not tech savvy, you can still enjoy CCTV surveillance both indoors and outdoors and on a 24/7 basis. This is perfect for everything from watching baby in the other room to monitoring your dog’s activity while at work. Just the presence of security cameras can discourage many would be robbers, prowlers and thieves. Ames Locksmith Service offers smart technology along with various kinds of locks, security hardware, and other residential property protection so call us today and find out more.
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