Single-family homes remain the most vulnerable property type for crime due to easier access with multiple entry points and potential for greater rewards. To counteract these concerns and keep you, your loved ones and property safe, check out these single-family home security tips.
What You Can do to Improve Safety
First priority should be finding the right security system for your house. Ensuring that cameras and alarms monitor every burglar-access entrance will reduce the possibility of someone entering your home. The National Crime Prevention Institute acknowledges the proven effectiveness of security alarms to deter criminals.
Adjusting your landscaping also proves to help reduce the chance of intruders targeting your place. Trimming bushes and hedges to three feet or shorter increases the visibility of your home while preventing a hiding place for criminals.
Getting to know your neighbors promotes more than just friendships. Establishing relationships with people around your home encourages greater security by building community awareness and communication, which is especially beneficial if you or another neighbor go out of town.
If you do spend extended time away from home, be sure to maintain the illusion of occupancy to deter potential break-ins. Over half of burglars would avoid entering a house if there was evidence of people home. Keep a car parked in the driveway and a couple of lights on inside. Motion detecting flood lights on low-lit areas around your home also provide an effective deterrence.
What to Look for in your Search for a Secure Single-Family Home?
During your search to find the perfect single-family home, make sure to assess the security system before you purchase. Although this can be sorted out after the move, finding a house with an effective system already in place will save you time and hassle.
At the tip of your fingers, you can access plenty of information regarding your potential neighborhood’s crime rate online.Areavibes is a great site to learn more about neighborhood safety and compare the crime rates in different areas.
It’s always smart to check out the common property types in your prospective neighborhood. Areas populated with single-family homes generally have lower crime rates than areas scattered with apartment rentals.
Should You Consider a Gated Community?
While gated communities are only proven to decrease crime rates slightly, these neighborhoods do provide security benefits for single-family homes, including increased surveillance, restricted access, and neighborhood watch programs.
Gated communities offer a particularly great option for families with children, especially when it comes to safer streets. Slower speed limits and no traffic allow parents to have greater peace of mind when the kids are playing outside.
Keep the people and property you love out of harm’s way by putting to use these single-family home security tips today!
