Tabatha Muntzinger
In light of the recent buyout of Brinks by ADT, some people may be reconsidering their home security systems.
A great deal of research can go into choosing which company to trust to protect your family and home, and when that company suddenly changes, that can be more that slightly disconcerting. It brings to light that you, as the customer, are not the most important aspect to their business, but that money is the most important aspect to their business.
With that said, something worth considering may be a local security company.
Growing up, my parents were kind of ... neurotic. My mom had a thing about the "fishbowl effect" as she called it -- the fact that when it gets dark at night you can see inside people's houses if the lights are on and the curtains are open. She blames it on a peeping tom she had as a teenager, which is totally reasonable, but all these years later I know if she comes to my house at night, she'll close my curtains.
Now that I'm a quasi-adult with my own home and family (and our house isn't in the best of neighborhoods) I kinda get what my mom's been freaking out about all this time. It IS disconcerting to drive up to your own house and be able to see your worldly possessions on display through your brightly-lit windows to anyone who would take the time to peer in.
So here are a few tips I've picked up on how to make sure you're not inviting would-be robbers into your home with all of your cool stuff on display:
With the housing crisis still rippling through the country, many homeowners may find themselves living in more of a graveyard instead of a neighborhood. Homes are becoming (and remaining) vacant at an alarming rate, and while these vacancies bring down property values and become eyesores, remaining homeowners need to take into account extra safety measures to protect their own homes.
A great deal of vacant homes are just abandoned by their owners, and a certain amount of time has to elapse before the bank can seize it and either resell it, or in some cases, destroy it. So many of these homes sit in disrepair and decay without proper care, which depending on the season can result in frozen pipes flooding, wooden siding rotting, windows cracking, driveways and porches crumbling, and litter amounting. And as the house sits empty, local critters of nearly every variety will come looking for shelter from the elements, some becoming very territorial of their new homes.
In areas hardest hit by economic struggles, vacant homes often become the targets of various sorts of crime. People will break in and rip metal fixtures and plumbing from the structure to sell for scrap metal. Squatters can enter and create large messes in homes without proper water or sewage capacities. Often further damage will be done to the home with vandalism and arson. And vacant homes can quickly become the sites of illegal dealings with no one to report the activity. Each of these events lessens the likelihood of resale of the home and greater depresses the area surrounding the vacant home.
So what can you do if you find yourself living next to a vacant home?
Here are a few pointers:
Want to know an insider's secret to one of the best, cheapest, and simplest forms of home security?
Get to know your neighbors.
Sounds too simple to be true, right? However, in today's increasingly individualized social lifestyle, neighbors have become less of the friendly faces next door and more of just occupants of the property adjacent to yours, which leaves your home more at risk to home invasion, fire, and vandalism.
One of the best things that came with our house was our elderly neighbor. He introduced himself right away, told us when trash day was, who the other neighbors were, and offered to help us with anything. And helpful he has been. We tell him when we're going out of town and who'll be over to watch our animals, and he keeps track of who comes and goes. We keep a spare set of house keys with him just in case we lock ourselves out (again). And when he needs help taking groceries up from his car, we're right there to help. He was there when eight months pregnant, I fell on the ice on the sidewalk, ready to call an ambulance if I needed it. And when he got an infection in his hand, I was at his door with pre-cooked meals for him so he didn't have to cook. It may seem a little old-fashioned, but if our neighbor has taught us anything, it's the genuine value of a friendly face on the other side of the fence.
The thing is, that old adage about children - that it takes a village to raise them - rings true for home security as well. It takes a neighborhood to protect a home, and as a member of that neighborhood, it may rest upon you to take that first step to building a safer community.
When looking to make a home more secure, many people think about getting a guard dog. And while a guard dog may seem to be a simple solution, there are many things to consider before using a live animal to protect your family and belongings.
Size of your home vs. size of the dog - I live in a 1300 square foot house with my husband, our 11 month old son, four cats, and that handsome Chihuahua you see up there. We're perfectly comfortable that way - we're rarely are on top of each other, but we're cozy.
About a month ago, we rescued a stray Lab off of our street and kept her overnight. To say it was crowded is an understatement. A dog that large in our home would never have been happy because she would need more space to run and play than our house and yard had to offer her, and that was painfully apparent in the short time she stayed with us. So even though a German Shepard might sound like an awesome guard dog, if you live in 900 square feet, it'll not only be crowded, but you'll also have a frustrated and under-exercised pet on your hands.
Breed of dog - Every breed of dog comes with its ups and downs, and most dogs actually carry guarding tendencies in their personalities. However, when looking for a guard dog, there are some preferred breeds when it comes to protection services. There are also differences in "watch dogs" versus "guard dogs" so consider what you're actually looking for in means of protection.
Do you just want your pet to alert you to an intruder, or do you want them to take the initiative to attack? Here is a fairly comprehensive list of traditional guard dog breeds, as well as some distinction between watch and guard dogs.
No matter if you live in the city, the suburbs, or the country, home security is a concern for all homes. Did you know that one of the simplest ways to keep your home and family safe is with outdoor lighting? A simple motion-activated flood light can be inexpensively purchased from your local home improvement store and with a little bit of electrical know how, installed in an afternoon.
A motion-activated flood light can surprise and scare away not only would-be home invaders, but can also deter unwanted local wildlife - be it possums, raccoons, rats, deer, or coyotes - by highlighting their presence abruptly.
Our home has one on the back side of the house (which lies next to an abandoned alleyway) that also has a dimmer, so that when the light is activated, it stays on for a period of time, then dims, and eventually turns itself off, also making it a great energy saver.
