Exterior Home Security Tips

When it comes to making your home a safe place for your family and your belongings, a home security system is usually a worthwhile investment. However, many folks tend to focus on security the house itself, rather than looking at the big picture. The fact of the matter is that your second most expensive investment – your car – is located outside of your house. Many other valuables, such as lawn and gardening equipment, for example, may be stored outside as well. You need to follow some basic exterior home security tips, as well, if you want to be truly safe and secure.

Here are some important home security tips for your home’s exterior:

• Keep everything well lit. Make sure your yard can be seen from the road without too many bushes or trees obscuring the view. You want your yard to look nice, of course, but you need to keep security in mind when you do your landscaping.
• Watch out for trees close to the house. If you have trees near your house, make sure they’re trimmed in such a way that no one could get into the house using the tree. You might even consider planting roses or other plants with thorns along your fences and walls to help discourage intruders.
• If you have plants under your windows, keep them well-trimmed. Don’t let them hid a potential burglar trying to invade your home.
• Make sure your gates (if you have them) are securely locked. They’re not going to stop a determined criminal, but they will make it more obvious when that criminal is trying to scale the fence or jump over a wall.
• Use exterior home security lighting. Motion sensor lights are a good choice as they will detect when someone’s lurking. Make sure to choose the right kind of motion detecting device, especially if you have pets that are likely to creep around at night. You want a device that will catch human movement, but not go off every time an alley cat wanders by.
• Secure your tool shed. Don’t give a burglar free access to your ladder and wire cutters by leaving your tool shed unlocked. You might even consider using an alarm system on your shed, as well as your hose.

The best home security tips you can hear is this: your home security system needs to be designed as a unified whole. If you have just one part that’s left unsecure, there’s a good change that a home invader is going to find that weak link.

At HSS Net, Madison Parker has been researching and evaluating home security companies and their products as well as analyzing hundreds of videos and documents from actual robberies. Her advice and findings are a great way to understand the ways in which you can improve the safety of your home.