Your house is your haven. You raise your family there, create cherishable memories, and establish your roots. But there is one thing every homeowner has in common: they keep all valuable items inside their houses, whether it’s a thousand-dollar painting, family heirlooms, or cold hard cash.
Taking precautions to safeguard your house and possessions against theft and harm is crucial. Even the safest cities can sometimes be subject to crimes and incidents of theft. You’d understand how true this is if you’re a resident of Houston, Texas.
According to Neighborhoodscout, it is rated 3 on the crime index out of 100. The robbery rate per 1,000 residents is 3.81 percent when more than 8,500 victims.
So, keeping these numbers in mind, here are a few tips to help keep your valuables safe if you’re living in Houston, TX.
Take Advantage of Self Storage Units
Leveraging self-storage units in your local area is an easy way to keep your precious belongings safe and secure from theft. These units have various security measures, such as sophisticated locks, 24-hour CCTV surveillance, and access control that might not be present inside your home.
Therefore, using a storage unit near your location in Houston will keep your items secure while allowing you to constantly check up on them until you find a more permanent storage solution. As far as finding a storage unit is concerned, you should rent one in your locality.
Look up storage Houston online and book a unit near you. That way, you’ll be close to your belongings and can always check on them whenever possible.
Install alarms and Security Cameras
You already know how valuable CCTV cameras are if you’ve seen them on television or the internet. In fact, nowadays, you can even install cameras on your smartphone, allowing you to view what’s happening at home from anywhere.
Aside from fingerprint-enabled doors and eye detectors, everyone should consider installing simple alarms and CCTV cameras as a home security system. Placing them in plain view will help give the impression that the home is well-secured and that there’s always someone inside your home.
Ask Your Neighbors to Keep an Eye on Your Property
Have you ever wondered how to make your house more secure? You can always ask a trusted individual, such as a friend, a family member, or a long-time neighbor, to keep an eye on your property, especially when you go on an extended vacation. Just get rid of the notion that you should ever ignore your home, not even when you’re gone for a few days.
Any burglar or thief would find it extremely risky to perform any crime there if your home was kept under watch. This will also allow you to form a trusting relationship with your neighbor. Who knows, you may need them to watch your house again while you’re at work for long hours.
Install Fences
Fences are one of the most prevalent design elements in homes today, and for a good reason. Open homes with no fences or other barriers are free invitations for intruders to arrive from any direction.
Installing fences will offer your house a distinctive outdoor design element and serve as a home security system. We also strongly advise choosing a security fence that is difficult to climb. This is because thieves and burglars possess excellent climbing skills.
In this situation, a barbed wire fence would suffice, especially if you have various valuables inside your home.
Run Background Checks on House Help
Hiring house help to assist with home chores is a popular practice in most countries. However, in recent years, it has been noted that domestic help has frequently been involved in numerous burglaries all over the nation.
You never know if they are sincere about the job or merely posing as house help to enter your home so they can later commit a burglary.
So, verifying the details an applicant provides you with before hiring them is the only way to spare yourself the hassle. You can request a copy of their ID and have the local authorities perform a criminal background check. This is especially true if you’re planning to hire a 24-hour, stay-at-your-home maid.
Dress Your Windows Properly
Windows are an integral part of every home. They provide ventilation, natural light, and beauty to the architecture of your home. But their most significant function is letting you interact with the outside world. Despite all the benefits of windows, we frequently overlook the risk they pose for home invasion and burglary.
So, to protect your privacy and prevent a break-in, you should always be extra careful to keep your windows both locked and covered with drapes and curtains. This will help you keep the inside of your home out of sight, especially when you experience your set of peeping eyes.
Never Open Your Door Before Verifying
Always be very cautious when opening doors. Numerous home invasion investigations have shown that thieves frequently target people’s doors as their main entry points. That said, a peephole would considerably increase your front door’s security.
Be vigilant about unlocking your front door because opening your door to a stranger can get you into trouble, especially if you have valuable items inside your home.
Never Display Expensive Items Openly
It makes perfect sense to keep expensive items out of sight, especially if you have house help or frequent visitors. So, make it a habit to immediately secure your valuables like jewelry, cash, gadgets, watches, and wallets as soon as you arrive home.
Avoid keeping such items on display, as doing so considerably increases the likelihood of theft. To achieve this, you can also consider purchasing a safe and placing it in a location only you know about.
Get a Safety Deposit Box
These are secured, fire-resistant boxes typically found in credit unions and banks. They’re often compact and designed to hold important documents and small items of value. A safe deposit box requires an annual charge between $50 and $100. However, you can get a discount if you’re a member of the bank.
You’ll need to make arrangements to rapidly access crucial documents because this box isn’t located in your home. You’ll need a key, another essential component of safety deposit boxes to keep in mind.
The Final Words
It seems like there is a new story every day where someone’s house was broken into, and things were stolen. While this can be scary, that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself from theft and burglary. So, if you keep valuable belongings inside your home, read this article to learn how to keep everything safe.
