Home security: 7 ways to keep your home and family safe and secure October 21, 2022

Is the security of your home good enough to keep you and your family safe? This is a crucial question you need to ask yourself constantly find ways to keep your home and family safe and secure to have peace of mind even when you are away.

According to Safewise, a robbery happens every 15 seconds somewhere in America. What’s worse is the fact that 73 percent of these burglaries occur in residential areas. With this in mind, the challenge here is to find intelligent ways to protect your place and develop security habits so that burglars won’t see your home as an easy target.

Continue reading and take notes of measures you can start applying in your home.

Secure windows and doors #

Locking your doors and windows is the first and easiest defense against home intruders, but how many of us are doing it consistently? This is an essential way to maintain your home and family safe and secure. Many break-ins are caused by opportunistic thieves taking advantage of unlocked homes. Even when you are at home or if you’re just ducking off to the local shops, it’s important to lock all windows and doors before leaving.

Some devices can also help you keep track of your entryways. Door and window sensors can track whether a door or window has been left open and smart locks can be scheduled to lock automatically at certain times. This brings us to our next tip.

Secure windows and doors
HelpYouFind.Me

Invest in a security system #

When thinking of a way to keep your home and family safe and secure, you should consider a home security system. If a burglar break-in, the alarm will help to scare them off before they can take anything.

You can also read about: How to choose the right neighborhood for your family’s safety

Security systems also provide you with an alert that your home has been breached and trigger a call to the police, which may minimize the amount of loss you experience from a burglary. Many of today’s systems can even provide you with alerts when your kids get home from school or when a door has been left unlocked so you can keep tabs on your family’s safety from afar.

Invest in a security system
HelpYouFind.Me

Maintain privacy #

Believe it or not, most of the time burglars study their victim's houses before they break into their houses. They want to know all the chances they have to succeed when robbery.

Simple actions like using blinds or curtains on the windows can turn burglars off because they can’t see what’s inside. They will not have an idea how to proceed with the rob, where to enter, or how to escape.

Maintain privacy
HelpYouFind.Me

Identify resources and create a plan #

Another essential way to keep your home and family safe and secure is by identifying resources and creating an action plan for emergencies.

For example, if there are children in the house and you can't afford a nanny. Define a safe plan when kids return from school. You can facilitate them a cellphone with a list of emergency numbers of a trusted friend, family member, or neighbor, and know what to do if they encounter an emergency situation in the home.

Identify resources and create a plan
HelpYouFind.Me

You should establish rules for opening the door for strangers, having friends over, locking windows and doors, and using the alarm system. You should also have an emergency exit plan if there is a fire or break-in while the family or kids are at home.

When speaking of resources, HelpYouFind.Me is a great choice since is a useful tool for the family's safety. With our live-saving features, you can save in our end-to-end encrypted vault all the recent personal info of each family member such as photos, credentials, and descriptions. In order that you or the close people you give access to the platform can know where yo search in case of an emergency.

Read this article and discover more about how HelpYouFind.Me can be part of your family safety plan.

Make it look like someone is home #

Most burglars don't want to enter your home when you're there. They'd rather find an empty home and be in and out as quickly as possible. Therefore, one of the best ways to prevent intruders is to make it look like someone is home at all times.

To keep your house safe and secure, you should use timers and lights to your advantage, especially when you’re out of town. Timers can be used to turn the lights, the TV, or the radio on and off to give the appearance that someone is home even when they’re not.

Make it look like someone is home
HelpYouFind.Me

Exterior lighting should be used in the front and back of the home to eliminate dark areas where burglars could hide. Motion sensors can prevent lights from being on all night and provide an element of surprise if someone is moving around on your property.

You may want to read about: Domestic Violence Safety Plan: What You Need To Know

Smart lights can create an even more convincing effect: many can be programmed to turn on and off periodically to simulate a person being home.

Establish a good relationship with your neighbors #

Neighbors could be a good help to maintain your home safe and secure. Getting to know your neighbors is a great way to have an extra set of eyes looking out for your home and building an all-around safer neighborhood.

Think about it, if you're heading away on holiday, you can ask your neighbors to do little favors around your home, such as bring the mail, mow the lawn, keep the plants watered, in general help your property look lived-on, and doesn’t stand out as unoccupied.

So, be open to establishing a good relationship with your neighbors, you can help each other when most need it.

Establish a good relationship with your neighbors
HelpYouFind.Me

Develop home security habits #

Lastly, another way to keep your home safe and secure is by creating security habits. Don't inadvertently invite crime into your home, make these safety behaviors non-optional for every family member. Here are some suggestions you should start applying:

-Establish a routine that when someone leaves the house and the last person to go to sleep, have to check that doors and windows are locked and alarm systems are turned on.

- Avoid giving information to unidentified telephone callers and announcing your personal plans online or in public notices, this will make you a target because people will know no one is at home.

- Don't hide your keys in "secret" places outside your home, burglars know where to look.

- Keep eyes open, and notify the police and/or your neighborhood watch if you see suspicious strangers in your area.

- Join your neighbors to keep a close watch on what's happening in your area, working together as a community is a good way to prevent crime.

Develop home security habits
HelpYouFind.Me

Written by
Vanessa Martínez

Vanessa Martínez

Related publications

How to Choose Your Safety Network for Emergencies

Choosing the right people for your safety network is not something to take lightly. It's more than just picking close friends or family members. It’s about making sure that these individuals can act quickly, responsibly, and with your best interest at heart in any emergency situation. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you build a reliable safety network that you can count on when it matters most.

Supporting Domestic Violence Survivors: What You Can Do to Help

Domestic violence affects millions of people across the world every year. In the U.S. alone, an average of 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner, which totals over 10 million women and men annually. In this blog, we’ll explore practical ways to support survivors of domestic violence, while emphasizing the importance of creating a safe space for them to heal and rebuild their lives.

HelpYouFind.Me x Murder and Mimosas Podcast: A New Collaboration for Personal Safety

Over the next few months, we’ll be working with Murder and Mimosas to bring awareness to personal safety, including covering the importance of the "If I Go Missing File," sharing tips for staying safe, and discussing true crime cases that underscore the relevance of being prepared for any situation.