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Home security is important. Crime doesn’t go away, it keeps growing. There are many things you can do to keep yourself, and your home/possessions, safe. Thanks go out to Joe for sending in some tips on how to keep your home safe.

1. The first and the most important tip is to purchase a homeowner’s insurance. Purchasing separate insurance for your most valuable possessions is a next step. If you have the proper insurance, even if all your security measures fail, you may still be able to recoup a portion of lost valuables. Many of the insurance companies will require you to install some type of the security system before an insurance policy will be issued to you.
2. Tip number 2 is to store the most expensive and most valuable items (including jewelry, money, etc.) in a safe deposit box in the bank. This step will definitely protect your valuables. The expensive items that are needed in the house can be kept in the safe.
3. Tips number 3 & 4 are to install an alarm system and sign up for the alarm monitoring service. When you are installing the alarm system, make sure that the fire and smoke detectors are integrated with the system. The alarm monitoring service is also very important. Without the monitoring, you can not be sure what time will pass before someone will notice the fact that the system went off and will call the police. With the alarm monitoring system, the police department is contacted right away.
4. Tip number 5 is to include motion detectors as a part of your alarm system. Motion detectors can be installed inside the house, near windows and doors. With motion detectors, you will become aware of any movement inside the house. The alarm system will be triggered by the detector and the monitoring company will be notified. It is also a good advice to have a motion sensor light outside your house.
5. Tip number 6 deals with the situation when you are installing video cameras as a part of your security system. When you are installing video cameras, you should purchase the cameras that provide infrared functionality. There cameras will usually switch to the black and white mode and will turn infrared LEDs when it gets dark.
6. Tip number 7 deals with the power down situations. You should purchase and charge the back up power supply in advance. In a case of a power down situation, a back up power supply will keep your security system up and running… and your house protected. Without a power supply, you risk a complete stop in the functionality of your security system.
7. Tip number 8 is to go wireless. If you have wired cameras, you should probably upgrade them to wireless cameras that don’t need a wire connecting them to the VCR. Wireless cameras are easier to install, manage and hide. It will be harder for a criminal to notice a wireless camera than a wired one. If you signed up for the alarm monitoring systems, you should check if the security company has a wireless option (when the system can use cellular link to contact the company if the alarm goes off).
8. Tip number 9 is to make sure that you lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house. Also, don’t forget to turn your alarm on before you leave and turn it off when you come back. If you don’t do these simple steps, even the most expensive security system may not be able to protect you.
9. Tip number 10 is to join a neighborhood watch program, if there is one. This is definitely very important. If you are not at home, some of your neighbors may be. If they can keep an eye on your house, this will provide an additional level of security. Talk to your neighbors and see if you can join a program. If there is no neighborhood watch program in place, it might be a good idea to discuss the possibility of creating one with your neighbors.

The above tips, especially the first one, don’t only apply to keep yourself safe from criminals. Please, please make sure you are properly insured, even if you rent. My assistant, Kat, nearly lost her home due to fire recently. She didn’t have renter’s insurance at the time, as she thought it would be too expensive. She called the day after this near-tragedy happened, and is now fully insured. What she went through only goes to show you how quickly something can happen, when you least expect it. Ponzi and I are both very glad that Kat, her family, and her home are ok. I hope to be able to say the same about all of you in the future, as well.

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What Do You Do to Keep Your Home Secure?

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Ponzi learned a valuable lesson this week. Never buy software before you try it. If there’s no free trial available, stay away from it! Always check to see if you can find a comparable open-source or free software. You might actually find one that’s better than its paid counterpart.

Ponzi stopped by the Apple store last week, and came home with a $50.00 Screenwriting software title. Fifty dollars?! Ouch! I set out to find a free or open-source alternative, and found one quickly. The ratings for the open-source program are better than the one she bought, so I took hers back to the Apple store. I refuse to pay for software that I can get an open-source or free version of that’s just as good… or better!

Ponzi has also been wanting to start doing an inventory of our home and possessions for insurance purposes. She mentioned to me that all the software she was finding was expensive, and “ugly”. Well crud. I do NOT like ugly software. So I set out once again on my software quest.

Luckily, I came upon StuffSafe.com. This site and its services are completely free. There are two big pluses in my mind:

• Being online, it’s available no matter what Operating System you use. As long as you can get online, you can access your inventory
• Again… being online: say my house were to burn down, and my only inventory was residing on my computer. If I don’t have time to get the computer… the inventory is lost. Being online like this allows me to access the information anyway, and still keep a copy on my computer. .

With StuffSafe, there are no restrictions. You can add as many “things” as you own, as many rooms, and as many homes. You can also download and save or print customizable reports. There are options for reports by room, by house, by item type, and more!

What home inventory software do you use? Is it any good? I’m happy to look at it, but I’m warning you… if it’s ugly, I won’t use it.

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My Choice for Home Inventory Software