If you have recently purchased a new home or are currently looking for new homes, chances are you are excited to move into a new home to kick off the new year. However, it is important to not get swept away in the excitement of decorating and housewarming parties to look past the security risks you will be vulnerable too as a new homeowner. Parry Custom Homes, a premier Pittsburgh on your lot builder, shares ways to make your new home as safe and secure as you can to get you started off right.
- If you haven’t already, access the current security situation of the place you are moving into. If you haven’t yet signed on the dotted line, be sure to move into the safest zip code you can afford. Single-family homes are often located in safer neighborhoods than high-density housing or rental areas.
- Be sure before you buy a home, to take it for a test drive. How so? Be sure to drive through the neighborhood during the day and at night. This allows you to gauge what it is like during different times of the week and times during the day. If you can, it’s also a good idea to see if you can talk to anyone living in the neighborhood to see what their thoughts are.
- Once you move into a home, one of the first things you can do that will also cover your basis on a security level, is to get to know your neighbors. Get involved with any neighborhood watch programs or simply develop a level of friendship with your neighbors so you can look out for each other, both when you are at home and away. You will rest easier knowing you have a pair of eyes looking after your home when you are gone.
- When you do move into your new home, be sure to do an audit of your home when it comes to the home’s entry points and how you might be able to improve upon them from a safety aspect. Whether it be changing the locks or updating them to more secure ones, to changing any garage or entry codes that were previously set, small changes can lead to more safety.
- The next thing you will want to do after moving in your home, is identify yourself with where local emergency services are. If you do have a neighborhood watch, get familiar with their training and offerings when it comes to reporting suspicious activity or crimes.
- You will then want to focus on the prevention portion of keeping your new home safe. Even if you decide to not get a security system, there are still several precautions you can put in place to keep your home safe. From putting up window coverings or blinds that prevent an immediate view from the street of the valuables in your home, to putting up secondary blocking devices to sliding glass windows and doors so they can’t easily be forced open. Now days with all the smart technology, it could be a good idea to invest into a smart phone app that allows you to do things like shut your garage door, set the alarm etc. if you are out of town and wondering if you forgot to do so.
- You may have a lot of people entering your new home before and even after you close, such as delivery persons, service vendors, contractors and so on. Be especially mindful of people on your new home, as this gives them instant access to see what valuables you have and if you have a security system and how it might work.
- If you do decide to invest in a security system for your new home, be sure to shop around and do your research first to make sure you select the system that will best suit your needs and then needs of your home. There are so many different options out there and so many scare tactics that security companies may try and use on you, having your main list of concerns and things you want to address handy will be helpful as you shop around for the right provider.
- If you don’t plan to invest in a security system, don’t rule out a DIY option. Consider the option of installing a wireless alarm system without paying for the installation or the monthly fee. If the alarm is triggered, it will sound the loud siren which is often good enough to scare most burglars away. You can even consider putting a security sing in your front lawn by your front door, as just the sign alone can act as a deterrent to home intruders.
- Lastly, nothing beats being prepared. Putting in the research, knowing what to do and where to go, and securing your home the best you can will leave you with a peace of mind and security when you move into your new home.
Parry Custom Homes is an established homebuilder in the Pittsburgh area. Call or contact us today for more information.