Moving is an exciting experience, and with all the things that you have to take care of, you might forget to think of security. No matter how safe the neighborhood is, there will be small crimes here and there. According to Safewise, a robbery takes place every fifteen seconds somewhere in the country, with seventy-three percent of them being home invasions. To be on the safe side, Edmonton Movers cross Canada have come up with seven ideas on how you can protect yourself.
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Put in new locks after you moved in
You may not know who may have had access to the house or had a key before you, so once you moved, the first thing to do is get the locks changed. The previous owners may have shared the key with other people so to be safe, get a professional locksmith to rekey all the doors.
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Edmonton movers advice to install an alarm system
This is one of the safest ways to keep the home safe, and since they come in a variety of types, it is easy to find one that is inexpensive but still works well. Contact a security company beforehand and set up a date for them to come and fix the alarms. Nonetheless, there are some that you can be able to install on your own. Once this is completed, put up a security sign on the front lawn and security system stickers on the windows to let the thieves know the house is under surveillance.
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Put lights and TVs on timers
No one wants to be caught stealing, so if they think there are people in the house, they probably won’t come in. When you are not around, especially during holidays, we recommend setting timers on the lights and TV. For lights, set timers for the ones that are near the windows and for the TV, you could set up a timer to go on and off via the TV directly. Through this, you will be able to trick the buglers into thinking that there are people in the home and keep them away.
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Set up a video doorbell
Most thieves ring the doorbell first to check if there are people in the house. The good thing is that now there are advanced doorbells that make it look like there are people home even if you are out. When getting one, go for a bell that can let you see, hear and speak to whoever is at the door before opening it. Brands such as SkyBellWiFi Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell, Vivint Doorbell Camera and August Doorbell Cam are some of the best ones.
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Hide the mail when away
When letters pile up in the mailbox, and packages build up outside our door, it is usually a sign to criminals that there is no one around, therefore encouraging them to break in. It is advisable to make arrangements to have the mail taken care of if you won’t be around. Request a neighbor or a pal to pick them up for you, or let the local post office know you won’t be around and have them hold on to the mail, and you’ll pick it up when you come back.
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Set up motion detector lighting
This is helpful, especially during the night. If someone plans on attacking your home, the bright lights will keep them away. The best thing to do is put in motion detector floodlights at the front, back, and sides of the house and any place that would be an ideal hiding spot. Therefore, if anyone walks through the yards at night, the lights will cense the movement and come on. An extra advantage is that these types of lights are economical, and also energy saving.
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Landscape the yard
Research shows that homes that are surrounded by overgrown shrubs and bushes are targeted most by criminals since they provide a good hiding place and block people from seeing what is going on inside. We recommend having your hedges trimmed to about three feet or shorter, planting thorny bushes and plants near the windows, and also putting gravel on the ground that is near them. The thorns will make it hard for anyone to get close to the window while the gravel will let you know that someone is walking around.
We recommend you to read “Ideas For Purchasing A House In A New Place” and “Six Things To Know Before Relocating To A Townhome”.