Is Your Home Secure Enough For Your Prized Possessions?

A burglary occurs every 30 seconds in the United States. That might sound shocking, but if there is any upside, it’s that this is the best it has been. Of course, we’re ignoring context, and your risk of being burgled differs depending on where you live. Still, no matter where your home is located, there is always a risk that your possessions will be stolen.

The very least you can do is insure your property and possessions. Renters insurance will cover the contents of your home, including cover for your wedding ring and other prized possessions. You may need to add some of your most expensive items to your policy for an extra fee, so make sure to check with your insurer about what they cover.

But ideally you should never have to claim from your insurance. No one wants their home to be burgled, even if they don’t suffer financially from it. The loss of items that have sentimental value cannot be calculated in dollars. How do you know if your home is secure enough? Are your prized possessions safe?

Smart home security systems

In 2022, your home security system should not look the same as it did even ten years ago. Modern security systems have improved drastically, and every homeowner should have a smart home system. Smart home systems connect you to your home through your smart devices, using top-of-the-range technology to keep your home safer than ever before.

The best smart home security systems have cameras which detect movement and stream straight to your phone, window breakage detection, smart thermostats, and more. You can control it from your phone whether or not you're home. If anything happens, you can see your camera feed and alert the authorities.

These home security systems should do the job of keeping most burglars out. At the very least, it deters opportunistic criminals, who would rather go for a home that they can enter undetected. There will still be criminals who plan burglaries who may find their way around the system (or get in and out before the security arrives) but the likelihood that they’ll target a home with a visibly strong system is low.

Even so, if they do get into your home, you want to make sure your prized possessions are safe.

Get a safe

Ultimately, the best way to keep your valuables safe in your home is by getting a safe. Of course, a low-quality safe is not going to be much help at all. This is also true of portable safes, which can be carried off. That does not mean you need a massive, built-in safe, but you should secure your safe in place so that it would take professional tools and a fair amount of time to remove it.

You can now get safes with tracking capabilities, which will help you retrieve any valuables if someone does get away with them. Whether a safe needs a tracker is up for debate, and you will need to monitor the power going to it as well as paying for the service. The reality is that unless you are protecting something that is reason enough for a major heist, installing your safe so that it cannot be removed will be good enough.

Awareness

Getting a state-of-the-art security system as well as a safe is the best way you can go about protecting your home and valuables. However, that is not the beginning and end of the matter. Rather, you are going to have to practice some awareness when entering and leaving the home, as well as when you are home during the night. These times are the most vulnerable, and can be a way for thieves to circumvent your security entirely.

Make sure that you always have your security app on your phone easily accessible when entering and leaving so that you can press the panic button. When you're home at night, keep the doors locked and rather be safe than sorry if you hear a noise. Press the panic button and don’t go investigate yourself.

By protecting your home and possessions this way, you significantly lower the risk of being the victim of a burglary. That doesn't mean you should forego insurance on your most valuable items.