Although SWFL is a safe area to live in, it’s perfectly natural to consider the safety of your home. After all, planning and prevention can help safeguard the most important assets in your life—from your Southwest Florida home to your loved ones. And today, home security items have become very affordable. In turn, this has led more and more homeowners to consider adding to their home security, but without breaking the bank. If you haven’t yet taken a look at your options, consider these ones for cost-effective home security that can bring you peace of mind.
Internet-connected cameras
When you browse your choices for cameras nowadays, you’ll see that you can get many affordable options. The best part is that, with smartphones, you can also check them when you’re not at home! You’ll want to keep in mind that these cameras should be properly secured from just anyone accessing them, but they offer a good tool to start with for cost-effective home security.
Attractive storm doors
For Southwest Florida homes, it’s become popular to add a storm door to the front entryway. These doors are similar to screened doors, but more heavy duty. You can also get ones that come with a decent lock. Overall, this provides one more layer of home security and is beneficial during a severe weather event.
Lights with timers
You can also get different tools that allow you to set schedules for your home lighting. Why does this matter? Think about it: who hasn’t been out just a bit past sunset, and remember that they forget to turn on a light before they left? These tools prevent your house from being totally dark before you get home.
Garage door locks
It’s a common perception that once your garage door is closed, it’s good-to-go. However, the reality is, even with an electric garage door opener, your garage may be pretty easy to open. In fact, an electric door opened is vulnerable to more sophisticated means of hijacking electrics. An extra, manual lock on the door is a simple way to ensure it’s closed at all times. This also helps during a hurricane, providing more re-enforcement to strong winds.
Smoke alarms
You might think that this is an odd item to include in your cost-effective home security list but hear me out. Home security is just as much about protecting your family from hazards like a fire as it is anything else, and today, you can get alarms that check for a variety of other hazards as well.
These are just a few of the items you can pick up at your local hardware store. And next week, we’ll look at other tips for home security. But in the meantime, I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments!
Terry Records
Broker/Owner
Records Results Real Estate
Residential Sales and Property Management Service