Safe and Secure at Home

By: Mark Nash
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:16:14
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

One of the rights bundled in home ownership is quiet enjoyment. Maintaining a secure and safe home is an ongoing program to ensure your quiet enjoyment. Many times a break-in or fire occurs when a homeowner lapses in following some basic do's and don'ts. Here are some tips to help provide a safe and secure home for your family.

-Procure a home security and safety system, that sends an automatic alarm to your local police station. High-tech versions feature smoke alarms and window and door sensors. For as little as forty dollars a month you can have peace of mind.

-Check fire extinguishers yearly for proper charge. I do this at the same time I replace smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure your kitchen is equipped with the right extinguisher for grease and kitchen fires.

-Register you pets with the local fire department. Place stickers on entry doors alerting fireman to saves pets in your home, in case of fire.

-Keep landscaping pruned away from windows, obscured windows provide cover for burglars.

-Use low-voltage lighting to up-light exterior walls and doors at night. Install motion detector lighting on hidden doors and basement stairways.

-Have a neighbor pick up mail ,deliveries, and loose trash blowing around your yard. Stop newspapers while your away.

-Unplug automatic overhead garage door opens for added security. Lock fence gates too.

-Install and use diligently window and door locks. It's easy in the heat of summer to open windows, but it's an invitation for theft.

-Leave your day-to-day message on your answering machine, being gone should be seamless to those calling.

-Put lights around your home on staggered timers to make it look like your home when your away. Blinds and curtains should be opened in daylight and closed at night, have your neighbor open and close them.

Never open your front door to someone you don't know. Keep storm doors locked as a safety barrier.

-Develop a fire escape plan and practice it with your family every six months. The majority of fires occur at night, each person should have a flashlight in their nightstand.

-Have gas lines and hook-ups checked regularly for leaks to prevent explosions. Natural gas is odorless.

Mark Nash's fourth real estate book, "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home" (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, Associated Press,CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, Bottom Line Magazine, Business Week, CNN-TV, Fidelity Investor’s Weekly, MarketWatch, HGTVpro.com, MSNBC.com, Smart Money Magazine,The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Real Estate category

  • The Silver Lining of the Foreclosure Crisis - By: Leslie Eskildsen
    They need capital to not only buy the home, but also to restore it. Foreclosure homes can range from an empty, abandoned building to a trashed house with garbage strewn all over the place, missing fixtures and a galloping case of mold or termites.
  • Why You Should Invest in Spanish Property - By: Craig Edmonds
    The reasons why people choose to invest in Spanish property are varied. Those wanting to spend their vacation in this beautiful country know all about its beautiful beaches and romantic culture. They want to experience its golden sunsets and warm nights with the sea air wafting through the curtains.
  • Additional Inspections to Get Before You Buy That Home - By: Greg Smith
    Hiring a licensed pest inspector to check the home for wood destroying organisms such as termites and mold is always a good idea. Termite infestation wreaks havoc on the wood structures in your home, while keeping their presence a well-kept secret. Often it isn't until a great deal of damage has been done that you discover that you have termites.
  • The Ins & Outs of Sale Contingencies - By: Greg Smith
    A sale contingency is a critical contract addition for a buyer who owns a house that he or she needs to sell before closing on a new one. If she doesn't add this provision to the contract, she faces the possibility of having to pay two mortgages. With a sale contingency in place, the contract for the new home becomes null and void if she is unable to sell her home.
  • Problems With Mineral Rights Leasing - By: Anna Poelo
    Problems and disputes cannot be wholly avoided in mineral rights leasing.
  • Milwood homes for those wanting to settle - By: Joe Cline
    It is your typical Austin community: landscaped lawns, tree-lined side-streets, kids playing, couples strolling, all awash in Texas sun on a summer's day, and you scout around for 'for sale' or 'for rent' signs.
  • Rosedale: An Austin Neighborhood By Any Other Name - By: Joe Cline
    Rosedale is simply enchanting. The small cottage-like homes offer a charming, homey, and exquisite appeal. The neighborhood offers a mix of the old and new Austin.
  • The 4 Parts of a Business Plan for Real Estate Agents - By: Cheri Alguire
    This model of business planning and goal setting for Real Estate Professionals breaks the process down to four parts and seventeen steps.
  • Tenant Screening - the first line of defense - By: Garret Lloyd
    Getting a tenant for an unoccupied apartment is definitely a good idea. But getting good tenants is of prime importance in order to ensure safety and peace of mind in the long run.
  • What is online reverse auction? - By: Ron Victor
    Reverse auction deals with internet auction and e-purchasing. This is also known by many names like procurement auction, sourcing event, e-sourcing, and e-auction. Generally in an auction, purchaser is allowed to place a bid on an item on the amount that he is willing to pay so that he can buy that item.