Are you a homeowner looking to upgrade your security measures? Or maybe you’re buying your first home this season and want to ensure your family is protected in your newly purchased house? Being a homeowner brings along many new responsibilities.
One of the most important parts about owning a home is ensuring the safety and protection of your family, property, and assets. If you question the effectiveness of your current home security measures or are preparing to secure your new house, you’re not alone! Having a safe place to live brings comfort and peace of mind.
Advances in technology now provide us with more intelligent, seamless home security options than ever before. In this article, 23 Legal shares everything to know about home security, making it easy for you to make the best decisions for your household.
Attorney Ben Weaver will also discuss the benefits of installing home security features and provide you with a list of popular security tools that you can try for yourself. Let’s dive in…
Factors to Consider When Securing Your Home in 2024
In intelligent security features, there are many options, which can be confusing. Let’s highlight a few key factors you should pay attention to:
Compatibility: Will the upgraded security system play well with other smart devices around your home?
Usability: Can you handle the system easily in your daily life?
Monitored vs DIY: Do you want professional eyes watching over your home’s security, or are you comfortable doing it alone?
Custom Made: A sound security system can be customized to fit your home and needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Setting Up: Are you okay with installing the system on your own, or would it be better to bring in the pros instead?
Environmental Monitoring: Does the security system encompass more than just intrusion detection? Do modern systems in your consideration offer environmental monitoring features such as smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, and water leak detection?
Future-proofing: As we witness continuous technological advancements, have you considered solutions that promise ease of updates and scalability, ensuring compatibility with future smart home technology innovations?
My Home Threatened? How Can I Protect My Loved Ones?
If you’re wrestling with whether you need a home security system, let’s look at some home intrusion & burglary statistics for 2024.
Intrusions and Burglaries
According to SafeWise’s State of Safety in America 2023 report, burglaries rank highest among all property crimes Americans worry about.
Number of Incidents: In 2022, 847,522 homes reported break-ins. Between the first half of 2022 and 2023, residential burglary rates dropped by 3.8 percent. This indicates a recent decline in occurrences likely due to more home having security systems.
Time of Occurrence: 239,137 burglaries happened during the day, while 184,846 incidents occurred at night at the victims’ residences. This distribution suggests a surprising trend that a significant proportion of burglaries occur during daylight hours, pinpointing when homes are at greater risk while people are out of the house.
The staggering $463 billion estimated total value of stolen property in the U.S. in 2022, alongside a reminder of security systems’ effectiveness. Homes without such systems are 300% more likely to be burglarized!
Other Risks: Additionally, the risk of fires and other disasters has remained constant. These statistics underline the importance of robust home security measures to ensure your loved ones’ safety and well-being.
Benefits of Installing Home Security Tools in 2024
Having a home security system has many benefits for your family and assets…
Scare Off The Bad Guys: Just seeing a security system can make intruders think twice before moving.
All-Round Protection: You’re immediately alerted if anyone or anything tries to break into your home.
Peace of Mind: There’s immense comfort in knowing your family and property are safe around the clock, even when you’re not there.
Fire Safety: Many security systems can also warn you about potential fires, preventing damage and loss of life.
Cheaper Insurance: Some home insurance providers offer lower premiums if a security system secures your home.
Must-Have Security Systems to Protect Your Family in 2024
Fancy buzzwords aside, here are the most popular devices among homeowners to make their homes safer:
Smart Locks: Forget about worrying whether you left the door unlocked when you rush out in the morning. With smart locks, you can control your home’s access from your phone. This allows you to lock and unlock your doors remotely, track access, and even grant temporary digital keys to visitors. This isn’t just about security; it’s about intelligent control. The era of old-fashioned keys is over.
Doorbell Cameras: Imagine always knowing who’s at your front door, even when you’re not home. With doorbell cameras, that’s not just possible; it’s your new reality. Now gone are the days of wondering if that parcel you’ve been eagerly waiting for has arrived. Now, you can get an alert when the delivery person steps up to your door and instructs them on where to leave your package—all through your phone safely.
But it’s not just about convenience; it’s about security, too. A doorbell camera watches your front porch day and night. Whether someone nabbing your new sneakers right off your doorstep or a suspicious character lurking around, your doorbell camera captures it all. This means more convenience, more control, and a safer home.
Security Cameras: Install security cameras strategically around your property perimeter to monitor activity in and around your home. Look for features such as high-definition image quality, real-time alerts, and two-way communication to enhance surveillance capabilities.
Now, you can see exactly what’s happening, whether you’re dealing with a furry intruder or an actual emergency. You even have evidence to show later.
Motion Sensors: An effective way to pick up unusual activity inside your house, especially when nobody’s home. Motion sensors are like the alert watchdogs of the electronic world, quietly scanning your home for any signs of movement and ready to let you know the moment something’s amiss. A motion sensor offers a simple yet effective way to keep an ear (and an eye) on the ground at home, offering reassurance that everything is as it should be. Customization ensures you’re alerted for the right reasons, keeping false alarms to a minimum.
Glass Break Sensors: We all know windows, with their allure of easy access, often catch burglars’ eyes. But with these window sensors, get alerts every time a window is opened or closed. Glass break sensors shine when placed near first-floor windows and glass doors—areas not typically covered by motion sensors.
Environmental Monitors: This should be essential to your home’s security ecology. That watch over your home’s health, ensuring it’s safe from invisible threats that could harm you or your loved ones. These devices offer priceless peace of mind, alerting you to dangers like smoke, harmful gases, or even sneaky water leaks that could otherwise remain unnoticed until it’s too late.
Secure Your Family & Home This Year
As a homeowner, prioritizing property and loved ones security is of the utmost importance. With all the home security tools out there, you now have the power to arm your home in the most effective way possible. Whether you choose a ring doorbell camera, fancy smart locks, or a comprehensive monitoring system, keep in mind it’s the safety of your home and family we’re talking about. You can never be too careful!
The 23 Legal team wishes you all the best and many years of special memories in your beloved home!
Do you have legal questions about real estate? Give us a call: (847) 447-6004
Why Choose 23 Legal
23 Legal offers Real Estate and Estate Planning legal services to individuals, families, community associations and small business owners throughout Chicagoland. We know how intimidating “the law” can be. In fact, when most people think of law offices, they think of stuffy leather chairs, huge wooden desks and pompous lawyers who charge outrageous fees. That’s not us! We believe in 1-to-1; the same lawyer should work with you all the way through. Whether you have an estate planning issue, family trust concern, or you have a legal problem in regard to a new home, business, real estate or remodel, you need a lawyer who cares. That’s where Ben comes in! We are great listeners; more than that, we are lawyers who believe that our clients always come first.
