When you buy a home, making sure you can protect your significant other, children, and pets are generally a top priority. Whether you end up purchasing a home that is well secured already, or you get one that has minimal security measures, you should make use of inexpensive improvements to home security. By following the tips below, you can improve your property's safety without spending a fortune.

Invest in "Beware of Dog" Signs

While these signs play an important role for dog owners, they can also be used by anyone looking to add some extra security to their home. Most criminals do not want to get involved with guard dogs, not only because they will protect their owners with their life, but because they make plenty of noise as well. Adding a few "Beware of Dog" signs to your property will act as a deterrent to criminals.

Upgrade the Strike Plates

While break-ins can happen in numerous ways, one of them is by kicking down an exterior door. Although kicking a door is generally quite loud and may attract nearby neighbors, you should not rely on this as a form of protection. Upgrading the strike plates for the lockset and deadbolt will give your exterior doors the strength they need to withstand heavy kicks from a potential intruder.

Get Outdoor Solar Lighting

It is ideal to have motion-sensor outdoor lights to deter criminals at night, but you can also keep these individuals away by illuminating your property as much as possible. An inexpensive, simple, and attractive way to get protective lighting is by investing in solar lights, which can be distributed throughout your yard.

Apply Security Window Film

Just as a criminal can kick down an exterior door, they can also break in through a window. Although you cannot stop someone from attempting to break a window to get into your home, you can certainly reduce the chances of the window actually breaking with security window film. Applying this film to all of your windows will reduce the overall vision to the inside of your home and reduce window breakage.

Use Your Landscape Advantageously

While you can use your landscape to protect against criminals, it can also be used against you. Keeping up with routine trimming of your trees, bushes, and shrubs is essential to avoid making crime easier by creating hiding spots on your property. However, you should also consider growing thorny bushes by your windows to deter criminals or give them a painful surprise when they try to break into your home.

As a homeowner, you will find it quite beneficial to improve the security of your home. Fortunately, you can make noticeable improvements on a small budget by using the ideas above.

For additional security services, contact a professional company, like Blue Line Security LLC, to discuss which options are best for you.