Buying a home is a pretty scary endeavor. There’s a lot of money at stake, and it’s one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your entire life. With so much to consider though it’s easy to overlook potential security risks that a new home has. That’s why every potential home owner has to factor in security when buying a new home.
Think Like A Thief
It’s important to look at your potential house as if you were going to try and break into it. This doesn’t mean that you have to have an intimate knowledge of criminal tactics; you just need to ask whether or not you would pick this location to rob. Is there plenty of light and clear views from the street, or are there plenty of places that potential thieves could hide? Do the doors have heavy deadbolts, or just flimsy thumb locks? Is there a security system installed in the home, or would you need to have one put in?
These are all things that you need to take into account when you consider buying a home. If your home is your castle then you have to look and see where its vulnerabilities are. After all, those beautiful French windows might provide a great view of the sunset, as well as an easy way in for burglars.
Be Realistic
While homeowners need to be realistic about the potential security threats they face, it’s important not to get paranoid. It’s important to ask about the neighborhood, and to see what sort of risks realistically exist in a given area. While a home might be easy to break into in theory, if it’s in a gated community with regular patrols and it has a fully-functioning alarm system then those break ins are significantly less likely.
Finding the ideal home is all about deciding what’s important. No one wants to live in a prison, but if you move into a house that you can’t lock up tight then there’s a very real safety issue that needs to be addressed.
