Top 8 Ways to Keep Your New Home Safe

So you bought a new home. Congratulations! Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned home buyer, you probably know the home buying process can be lengthy and even a bit stressful. After getting pre-approval, going to showings with your real estate agent, meeting with your mortgage lender, getting home inspection reports, and everything in between, finally moving into your new house is a welcome relief.

But moving in doesn’t mean you’re done just yet. New homeowners will want to make sure their new home is as safe and secure as possible.

Two parents and their young daughter standing in front of their new house.

Top new home security tips for home buyers

These tips will show you the most common security vulnerabilities with new homeownership, and what you can do make sure your new dream home is safe:

1. Change locks

What’s the absolute first thing you want to do when you move in to a new home? Change the locks! Whether your home is brand new construction or you purchased it from someone else, there are likely multiple sets of keys to your doors floating around, and you have no way of knowing who the previous homeowners gave spare keys to.

Many people focus on the front doors, but make sure you change the locks on all your exterior doors as well, including:

Door from your garage into your home
Patio and back doors
Service or side doors on the garage
Sheds or outbuildings
Walk-out basement doors

A smart lock makes securing your front door and changing your locks much easier. With smart locks, you can quickly lock or unlock your door via a code on a keypad or remotely with your smartphone. Because they eliminate the need for a physical key, changing your locks on a smart lock is easy as programming a new code.

2. Secure windows

In addition to your doors, you’ll want to secure another common entry point for intruders—windows. Before you spend the night for the first time in your new home, check that each window’s lock is functioning properly. Also, make sure each window is locked before going to bed. This is especially important for downstairs windows. It’s also a good idea to include checks of your windows and screens in your regular home maintenance schedule.

3. Add security cameras outside

Imagine you’re home and you hear a crash in the backyard. It could be an intruder, the wind, or even the family dog—but you won’t know without checking, which can be risky depending on what caused the noise.

Security cameras can provide an extra set (or more) of eyes around your property, as well as much-needed peace of mind. You can check your security cameras from your phone and then take action if needed.

There are a variety of security cameras designed for residential use on the market with plenty of different features and price points. As a general rule, look for outdoor cameras that have:

Night vision (pay attention to range, making sure the image will be clearly visible for the area your camera needs to cover)
1080p resolution for a crisper picture
Weatherproofing that will withstand your climate
Wide field of view (140° is ideal)
Wi-fi-enabled connection, so you can view footage via an app
Motion sensors

More advanced cameras, like the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro, go a step further to proactively protect your property by identifying lurkers, and then sounding a warning tone to let them know they’ve been spotted.

Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro on a home exterior.

4. Upgrade or install outdoor lighting

Well-lit homes are a deterrent to potential criminals, who prefer to lurk unseen. Motion-sensor floodlights, porch and garage lights that turn on automatically at dusk, and landscape lighting can all brighten your home’s exterior, making it more secure and visually appealing. This is also an easy DIY, so you can quickly do it on your own in an afternoon.

With Vivint, smart lighting is an integrated part of your home security system. You can dim the lights and turn them on and off, all from the same platform you use to manage your home security: the Vivint app.

Smart lighting for the inside of your home is also helpful. You can control smart lights via your phone, making it look as if someone is home (even if you’re not).

5. Secure your Wi-Fi

When you stop and think of the amount of personal finance and personal information you exchange and access online, it makes sense to lock down your wi-fi as much as possible. Additionally, smart home devices that are connected to your wi-fi can be hacked if your wi-fi isn’t secure.

Luckily, securing your wi-fi isn’t difficult or time-consuming. A few things you can do include:

Change the default user name and password
Update your router’s software regularly, as these updates often include security fixes
Set up a guest network, which gives fewer people access to your primary login information
Keep your devices secure as well, including changing default names and passwords and use two-factor authentication

6. Get to know your neighbors

There are many benefits to getting to know your neighbors. Not only is it nice to be able to have friends living so close by, but an extra set of trusted eyes on your home while you’re away is always useful. They can gather your mail while you’re away and let you know if anything around your home and yard seems amiss or suspicious.

7. Protect your private information

Purchasing a home means exchanging a lot of private information. Real estate transactions are a matter of public record, so unless you purchase your home as a private LLC, pretty much anyone can find out information about your new address, including the owner, purchase price, and property taxes.

Many companies use these public records to try and sell you things, especially things related to your new home (including new homeowners insurance, a home warranty, new windows, HVAC repair, new water heaters, lower interest rate offers…you name it). Not only that, but because getting a home loan requires running your credit, many credit card companies will use the opportunity to market new lines of credit.

You can help protect your private information and cut down on junk mail with the following tips:

Opt out of prescreened offers. Sick of new credit or insurance offers? The FTC offers a way to permanently opt-out of prescreened offers with a simple phone call. Find step-by-step instructions on their website.
Freeze your credit. It’s a good idea to protect your personal information (and your credit score!) from scammers and credit breaches by freezing your credit. This prevents creditors from running your credit report, so no one can open a line of credit in your name. You can unfreeze it if needed at a later time. You will need to freeze your credit with all three credit reporting agencies, but it‘s a free service.

8. Let Vivint help secure your new home

Another way to keep your new home safe and secure? Install a home security system. A professionally-monitored system means your home is protected against intruders, fire and carbon monoxide, and other threats that can put your home and family at risk.

When it comes to protecting your home, Vivint is the best. Here’s why you should choose Vivint to keep your home, belongings, and family safe:

Customize your system. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to securing and automating your home. You can customize your Vivint system based on your personal preferences, home, and budget to ensure everywhere in your home is covered.
Integration with all of your devices. Each of Vivint’s state of the art security and home automation devices work together and are easily controlled via a single hub or Smart Home App. You don’t have to download different apps or deal with the headache of trying to pair different devices together.
Professional monitoring. Vivint has an in-house professional monitoring team that will monitor your home around the clock. Whether it’s a burglar alarm, fire alarm or carbon monoxide detector, or glass break sensor, our team will contact emergency responders on your behalf to ensure you get help as quickly as possible, whether you’re home or away.
Professional installation. After you move in to a new home, the last thing you want to do is mess with trying to install a new security system. All Vivint systems include professional installation from licensed Smart Home Pros who will install your system, test it, and show you how to use it.

Ready to get started? Call us at 855.822.1220 for a free consultation to start protecting your new home today.