Top Security Features To Improve Your Home’s Value
Home security is important to ensure that you and your family feel safe and that you can trust you aren’t inviting burglars in every time you leave. However, while security is important it’s also not ideal to have your home looking like Fort Knox.
Too much security on the outside of a home doesn’t make it a welcoming sight and this may also impact your ability to sell in the future. If buyers feel like your home needs security they may worry about the area.
Fortunately, there are ways to improve the security of your home without effectively painting a big sign saying ‘Thieves, stay out!’. Here are some of the best home security features that will improve your home’s value and give you peace of mind.
Upgrading windows and doors
Installing new windows and doors goes a long way to improving the value of your home. They provide better insulation than outdated ones plus they increase home security thanks to improvements in technology. For instance, installing windows with visible locks highlights to potential burglars that they aren’t going to gain easy access.
Window locks that are fixed to the frame rather than the handle increase protection even further. Something that slows a burglar down will act as a deterrent; keeping them away from your property.
Adding new doors with security-enhanced features like solid frames and robust locks further increases your home’s security. Not only do windows and doors add value in the short term but if you install double or triple glazing they will also help to reduce the energy costs of running a home.
Windows and doors account for approximately 40% of the heat lost in a house, so improving the insulation by installing new ones is important. Given the energy crisis and increasing cost of living, features like windows or doors that help save money are a selling point.
Maintaining your outbuildings
It’s quite easy to forget about outbuildings like garages and sheds and let them fall into disrepair but this can pose problems. For starters, it affects the value of your home as potential buyers will see that they need to work on them and may reduce their offering price. Additionally, they can become a security concern, especially if they provide access to the main house.
Automatic garage doors provide greater home security and easy accessibility but they also can experience malfunctions and fall into general disrepair. Ensuring that you regularly maintain your garage door so it doesn’t get stuck midway or is perpetually left unlocked will, naturally, improve your home’s security.
Even something as simple as placing a strong padlock on a shed door acts as a deterrent and can improve your security. Regular maintenance of your shed will ensure it doesn’t end up in a bad state, which then becomes one less thing for potential buyers to point out as a negative.
Electronic blinds
Privacy is important to allow you to feel secure in your private space. While traditional blinds and curtains do a great job of covering your windows from prying eyes, electronic blinds are an investment that adds value to your home. The great thing about modern electric blinds is that they can be controlled remotely, meaning you can create the illusion of being home even if you’re at work.
Perhaps you are going away for a holiday and you don’t have a neighbour or family member who can come to your house to look after the place. Programming your electronic blinds to open and close during daylight hours will make it seem like someone is living there, which means burglars won’t single your home out.
These automatic blinds are an investment but one that will help to add value to your home thanks to their great aesthetics and programmable features. According to Checkatrade, electric blinds can be installed from as little as £2,750.
Privacy fencing
Security comes in different forms and adding privacy for you and your family with fencing can make you feel more comfortable when you are in the garden. This privacy fencing also helps to add value to your home as those that have been recently refurbished and decorated can command a higher fee.
Fencing experts, Harrow Fencing Supplies, believe a fence can add as much as 20% to the value of a property, but only if its purpose can be justified. Families with children or homeowners with dogs will appreciate the addition of a perimeter fence but not everyone will feel it adds value to your home.
Style and quality are important too, with modern fences increasing kerb appeal while tall, well-built fences add an element of safety many homebuyers strive for.
Smart security solutions
You don’t have to make sweeping changes to your home to add security and value to it. Simple and smart security solutions allow families and homeowners to feel confident that their property is safe, even when they aren’t around. Installing a doorbell camera costs less than £100 but adds a peace of mind that allows you to know who is knocking on your door and if your parcels are safe.
Smart door locks are another way to protect your home in a modern fashion. These locks can be controlled from anywhere, can be controlled using voice commands and keep users updated with email and push notifications. Some locks are BlueTooth enabled, meaning they will only work when the homeowner is within range.
Others feature geofencing technology which ensures your home is locked when you leave whether you remember to do so or not. Once your phone leaves the property’s pre-determined perimeter the locks will instantly engage, securing your home by engaging the locks.
Adding smart security solutions can help to bring down home insurance premiums, making your home more attractive to would-be buyers.
Security practices to put burglars off
Whether you are looking to add value to your home or not, it’s important to keep your house as secure as possible. Some practices like installing burglar alarms and security cameras aren't for everyone but it does bring peace of mind.
According to a survey by Which?, the top five security features that put burglars off are:
Having a burglar alarm
Having a dog in the home
People occupying the property
CCTV and security cameras
Outdoor lights and sensors
Including these security features won’t necessarily add value but they will bolster your defences and protect your home from thieves.
