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When it comes to protecting your high-value home in your absence, few things beat an actual living, breathing caretaker who lives on the grounds. And you'll score bonus points for hiring someone who's trained in fighting fires or apprehending invaders. Your second line of defense should be a local monitoring service that can respond on-site or that can dispatch first responders to your home should something happen while you're away.
Security Is More Than Just Doors and Windows
The cost of your security system should increase with the value of your home, say the experts. It's no good to have a standard alarm system installed on a home that's worth a million dollars or more. High-value homes need increased security, including:
If a pipe breaks or a basement floods in your luxury home, you should instantly be alerted. Likewise, if power to your home is interrupted. Having someone on site to keep an eye on things is paramount. Receiving alerts to your personal devices and having the ability to alert local authorities is also vital.
Begin With Thoughtful Construction
The best home security begins with prevention, and this includes thoughtful construction as the site is being chosen and the home built. Homes built in storm belts need to meet additional specifications such as using reinforced glass on windows and doors and the addition of hurricane straps. Homes built in flood plains should be constructed on stilts or should at least allow space for water to flow under and around the home without breaching it.
Hiring professionals builders and contractors who are experienced in luxury home construction is key. And if you're buying a luxury home pre-built or opting for a historic mansion that was built a century ago, be prepared to upgrade and fortify it to deal with today's home security threats.
Be Discerning With Technology
The more technology your home employs, the more opportunities bad guys have to hack into it. Technology is good, but you should have other fail-safes available in the event that it ultimately fails or worse -- it becomes the source of the intrusion. Today's newspapers are filled with horror stories from homeowners whose home security devices were hacked and used against them. Make sure your home tech is backed by a service that employs real humans who can respond in the event of an emergency.
Securing your high-value home is a lot more complicated than it used to be, which is why a bigger investment is required. Play it safe and consult with professionals who have experience protecting luxury homes before purchasing a home security system and simply assuming it's good enough to do the job required.
About the Author
Sandy Malbrue
Hi, I'm Sandy Malbrue and I'd love to assist you. Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search for representation or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my 14 years real estate experience to work for you. Be it to gain wide exposure for your home with my marketing plan, negotiate offers or manage the transaction once you've accepted an offer, in a way that will get you the best price and cause the least amount of disruption to you life as possible.
If you are a buyer, allow me put those skills to work for you to help with the pre-approval process, work with you to locate and arrange for you to view homes of interest to you , and negotiate your offer. Once you have an accepted offer, I will help you arrange inspections, I will manage the transaction for you, from helping to arrange for inspections to keeping you up to date on contingency removals and walking you through the process to a new set of keys.
Let's do this!