Home security should be important to everyone whether you live in a house or an apartment.
 Knowing your home is protected provides peace of mind both when you are away and when you are home. Security is important even if you have outstanding public safety agencies (police, fire, etc.) in your area.
 Home security is also about you and your habits. If you have a large family where someone is almost always home, you may be less at risk than someone who lives alone and is frequently away on business trips. The value of your home and your possessions is also a factor, although thieves can also be tempted by less valuable items if they believe they will be easy to fence.
 Most insurance companies provide 2 percent to 15 percent discounts for devices that make a home safer—dead-bolt locks, window grates, bars and smoke/fire/burglar alarms.

Tips:
1. Trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows, and think carefully before installing a high, wooden fence around your back yard. High fences and shrubbery can add to your privacy, but can also be an asset to a burglar. Consider trading a little extra privacy for a bit of added security.
2. Exterior lights and motion detectors, mounted out of easy reach, can reduce the darkness a burglar finds comforting.
3. Invest in a burglar alarm. The most effective ones also ring at an outside service.
4. Are any of your valuables—paintings, a silver collection or a computer—easy to see from outside the house? Rearranging your furnishings might be advisable if it makes your home less inviting to criminals.