North Texas is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States, and because of that, we wanted to share some helpful tips to local and first-time home buyers in North Texas to know what to look for as far as security goes.  As well as additional tips you can implement once settled in.

Pre-purchase tips:

  1. While the areas you are considering buying in are fast-growing, some neighborhoods may have crime rates you might not be aware of. Assess the security situation before you buy. Check out websites that assist during the house-hunting process to identify crime rates, like https://www.mylocalcrime.com/ or https://www.cityprotect.com/. These will help you see and understand where crime is happening in neighborhoods, as well as how to engage with the local law enforcement.
  2. Conduct night-time commuting. If you are local or visit often enough that you can spend some time driving the area, consider doing so both during the day and at night. This gives you an idea of the night-time activities on different days and times during the week.
  3. Get neighborly. Even before you become an official neighbor, you can talk with those already living there. Some communities already have Facebook groups where people share everything from borrowing tools, crime reporting, local events and more. This can be a great place to get guidance on the type of people and happenings that are taking place there.  You may find that you must have a local address to join some groups. Reach out to the “Admin” of those groups and request temporary addition or links to local town council and other helpful resources.  You can also check out neighborhoods on apps like Nextdoor.

 

Post-purchase tips:

Now that you’re moved in, let’s discuss some other options that exist to add additional security to your new home!

  1. Inspect all the home’s entry points and identify any outdated or malfunctioning locks. You may even want to upgrade to electronic door locks, a way to replace keys or to add additional automation features, like remote locking or unlocking. Although most found on cars, many cutting-edge security providers are offering electronic door locks for homes and businesses.
  2. Join the neighborhood watch, or at least sit in on one introductory meeting. Here, you’ll get a sense of recent events, current issues and the caliber and resources of those involved to respond and resolve community concerns.
  3. Say hello and greet your neighbors at their homes. Shaking hands with and getting names of people, asking a little about them, etc., not only tightens a community bond which leads to natural respect for one another but also deters crime as an otherwise-scheming neighbor is less likely to act when you know so much about them.
  4. Consider wireless security – with rates starting at just $15.95/month. You can be safe knowing you’re the most secure home on the block! Not only does Fort Knox Home Security offer affordable Texas home security systems, but our U.L. Listing and Approved central monitoring station is one of the highest rated in the nation with an average response time of only 13-seconds!  Fort Knox Home Security alarm monitoring is affordable, as well as reliable.

Fort Knox Security is known for having the best value and customer service out of all alarm companies in the state of Texas. Take advantage of Fort Knox’s home security specials and coupons!