• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on YouTubeRSS Feed

Kimberly Howell Properties

San Antonio Real Estate

office@kimberlyhowell.com
(210) 493-6888
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Agents
  • Buyers
    • Neighborhoods
    • Relocation Information
  • Sellers
  • Listings
    • Available Rentals
    • Homes for Sale
    • McNair Custom Homes
  • Contact
  • Rental SearchHomes for Rent
  • REALTORS®Find an Agent
  • McNair Custom HomesNew Construction
  • Property SearchHomes for Sale
You are here: Home / Homeowner Tips / Should I purchase an alarm system for my home?

Should I purchase an alarm system for my home?

January 3, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Alarm System

Alarm systems can be rather useful in a home, but much like insurance, they come at a cost if you never use them. People often wonder about the benefit of an alarm system versus the monthly cost of such a system. Many homes these days come pre-wired for security systems, so what’s a new homeowner to do? Have the system hooked up and monitored for a monthly fee or just hope for the best? Are alarm systems effective at stopping criminals from entering your home? What alarm monitoring company should I use?

Should I get an alarm system with monitoring and is it effective?

To pay a fee or not, that is the question. First, let’s discuss the alarm – whether it involves door and window chimes, motion detectors, video cameras, or glass shatter sensors – the obvious function is to make a ton of noise and scare off any would be burglars, and if you’re paying for monitoring, to notify the police that an alarm event has occurred. When the alarm sounds, the burglar has two options – ignore it and soldier on or run like hell in case anyone shows up.

In talking with police officers over the years, I’ve learned that most professional burglars aren’t afraid of the alarms. While the alarm may bring the neighbor out to look around, the truth is most of us ignore alarms these days. Since the pros know what they’re doing, they can be in and out before that alarm attracts any real attention.

So what about monitoring? Paying a company to “listen” in and report alarm events to the police seems like the logical solution. For a monthly fee, most companies will provide monitoring (and some will even provide security patrols to respond to the alarm). Once again, the professionals have a distinct advantage, knowing that the police are often busy and can take up to an hour to respond. If you know what you’re looking for, you could take a lot out of a home in much less than an hour.

Which alarm company should I choose?

Personally, I’ve had good experience with the big national companies (ADT and Brinks to be specific – which are now both owned under the ADT name), but it really depends on your budget and needs. Most companies will perform a basic install or “takeover” (if you already have the system, but need monitoring), but you should consider the various pieces of any system – how many contact points, motion detectors, etc. will they install and how much to monitor them (the more items to monitor, the more it costs). Some local companies offer security patrols and armed response, so check with neighbors and friends to see who they use and trust. The better your security system and response time, the better your chances of avoiding being burglarized.

Remember, if you do experience a break in, exit your home immediately and call the police. Do not touch anything (hopefully the police will be able to gather some evidence).

image courtesy of jepoirrier

Related Posts

  • Don’t Get Stuck Without Water – Take Care of Your FoundationDon’t Get Stuck Without Water – Take Care of Your Foundation
  • Do You Have A Green Thumb?Do You Have A Green Thumb?
  • Rain, Rain Go Away: Your Roof, Rain, And Sudden LeaksRain, Rain Go Away: Your Roof, Rain, And Sudden Leaks
  • Quick Tips to Memorize When it’s Time to WinterizeQuick Tips to Memorize When it’s Time to Winterize
  • Holiday Decorating? Time for Some Early Spring CleaningHoliday Decorating? Time for Some Early Spring Cleaning

Filed Under: Homeowner Tips Tagged With: homeowner tips, alarm system, security

Quick Search

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Stay up to date with the latest from Kimberly Howell Properties.

Loans

Credit Healthy – Credit Scores, Lenders, and Pre-Approval Letters

Agent Joyce Marie Jackson returns for another installment in her "Credit Healthy" series with information about the all important pre-approval. A very important step in the process of buying a home, a lender's … [Read More...] about Credit Healthy – Credit Scores, Lenders, and Pre-Approval Letters

FOMO

How To Create Real Estate FOMO

This week, we turn the keys over to agent Tatiana Delaserna and let her take over the blog. In this post, Tatiana discusses "FOMO" - we don't want to spoil her article, but we have to say, it's a very real … [Read More...] about How To Create Real Estate FOMO

Congratualtions

You Passed Your Real Estate Exam – Now What?

Once upon a time, we all started at the beginning, with a fresh new real estate license in our hands and a ton of things to learn in front of us...being licensed is one thing, but becoming an incredible agent … [Read More...] about You Passed Your Real Estate Exam – Now What?

Credit Healthy

Credit Healthy – Build It Right From Ground Zero

When it comes to buying a home, few things are more important than your credit. The better it is, the more buying power you have. In this article the first is a series of posts entitled "Credit Healthy," … [Read More...] about Credit Healthy – Build It Right From Ground Zero

Moving In

Things to Do After You Move In

It's move in day! Moving into a new home is an exciting time. So much to do; trying to remember where you put your spoons or your coffee mugs, running up and down steps, paying the movers, meeting the … [Read More...] about Things to Do After You Move In

Search Our Site

Real Estate Topics

  • Buying a Home
  • Homeowner Tips
  • KHP News
  • Local Events
  • Local Laws
  • Miscellaneous
  • Mortgages and Financing
  • Open Houses
  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Market
  • Renters and Landlords
  • San Antonio Places
  • Sell Your Home
  • Technology
Our real estate agents can help you with properties anywhere in Texas. If you need assistance finding agents in other parts of the country, please contact us.

Search Homes

Explore Cities

  • Alamo Heights 48 Listings
  • Bandera 441 Listings
  • Blanco 172 Listings
  • Boerne 936 Listings
  • Bulverde 161 Listings
  • Canyon Lake 377 Listings
  • Castle Hills 40 Listings
  • Castroville 84 Listings
  • Cibolo 304 Listings
  • Comfort 98 Listings
  • Converse 421 Listings
  • Fair Oaks Ranch 76 Listings
  • Floresville 184 Listings
  • Garden Ridge 38 Listings
  • Helotes 230 Listings
  • Hill Country Village 7 Listings
  • La Vernia 160 Listings
  • Lakehills 102 Listings
  • Leon Valley 14 Listings
  • Live Oak 67 Listings
  • Mico 119 Listings
  • New Braunfels 1142 Listings
  • Olmos Park 14 Listings
  • San Antonio 9454 Listings
  • Schertz 320 Listings
  • Seguin 236 Listings
  • Selma 77 Listings
  • Shavano Park 27 Listings
  • Spring Branch 462 Listings
  • Terrell Hills 42 Listings
  • Universal City 91 Listings
  • Windcrest 34 Listings
  • Hollywood Pk 9 Listings

San Antonio real estate and property information provided by Kimberly Howell Properties. Kimberly Howell Properties does not assume any liability or responsibility for the operation or content of any of the linked resources, nor for any of the interpretations, comments, graphics, or opinions contained therein. All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

KJH Properties, Inc. is a licensed real estate brokerage in the State of Texas, Equal Opportunity Employer, and supporter of the Fair Housing Act.

TREC Information About Brokerage Services | TREC Consumer Protection Notice | Privacy Policy

All content © 2009-2020 Kimberly Howell Properties, unless otherwise noted.