Ok, recently we had a break in on or street. Now we live in an area that is remote,but still in a new subdvision. It is also located about 30 miles from Detroit....need I say more? All of my neighbors are getting security systems that don't have them and everybody is all worked up. I am often home alone with my dd when my husband travels out of the states. So I am considering getting a security system and having it monitored but I hate to say it....the cost is what is holding me back! We have to get a phone line, which we only have cell phones right now, and then pay for install and monthly monitoring. I have no experience with this at all and I am wondering if anybody has any advice. Also any advice about companies to use etc. would be greatly appreciated.My husband says we should just get the stickers and the sign for the yard and that will keep crime away, but he also is not here half the time. We have a big dog, who is a huge baby, but can be scary when people come to the door....although give her some food and she is your best friend! Any thoughts???

Down here almost everyone has them. We have one, and I back that up with a big hungry watch dog!

Its all about your sense of security.

Theft isn't too high here. Although there is a town street about half a mile away that had two thefts last year, but nothing residential. Our house came with an outdated security system and we just can't justify using it. We have a beagel and pomeranian who suprisingly have pretty mean barks whenever someone is messing around outside the house. We have security stickers on our doors. We also have a combination lock on our back fence since we don't use it a lot. I'm not here too much by myself - although when I was on maternity leave, I was. I don't know if either I am safe or have a false sense of security though.

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

I think it really depends on so many things...everyone's neighborhood is different, their city is different and their risk factors are different.

I wouldn't necessarily plunk down a chunk of change on a security system because one house got broken into near me. Who knows what the circumstances were...kwim? I would just make sure my house was as secure as possible. There are all kinds of tips out there and your local police department would be happy to help you with that, I'm sure! Things like plantings near your house, outside lighting, proper locks etc

We have always had a security system. I like having it but I'd be okay without it too. If someone really wants to get in your house, a dog, a security system won't probably make a difference, unfortunately. I do set the alarm at night and when I'm gone during the day. I keep all doors and first level windows locked, at all times. I keep my cars locked, even when they're inside my locked garage! LOL!

The companies can vary quite a bit on what they cover, what they charge etc Also vary from state to state, so if it's something you're interested in, just start calling around and getting info. I don't know that any one is better than another actually. We had ADT for a long time and then used a company called NextAlarm for monitoring, which I really liked because I could set it up to get a text message when the alarm was activated or deactivated...or if it was going off. LOL!

At our old house, we had door sensors but no window sensors, so basically, someone could come in thru the window and the alarm wouldn't go off (provided they left the same way)...kwim? So we got some motion detectors but you know, if someone was saavy enough, they could avoid them. We also deactived some because of the animals and kids. We considered sensors on all the windows but if they break the glass to get in, those won't work necessarily. So we looked into a 'glass break' sensor...LOL! You could go crazy (and poor!) trying to anticipate every point of entry...

My friend recently got a security system.. not because she was afraid of anyone coming in.. but her daughter (age 2) walked out into the middle of the street looking for her parents at 1 am all because they forgot to leave their bedroom door open.

One added benifit was when she sat down with their insurance person, they discoverd that they qualified for a discount on their premium because of the system. So, I guess that is something to think about when you are comparing prices.

Good Luck!

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-Sarah

My "Forget the Joneses" Blog: Click Here

I would invest my money in a dog! Also what helps is having an unpredictable schedule. In case thieves are casing out houses; they won't choose yours because they won't know when you'll be home and when you won't.

Also, do not answer the door at all if you don't know the people. In my town, there were some people posing as some type of sales people but they were really just checking out houses to see who was home, etc.

We have a security system and I would never be without one. We live in a wonderful neighborhood, but it makes me feel safer.

One thing for you to research, is the phone line. You don't have to get one to have alarm monitoring active. It can be routed through your computer to your cell phone.

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Jennifer

We have one and we save 20% on our home insurance. Some security companies run specials like free installation and rebate on the systems. Some will have discounted monthly fee for a period of time. We got a free system, free installation and free month (and free key fobs too...remote control for the system). We got two yard signs...Kept one and gave the other one to my MIL (they have the sign, but no system).

I used to not worry about our upstairs windows so much until I watched that show "To catch a thief" (I think that's what its called) on discovery channel. It has the two former burglars who show people how easy it is to break into someone's house. Anyway, he totally scaled this one house to climb in an upstairs window then went downstairs and unlocked the door. Not to mention last year my back door locked on me when my kids were upstairs napping. I freaked out and was amazed when my neighbor scaled the side of my garage to open one of the upstairs windows. I was thankful one of my windows happened to be unlocked but after that I made sure they were.

I had mine active when my husband traveled a lot. Whether it helped or not I don't know...I felt safer though. I also feel like a majority of the time a thief is looking for the easy house to break into so the more difficult you make it the better. Also, as a previous poster stated, I like the beep beep noise when the doors and windows open. Let's face it, those toddlers are crafty.

I know in our area there are always specials where you get free installation and such. I would just call around and get some info. Good luck.

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Jenny, wife to Brad, mommy to two crazy little kids with one on the way!

I don't know if I would have ever gotten a security system on my own, but when we built a new house, it was a part of the package. But I must admit, now that I'm used to it I do feel much better. We live in a very safe area, but it's still reassuring to know that if for some reason someone broke in, I'd have a little bit of notice. Plus lots of times if people break in and an alarm goes off, they'll leave since they know it will draw attention.

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