The cold temperatures outside are no excuse to ignore your home security and safety. Property owners need to take special care to avoid potential disaster. Below, we’ve outlined ten of the top tips for keeping your home safe from the first freeze to the first thaw.

Don’t Be Afraid to Spread Some Salt: One hard fall can be the beginning of a lifetime of injuries. When the temperatures dip below freezing, spread rock salt liberally on walkways to avoid a tumble.

Have Your Home Inspected by an Expert: From faulty furnaces to blocked fireplace flues, there are hazards throughout your home. If you haven’t had an expert inspect your home yet this year, it’s not too late.

Drive Your Children to School on the Coldest Days: In the northern reaches of the United States, the coldest days of the year can mean a high risk of frostbite within minutes of exposure to the air. Drop your kids off at school rather than having them wait for the bus.

Have Someone Take in Your Mail: If you go away on vacation, have a friend or neighbor take in your mail and newspapers.

Protect your pipes: When the temperatures really start to drop, open a slow drip in a couple of faucets around the home to prevent burst pipes. The added cost to your water bill is nothing compared to plumbing expenses after a catastrophe.

Join a Carpool: Why drive if you can avoid it? Talk to neighbors and co-workers about carpooling. This not only saves energy but allows you to keep your car parked in your driveway; a clear sign to criminals that someone may be home.

Use Care With Fires: Your fireplace is a great way to stay warm during the winter, but take steps to make sure it is under control. Keep the glass closed, and don’t build the blaze past a reasonable level. Also look into a home alarm system that monitors carbon monoxide.

Install an ADT Monitored Home Security System: Short winter days give criminals the opportunity to take cover in the darkness. Make sure you have a home alarm you can trust.

For property owners in Houston, Texas, home security should be a top priority. Along with the benefits that come with living in one of the largest cities in the United States, there are also a few risks. With the holidays drawing near, there’s never been a better time to improve your home’s safety.

It only takes a quick look at the data on the Houston Police Department’s website to realize how important it is to maintain an effective home security solution. In September 2009, there were nearly 2,500 burglaries in Houston alone.

If you’re looking for the best way to help protect your home and loved ones in Houston, ADT home security is your answer. For more than 130 years, ADT has provided powerful solutions for property owners who want to help protect their homes and loved ones.

ADT is different from other home security companies in many ways. Take their network of four interconnected security monitoring centers as an example. With four centers monitoring your home, you’ll never have to worry about losing your connection to ADT. In the rare case that a center loses power, another immediately takes over, making sure that you get 24/7 home security coverage. This comprehensive system sets ADT apart from the competition.

ADT is America’s trusted leader in home security. Contact a trained professional from ADT today to find out how they can help keep your Houston, Texas home safe and sound this winter.

Home security and home safety should be one of your top priorities. With crime rates rising in many parts of the country, it’s more important than ever before to keep these two things in mind as you head into 2010. Below, you’ll find our top 10 practices for enhancing your home security.

Install an ADT Home Security System: ADT is the most trusted name in home alarms, and burglars know it. Homes with monitored home alarm systems are three times less likely to be burglarized.

Change Your Locks: A new set of locks can go a long way toward preventing a break-in. Over the years, you’ve handed out plenty of sets of keys. Eliminate the chance of them being used for nefarious purposes.

Update batteries in the smoke detectors: Home security isn’t just about intrusion; make sure that in the event of a fire, you’re prepared.

Perform a Home Safety Survey: Twice each year, prepare a checklist of potential hazards, and carefully move through your property ensuring that everything is in proper working order.

Organize a Neighborhood Watch: Strength is in numbers. Talk to your neighbors about creating a vigilant neighborhood watch to make the block stronger as a whole.

Install Floodlights: Floodlights work to illuminate a large area, taking away the cover of darkness from criminals.

Check Your ADT Alarm System: Each time you leave your home, make sure that your home alarm system is armed. You can even post a note on the door to remind you.

Check Your Carbon monoxide detector: Change the batteries on your carbon monoxide detectors at least once every six months, and test to make sure they’re in proper working order.

Trim the hedges: Burglars like to hide behind high bushes and in dark areas. Keep entry points well-lit and keep the grass and shrubbery near doors and windows trimmed.

Talk to Your Children About Home Security: Home safety is probably the last thing on your children’s minds. Sit them down and have a frank talk about the importance of keeping the home secure.

These top 10 tips are the perfect way to start securing your home. Use them as a guideline, and improve your home safety from there.

With the holidays approaching, it’s important to remember that safety should be a number one concern, right up along with Black Friday deals and getting the mistletoe positioned just right. Along with home security and the risk of intrusion while you’re out of town, one of the most dangerous aspects of this special time of year is the increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. Here are some tips to help you arrive at your destination safely.

Give Yourself Enough Time: Try to holiday traffic into your estimate for travel time. That way, you won’t feel compelled to speed or drive dangerously if you get behind schedule. Remember that the holidays are a time for enjoying your family; there’s no need to become angry when you hit a patch of traffic.

Be Aware of Changing Weather Patterns: Advances in meteorology have transformed what was once a guessing game into a much more exact science. Check the forecast a couple of days ahead of time, and make adjustments to your travel plans accordingly. If things look dicey, it pays to wait.

Never Drive When Tired: We’ve all been there before – home is only a hundred miles down the interstate, you’ve been away for days, and all you want to do is switch off your ADT security system, open the door and get into bed. Still, if you’re yawning and feeling groggy behind the wheel, don’t risk driving. Find a reasonably priced hotel or motel and complete the journey the next day.

Practice defensive driving: Unfortunately, some people use the holidays as a time to indulge past their limits. If you see a driver ahead of you on the highway swerving over the lanes, hold back. There’s no need to attempt a dangerous pass. Instead, put a call into the state troopers on your bluetooth headset, and let them handle the situation. Your first priority should be getting home safely.

The holiday season is a time for celebration. Be aware of the increased travel risk during this time, and you can proactively avoid dangerous situations.

The holidays are a time for getting together with family and enjoying each other’s company. They’re not a time for worrying about home security. That’s why it’s important to think about these issues ahead of time. Here are some tips for improving your home security during the holidays:

Create an illusion: It’s important to maintain the appearance that you’re home while you’re out of the house. When you go away for an extended period of time, ask a trusted neighbor to bring in newspapers, handle any packages and generally taking care of the little details that make the home look lived in. Similarly, install some timers to set off interior lights at random (though appropriate times).

Arm your ADT home security system: The best defense against intrusion is an ADT home security system. With four inter-connected command centers strategically spread across the United States, your home will be monitored around the clock. Before setting out for your vacation, have an adult family member double-check that the ADT security system is armed.

Don’t advertise you’re on vacation: It’s much easier to find your phone number than you might think. The first thing some criminals do when scouting out a home, is place a call to the landline to see if anyone picks up. When they hear a recorded voice message stating that the entire family is out of town, your house can become a prime target. If you have a blog or other online identity that states your home address, delete it; that’s an instant tip-off to savvy criminals.

Home security during the holidays is more important than ever before. Avoid having to worry about it by taking the proper precautions ahead of time.

Looking for the most accurate assessment of your home security? Put yourself into the shoes of a burglar to discover the weaknesses in your property’s defense. There’s no better way to figure out exactly what steps are necessary to make your home more secure.

Start on a macro level. Drive down your street, and compare your house to others on the block. Do the houses on either side of your home advertise their ADT home security system? If they do and you don’t, that is a cause for concern. When burglars see that a home alarm is in the mix, they’ll often move to the next house, preferring to avoid it all together.

Next, take a sweep around the property. Take careful note of landscape features that could provide a good hiding spot. In particular, high bushes and dark entry points are places burglars often look to hide.

Take a look at the entrance points. Where would an intruder be most likely to try to enter? You can more or less rule out second and third story windows, but pay special attention to doors and windows that are hidden by shrubs or other plants. Gently test the strength of each entry point, marking down any door, window or lock that might need to be replaced.

Can you see valuable items through the glass? At each window, peer inside and sweep from left to right. Which items could be concealed from easy view from the outside?

No one expects a burglar to target their home. That’s why it’s so important to think just like they do. If you can anticipate their actions, it’s easy to take precautionary measures to stop them ahead of time. Don’t wait until it’s too late: activate your ADT security system and do what’s necessary now to make sure that your home stays protected.

Do you live in an apartment or condominium? If so, you face a unique set of challenges when it comes to home security. This living situation often breeds a false sense of security, which could end poorly if not addressed. Help protect you apartment or condo and keep your family safe with the following tips.

Don’t rely on the doorman: Your doorman deals with hundreds of people coming and going each day; it’s entirely possible that an uninvited visitor could slip through in a busy moment. While a 24-hour presence in the lobby is certainly a plus, you still need to remain aware.

Change the locks: Swap each of the locks within a week of moving into a new apartment. The previous owner might not have taken this precaution, which means that there could be multiple sets of keys floating around. Many building supers will simply swap out a vacant apartment’s locks, in effect “randomizing” both doors to eliminate any chance of entry using an old key.

Install an ADT home alarm: Don’t be lulled into complacency. In both small and large apartment buildings, crime occurs regularly. By installing an ADT security system, you can vastly help improve your home’s safety.

Keep ground level windows secure: If you live on a floor that’s accessible to the street, make sure to always keep your windows and sliding glass doors locked. A cheap way to secure the sliding glass doors is with a piece of wood wedged against the edge of the door and the wall.

Report security threats to maintenance: Your rent, HOA and other fees all go to making sure that the building stays secure. When you see a threat, such as a broken light, malfunctioning lock or a door that constantly remains open, report it to someone who can do something about it.

By taking the proper precautions, you can easily and inexpensively make your apartment or condominium much more secure.

There are two main components to your home’s security. The first is an ADT alarm system, designed to alert the proper authorities in the event of an attempted break-in. The second component is the lock system that prevents entry to your home. Both play a crucial role in protecting you and your family, but security starts at the front door. Below, you’ll find tips to help you select the perfect lock to complement your ADT home alarm.

Look for the ANSI Seal of Approval: The American National Standards Institute places a special, “Grade 1″ designation on only the most secure locks. Make sure any lock you purchase has been measured to this high standard.

Choose hardened case steel: Steel that is hardened and beveled is far more resistant to hammer blows intended to open the lock cylinder.

Go for the longest “throw” on your deadbolt: The throw is defined as the length of the deadbolt extended from the edge of the door. The longer the “throw” or bar, the more effective your deadbolt lock will be. Go for a lock with at least a 1-inch throw.

Key control: Deadbolt locks with the key control feature can’t be copied by anyone except the owner, and by law, locksmiths are required to keep records of any copies made. This greatly reduces the chances of an unauthorized set of keys making it out into the open.

With the installation of an ADT security system and a strong, secure deadbolt lock on the front door of your home, you greatly reduce the chance of a burglar gaining entry. These two factors are the most important parts of home security, and should be taken seriously.

Fall and winter are upon us, and that means it’s time to turn on the heater and put the fireplace to use. Along with preparing for family celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas, homeowners also need to prepare their homes for fire safety during these colder months. Help keep your home and family safe with the following fire safety tips:

Check your monitoring systems: Early in the fall, check the batteries on all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors throughout your house. Also be sure to activate your ADT security system.  It is connected to four monitoring centers that will automatically send a signal to the appropriate authorities in the event of an emergency.

Properly maintain the home furnace: Never attempt to repair a furnace by yourself; leave that to an experienced professional. You can, however, perform an inspection to determine whether something might be wrong.

Take a look at the flu pipe and pipe seams: Do you see any cracks? Also check the chimney for cracks or loose bricks that you can seal with solid masonry.

Never use your oven for heat: Aside from the danger of starting a fire, using your oven for additional heating can release toxic fumes into your home.

Dig out the fire hydrant: If you have a fire hydrant near your home, take a couple of minutes to dig it out after you shovel your driveway. This could save precious moments in the event of a fire. This is especially important if the snow is deep enough to hide the hydrant.

Be wary of kerosene and propane heaters: A heating apparatus that uses flammable materials presents additional hazards. Be sure to keep these fuels outside of the home in a well-ventilated area. Be extra cautious with wood-burning stoves as well. Dispose of all ashes in a metal container well away from anything flammable.

Follow these basic tips to improve your home security and safety for the upcoming winter.