Finances & Money

Make Your Home Safer With These 5 Renovations While on a Budget

The average homeowner typically plans to spend around $10,000 on home updates. However, you don’t need to break the bank to make your home safer. In fact, there are some great ways to improve the safety of your home while staying on budget. To help give you some ideas, here are five that you should know about.

1. Video Surveillance

Adding video surveillance is one of the easiest home updates that can make your home safer overall. In fact, it’s estimated that 67% of burglaries can be prevented by installing a video surveillance system. Surveillance cameras are fairly inexpensive and there are many different brands to choose from. Even investing in something like a video doorbell camera can be a deterrent, and it can ensure that you’re always able to tell who is at your door.

2. Smart Locks

When thinking about safe home updates, smart locks are something to give some consideration to. A smart lock has many benefits, one being that you never have to worry about leaving the door unlocked as it will automatically lock after you, and you can easily unlock them with a custom code or from your smartphone. A benefit of this is that you don’t have to worry about fumbling with keys if you come home late, potentially making you a target, and you can always know that your door is securely locked without needing to even think about it.

3. Motion Sensing Lights

When thinking about home updates, motion-sensing lights are something that can help deter burglars and provide extra light for you if you come home after dark. The lights can be placed outside of your garage, front door, and back door, to help illuminate anyone who walks within range. Typically, this alone can be enough to dissuade potential thieves, especially if coupled with a surveillance camera. No burglar wants to have a lit-up picture of their face captured on camera when they’re trying to break and enter.

4. Smart Fire Alarm

A smart fire alarm is another home update that you may want to consider, and it can help alert you to a potential fire, even if you aren’t home. Fire alarms like this can also be programmed to alert the authorities so that no time is wasted when getting help. If you work away from home a lot, this can be especially beneficial as you’ll never have to worry about a fire potentially breaking out without you being able to react. They are also useful in that they can alert you to problems right on your smartphone, such as if the battery is running low or if there is a carbon monoxide issue.

5. AC Repair

This home update may seem like the odd one out, but it is becoming increasingly important for safety. In 2021, unprecedented heatwaves washed across the Pacific Northwest and a lack of AC was the leading cause of death in the city of Portland. Not having sufficient AC or a working AC unit can put you at risk and make your home much less safe during the summer months. It’s recommended that you have your unit serviced at least once every two years. This will ensure that all parts are functioning correctly, especially the compressor which can struggle with a lack of oil.

If you are looking for home updates to help improve the safety of your home, these are just five of the most important to consider. Not only can these updates help keep you both safe and comfortable, but they are easy to execute and won’t break your budget.