What to think about when buying a home safe

What size do you need? What will you be storing in the safe? Also, What level of security do you need to buy a home safe? Do you have somewhere secure to store it?

We all keep valuables at home. Expensive jewelry, important documents like house deeds, and even family heirlooms.

It’s all in our homes either put away in a cupboard or stored in the attic.

While we might think it’s safe because it’s stored out of the way, that can all change if we fall victim to a burglary or suffer through a disaster like a house fire or flooding.

It’s not something anyone wants to think about, but you can’t always be in control and quite often it’s difficult to prevent situations like these.

Whether you’re looking to protect your passports, money, jewelry, family photos, or heirlooms – with a home safe, they’ll all be protected against theft, damage, and accidental loss.

Here are some things you should consider before buying a home safe.

What size do you need before Buying a home safe?

To give yourself an accurate idea of how big a safe you need; think about where you want your safe to be and what you’ll be storing.

It might be keys, important documents, jewelry, cash, photo albums, or anything you consider of value that you want to provide extra protection for.

Maybe you’re storing larger items in there, like expensive gadgets when they’re not in use.

Once you’ve determined what will go in your safe, you’ll get a better idea of what size you’re going to need.

If you think you’ll benefit from having a larger safe, you should make sure the place you have in mind for it is functional and spacious enough.

What will you be storing in the safe?

You might already have a rough idea of what you’re going to be storing in your safe. 

Money is an obvious one.

If you have a large amount of cash sitting around that you can’t afford to lose, it’s a good idea to keep it locked in a safe – so you’re not leaving you and your home vulnerable to burglaries. 

Others like to keep important documents, like insurance policies, passports, or birth certificates in their home safes. 

Think of any valuable items and where you currently keep them – how sure are you that they’d be protected in the event of a house fire or burglary?

What level of security do you need? 

The level of security you need to Buying a home safe is all down to you and what makes you feel most confident that your valuables are protected.

There are a few types of locks that provide different levels of protection for your items:

Key locks 

Most home safes come with a traditional key lock as standard and are supplied with two keys.

If you’re someone who struggles to remember passcodes, then a key lock will be perfect for you.

Electronic locks

If you’re constantly losing your keys or multiple people need access to your safe, a safe with an electronic lock might be the best option for you. 

Instead of using a key, electronic locks are battery powered and you simply enter the correct numerical code, which is usually made up of 6 digits.

For extra peace of mind, electronic locks are equipped with a master code or an override key to eliminate lockouts and the administrator can create, change or delete codes.

As you can imagine, these kinds of safes are extremely reliable; but they do tend to be a little more expensive than traditional key lock safes.

Combination locks 

A combination lock is ideal when protecting your valuables from theft.

Without the need for keys, only the person who knows the correct combination will have access to the safe.

You can set the combination and change it as often as you like, making it difficult for potential thieves to crack your code.

The only disadvantage of using combination locks is that they cost more than most safes, but that pays for the added level of protection. 

Biometric locks 

Even though they’re only available for a limited number of safes, biometric locks are one of the most convenient options.

With no key or code needed, you simply place your thumb or finger over the scanner; and if your fingerprint is on the system, the door will open.

If you’re talking security before Buying a home safe, this is about as secure as it gets.

Do you have somewhere secure to store it?

Which room are you planning on keeping your home safe?

Where in the room will it be located?

Is it hidden away or in plain sight as soon as you walk in?

These all are important things to consider when thinking about where you’re going to store your safe. 

Your bedroom is usually recommended as a suitable place for your safety; for a few reasons – the main one being it’s more accessible for you and less accessible for thieves.

They won’t want to come into your room while you’re sleeping in fear they’ll get caught; but an empty bedroom or room downstairs is much more inviting for them.

Do you need a fireproof safe?

As an extra precaution, it might be a good idea to Buying a home safe that’s fireproof.

It’s particularly important if you store lots of important documents; like identity forms, insurance policies, or legal documents (your will for example)

This way you can ensure they have an extra layer of protection if you do unfortunately experience a house fire. 

In the event of a fire, a fireproof safe will protect the contents from smoke damage or complete destruction; and most modern fireproof home safes offer 30-60 minute protection – with some brands offering up to 120-minute protection. 

What kind of safe do you need?

Once you’ve made a decision on where you’ll be storing your safe; you can think about what kind of safe will be best for you.

Do you want your safe to be hidden away, like an underfloor or wall safe?

Or do you need something that you can pick up and move to other places easily?

For extra security, an underfloor or wall safe is your best bet.

But if you can move it around, then so can a thief; – you’re giving them even easier access to your valuables.

Do you really need to Buying a home safe? 

As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry, always.

There’s a lot of options for you to choose from when it comes to selecting your home safe; narrowing down your options can be difficult; but it’s always worth taking those extra steps to protect you and your loved ones.