One of the most dreaded thoughts is coming home to find your valuable items missing. There are many risks that could lead to heavy loss, including burglary, flood, or even fire. These could occur at any moment, without warning, which makes these occurrences even more devastating.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to protect your valuable possessions and that of your family. One of these steps is buying a safe. Safes for Home are pretty popular because they are an easy way to ensure valuable items such as cash, sensitive documents, or even firearms are kept safe, and no unauthorized person can get access to them.
The overwhelming number of safes in the market can make the task of selecting one quite arduous. You might be asking yourself how you’ll even start. You need to keep in mind that ultimately your needs determine the best type of safe for you. Below, we point out some of the criteria you can use when choosing a home safe.
What items are you planning to store?
Determining the contents of the safe should be the first step. Before you go shopping for a home safe, you should take stock of all the items you plan to keep in the safe. Think about the most important things in your home, and those should be at the top of your list.
Sensitive documents, for instance, are an excellent place to start. Birth certificates, passports, and any legal paperwork such as wills or deeds should be stored in the safe. Expensive jewelry and any other valuable items also go in the safe. Additionally, you can use the safe to keep dangerous stuff out of children’s reach.
What type of safe should you buy?
There is a wide variety of home safes to choose from, so you need to know which one works best for you. Each of them has unique features that give it an advantage over the others. Here are some of the most common types to choose from:
- Wall safes
- Floor safes
- Weapons safes
Wall safes are perfect for storing paperwork or photographs because they do not hold that much weight. On the other hand, floor safes give you the most flexibility since you can store most of your heavier items. Weapons safes are specifically designed with extra locking mechanisms and other special features to minimize accidents.
What type of protection are you looking for?
Not all safes are created equal. Some are designed to withstand fire, while others are more suited to home invasions. Before purchasing a home safe, consider the type of protection you need the most. While there are some composite safes that provide protection against several types of invasion, the levels to which they provide protection greatly vary from one to another. All these factors need to be taken into consideration before buying a safe.
Safe accreditations
Manufacturers will no doubt tell you that their safe is the most secure one on the market. You don’t have to take their word for it. Most home safes have an accreditation rating displayed somewhere on their exterior.
Typically, you should go for safes that have been accredited by Underwriters Laboratories, which is the industry standard. Safes with these accreditations have been tested against various conditions, including fire and burglary. The rating is usually based on how well they perform during the tests. Safes are usually accredited for different types of protection, and this information is readily available online.
Which locking mechanism do you prefer?
You can choose to go with a Digital or Dial lock. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, so you need to determine the best fit for your needs before you make the purchase. Dial locks are seen as solid and reliable because you won’t have to worry about electronic outages or failure. However, you’ll need a professional to change the combination. Digital locks are easier to access, but they need batteries to lock effectively.
What is your budget?
For any big home purchase, the budget should always be among the first things to be considered. With home safes, you can get caught up in several additional costs, so it is vital to have a set number in mind before going shopping.
Aside from the cost of the safe itself, you may have to pay extra for higher quality steel, additional bolting, or even interior shelving. You’ll also have to pay to have it installed, so factor that in when coming up with a budget.
Conclusion
Like any home purchase, you need to ensure the safe you buy serves you. You should ensure you are satisfied with the make, the material, the model, and even the price. Your family members should also be able to use the safe with ease. Getting a home safe that matches your lifestyle will ensure your satisfaction at the end of the day.
