[00:00:00] Eric Goranson: It's around the house. We're talking, uh, my security tips around your house. Now, these are important ones here that, uh, you should be thinking about and, uh, you know, security can be a lot of different things, right? You know, we were just talking about password security and wifi and all that stuff, making sure you've got things really good and secure, but one of the things that I know has been a battle.

[00:00:28] Eric Goranson: And now that we're getting into the fall, it gets to be more of a battle. This is where we're talking about. These things like for instance, porch pirates, you know, those packages in the, in the fall and winter coming up on the holidays that disappear off your porch because somebody comes and grabs them.

[00:00:45] Eric Goranson: So what happens? This is where you can fix this. And NBC sentinel, which you've heard them on the show before has their box gobbler. This is a box that when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know, [00:01:00] but we've got you covered. This is around the house.

[00:01:13] Eric Goranson: Welcome to talk about security around your home. And I'm not just talking about putting up some lights and making sure you lock the door. We're going to talk about everything from password security to internet security to everything else. And so we're going to talk about all those great things that you can do this fall to make sure your life is just a little bit more secure.

[00:01:35] Eric Goranson: Now, first off, I want to talk about probably the easiest one, and it's the biggest offender, and this is password security. Now, so many people out there will use some pretty easy ones because they don't want to forget. Now, here's the problem though, is if you have something very basic, and it's not very secure, maybe it's got a capital letter and a number in it, You are [00:02:00] very open to somebody hacking into anything.

[00:02:03] Eric Goranson: And these days that could be somebody taking over your social media accounts. That could be somebody taking over your bank accounts. That could be somebody accessing more private information, like your social security number, your taxes or anything else. So this is probably the first and biggest thing that you run into is password security.

[00:02:23] Eric Goranson: Now there's things you can do to make life a heck of a lot easier. Cause I get it complex passwords are hard to remember and many times for people they're pretty easy To be able to you know track down. I mean how many people out there are using password one, two, three, four I bet there's somebody listening right now laughing going.

[00:02:44] Eric Goranson: Yeah, that's me. That's how you get hacked into that's how you lose your information That's how you create a lot of headaches for yourself. So, creating something that is a word that, or not even a word, but a combination of [00:03:00] letters, numbers, symbols, whatever the application will let you do, the more complex, the better off you are.

[00:03:08] Eric Goranson: Now, there are some great programs out there that are what I would call a password security program. So, basically, they are a generator. That once you remember to log in here, it will create passwords for all your other things. And it will make sure that, well, you've got something that is very hard to be hacked.

[00:03:28] Eric Goranson: So take a look at the password management software out there. I don't have one that is my favorite. Uh, they're not any sponsors of the show, anything like that, but take a look and see what password manager software could do for you because that can get it where you can change your passwords. If you have a hack.

[00:03:47] Eric Goranson: And then that's the other thing, too, is to look and see. What information is out there on the internet and plenty of the recording agencies and stuff out there and a lot of these different security programs out there [00:04:00] will tell you and you can search online pretty quickly to see how do you find out what information has been stolen via hacks.

[00:04:08] Eric Goranson: And I tell you what, I know I have a ton of information of mine that's been stolen out there, which means I run a risk and that means that you should be changing. Those sign ins, maybe even change your login credentials to use something different, and then use a completely different password. Don't just change two things.

[00:04:26] Eric Goranson: Start out something completely different. So spending some time getting your passwords in, and this means everything from logging in to get your medical information, to your credit cards, to your Wi Fi password at your house. All of these are important in making sure that you've got these things locked down correctly.

[00:04:45] Eric Goranson: So those are things that I would spend the time and get dialed in the number one thing I would worry about right now if there was one thing I was gonna tell you about is this Get your password secure and lock down and know what they are and no don't tape it to the [00:05:00] bottom of your keyboard If you have one password you can remember into that software Then from there on out you can create all the passwords And, uh, keep them in your own password vault.

[00:05:12] Eric Goranson: And that's a very good, secure way to go. And that way you're not getting your information stolen. So that's important right there. Now, the other one is too, is how locked down is your home or work? Wi Fi. Do you have to put in letters, numbers? You know, symbols to get in. I hope so. You want to have that. So it's very secure.

[00:05:34] Eric Goranson: So it's harder to get into that way. People can't log into your system and get access into it. So again, making sure that you've got that dialed in means that you're going to have less people trying to get involved. And on top of it, I don't want one of my neighbors or somebody in the neighborhood snagging my internet and using mine to do their searches on because I don't know what they're looking for and I don't want it on my machine or my system.

[00:05:59] Eric Goranson: So make [00:06:00] sure that you've got that lockdown and done correctly. And a very good, you know, solid password that way people don't get into it and you can be be much safer that way. So that's a good one. So really take your time and get your passwords locked in, dialed in, and you're good to go. And seriously, think about one of those software programs.

[00:06:21] Eric Goranson: It's going to make life so much easier for you. And you'll never be forgetting that passport as long as you have that one, you're good to go. So that way you are secure. Now there are different things out there and, and you know, I get it. There's, there's all the different, um, lockdowns to your credit.

[00:06:41] Eric Goranson: Those can be good if you're worried about that, especially if you've had somebody steal your credit or steal that stuff. I get it. Um, the one that I don't think really is needed is the uh, one that's the title lock where they're locking down your title Um, that is so low on the risk title. I just don't [00:07:00] believe in it I called my local fbi office and they say it's not an issue and if the fbi is telling me it's not a big issue then Um, it's probably something you don't need to go out and buy Spend your time on what I was just talking about on making sure that your passwords are secure And that people can't get into that and you're good now the next one up Is pretty obvious and this is going to be something is just making sure that you've got good secure door locks that are installed correctly and that you've got the right bracing in the door jam and the screws are in there.

[00:07:32] Eric Goranson: So, somebody can't come up and just easily knock that door in. If you've got a deadbolt where you've got big screws into the studs and you've got metal behind it, so it's not going anywhere and you've got a solid core steel door or a solid core wood door. And, uh, if you've got multipoint locks, it's even better, but all those things are great, you know, cause here's the thing, guys, you want to deter.

[00:07:56] Eric Goranson: Now I'm not so worried about somebody really kicking [00:08:00] the door in because I want it to be hard enough that if somebody is kicking the door in the entire neighborhood's going to hear it. So that way somebody can call the police. What I'm more worried about is the people that can get in other ways, maybe your garage door code.

[00:08:13] Eric Goranson: And that's where you got to run into the problems too. If somebody goes and steals, breaks into your car and steals your car, do you have your garage door opener in there already to go so they can just come up to your house and pop and open it back in, are you locking your door between your garage and your house?

[00:08:31] Eric Goranson: So if somebody does open the garage door. Maybe can they get in and get into the house? Well, if you got that dead, bolted when you're not there, that's 1 extra layer of security. And that's a big 1 right there. So, these are all little things you can do. And I want to see as well out there, just in the safety and security point of thing, make sure you've got a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector out in that garage to make sure that you don't have anything going out there.

[00:08:58] Eric Goranson: Something that can communicate [00:09:00] with the ones inside. Cause if you've got a small fire in the garage, you want the ones inside to go. So that way you can find it versus having a large fire and you figuring it out when it's already coming into the living part of the resident. So spend the time, get those dialed in together and you'll be good, but really high quality door locks, and that goes for your garage door opener as well.

[00:09:19] Eric Goranson: My garage door opener has a deadbolt. So there's a big steel rod that goes to the track that when I shut the door, it locks. You are not coming in and prying that door open without taking the door out all by itself. Those are great little security tips that are pretty inexpensive to add to your existing garage door.

[00:09:39] Eric Goranson: A little bit of security goes a long way and makes it harder. More security just Satchel from Satchel.[00:10:00]

[00:10:01] Eric Goranson: And you are listening to Around the House with Eric G. Yeah! We love Eric G and you should too!

[00:10:21] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the round the house show. This is where we have to get the most out of your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. We're talking, uh, my security tips around your house. Now these are important ones here that, uh, you should be thinking about and, uh, you know, security can be a lot of different things, right?

[00:10:40] Eric Goranson: You know, we were just talking about password security and wifi and all that stuff, making sure you've got things really good and secure. But one of the things that I know has been a battle, and now that we're getting into the fall, it gets to be more of a battle. This is where we're talking about these things like for instance, porch pirates, you know, those [00:11:00] packages in the, in the fall and winter coming up on the holidays that disappear off your porch because somebody comes in, grabs them.

[00:11:08] Eric Goranson: So what happens? This is where you can fix this and NB Sentinel, which you've heard him on the show before, has their box gobbler. This is a box that, uh, let's say you've got a garage that you walk up right next to to get to your front door. You can mount this in the wall and it'll put the packages when they put the code in.

[00:11:25] Eric Goranson: It'll allow them access to drop those packages into the garage and you're good to go. So think about this. All you have to do is give that code. To the shipper, just like you would a gate code or anything else for a regular delivery, they come up to your porch, they put the code in, open the door up, put the packages in there, close it, it's locked, and those are inside.

[00:11:48] Eric Goranson: It's a little bit of money for these, but they are completely worth it. And, uh, take a look, my buddy Jeff's company over there, MB Sentinel, these guys make lots of different mailbox options, whether you want it on the [00:12:00] side of the house, if you want it out in a pillar out in the front. We're out by the curb, whatever you're doing, these guys have a solution for you.

[00:12:07] Eric Goranson: So if you are losing packages and it's something that's part of your way of life, cause you order a lot online, this makes a lot of sense. And, uh, hopefully this will save you from getting packages stolen. I know we're getting into that time of year where all of a sudden people are gone a lot more and the weather's a little rough.

[00:12:24] Eric Goranson: So people it's getting darker soon. So people can be a little sneakier out there. So this is where we got to watch out for those, uh, package thieves. Because they will do a ton of damage, and then you're just inconvenienced. I get it that, uh, Amazon and all these other companies can, will resend it out to you.

[00:12:42] Eric Goranson: But I tell you what, having stuff stolen is just such a big violation. If you can do something to prevent it, why sweat it? Why have to worry about, I gotta get home before that thing gets stolen. Just make sure you get it sent that way and you'll be good. And that way it's in a safe when it shows up and you won't have a box stolen again.

[00:12:59] Eric Goranson: So it's a [00:13:00] really great to go. Now, another one we've talked about and we talked about this earlier, so we're not going to talk about this much, but just making sure that things are well lit and that you, uh, people are not have places to hide around your house. So these are all secrets here to make sure that you've got things secure.

[00:13:18] Eric Goranson: You got to think about it as you're walking down the street. What is an easy target? If they walk to your house, go, wow, there's four or five places to hide here. It's dark. The bushes are overgrown. Nobody's looking at it. And it's, it's, it's dusk and I've got a really good place that I can really sneak, snoop around in versus showing up to Bush's trim back.

[00:13:37] Eric Goranson: You can see everywhere. It's well lit. Um, you know, they don't want to get caught. So make it so the neighbor down the street is the easier target and you're the harder target. And you'll be better off. So that's a good one right there. Now, camera systems are an interesting one. So let's talk about the weakness of camera systems.

[00:13:56] Eric Goranson: Camera systems can be really good for documenting a crime [00:14:00] after it's occurred. And this is where I run into issues, right? Because when I'm asleep at night. And I'm in charge of monitoring my own cameras, just like at my brother's house, who's got a crime problem in Yakima, where he lives. He's had people prowling around his house.

[00:14:14] Eric Goranson: He's had a car stolen right out of his driveway. And so these are things that he struggled with, and these are things that you can easily struggle with anywhere you live. But what happens is, is you have cameras which are great at documenting a crime, but you have to be watching them to see if it's happening.

[00:14:30] Eric Goranson: And many times, I don't know about you, But if it's 2 in the morning and my phone automatically silences because I'm going to sleep, those alarms don't go off. And so really, you're either sleeping through it or it's not telling you. That you're asleep, because it's saying, hey, I don't want to bug you. So if your notifications aren't set correctly, now, the problem is, is that you've got a camera too, many times it will set off things and say, hey, uh, there's a cat going by and it'll tell you.

[00:14:58] Eric Goranson: You don't want to hear that every [00:15:00] time your neighbor's cat goes walking across the yard. But if you've got somebody coming up and peeking in the window, you want to know. And so these are some of the challenges that we see with camera systems out there. Is they're great for documenting, but many times, They don't, um, prevent things from being stolen.

[00:15:15] Eric Goranson: Now, the one thing that I've seen too, great example, I saw kids jump over a fence into my brother's backyard, and then they came over and jumped another fence. And got into the side by his garage, and they were in there and they had, um, they took a long piece of pipe, held it up, pushed the camera away, and then tried to break in through the windows to get into his garage.

[00:15:39] Eric Goranson: Luckily, the windows were new, the windows didn't get... Through there, but they could have easily broken them or gotten in there. And these people were just so brazen. They were clearly teenagers under the age of probably 22. And, uh, they were out going around, you know, Basically burglarizing homes. So the problem is, is he didn't [00:16:00] see it until afterwards.

[00:16:00] Eric Goranson: You went, Hey, why is my, uh, where are my screens off my window? And why are the door locks on the window locks broken? So these are things you got to be really careful of. Cameras sometimes are only good at documenting, not good at preventing. So what can you do about that? We have a few different options.

[00:16:17] Eric Goranson: One, you're gonna look for a monitored system where you're paying a company to monitor for you. So you're starting to see more and more of these. The first one that I've, uh, used and it's a big fan of his deep Sentinel. You've heard me talk about him here in the show before if you're a long time listener, but these guys use a I.

[00:16:33] Eric Goranson: So when somebody comes walking up the door, it goes, Hey, there's somebody there and you have a armed Not armed, but kind of armed guard sitting there looking at you, looking at what's going on through the camera there. So you've got a live guard that's sitting there looking. Now, these guys have been working on creating some cool stuff, like where they got pepper spray and things like that.

[00:16:51] Eric Goranson: We'll see if that ever goes to market, but they're working on something like that. But the big thing with this is, is when you're looking at it though, and this is the cool part, is that you have somebody [00:17:00] sitting there 24 7 looking at the camera going, Hey! This person's up to no good. I better send off the alarm and call the police.

[00:17:07] Eric Goranson: And that's a lot different than if you've got just a typical alarm system where you've got something wired in and then maybe the wind's blowing and it sets off a door alarm or something like that. I'm not a big fan of those. Those were great in the 70s and 80s, you know, and that kind of thing. But really, the best systems now are not ones that have motion detectors on the doors and windows.

[00:17:30] Eric Goranson: The ones that are the best to have the cameras that can now look across there and see if someone's actually trying to get in. In that way, what happens is, is when somebody calls, maybe it's that guard calls in and says, Hey, it says, you know, 6 foot to 250 pound. White tattooed guy wearing a black hoodie.

[00:17:49] Eric Goranson: That's who's coming in and guess what now the police know who they're looking for versus I have an old door alarm code on door 7 and The police [00:18:00] reluctantly show up. They're busy They go around, they see a door open, they spend time and nobody knows what they're looking for. Was it the wind that blew it open?

[00:18:08] Eric Goranson: What caused that? And so that's where those issues are. These days, um, to me, I would not spend the money on an alarm system that doesn't have some kind of monitoring on it because I need somebody there to look at it. And just because an alarm's going off, most likely that's going to be a false alarm. And the worst part is, when that happens, you're probably going to get the alarm code.

[00:18:28] Eric Goranson: Uh, you'll get the police calling and getting a hold of you. And false alarms, in many areas, can cost you money. So I don't want to see you have to pay that fine for a false alarm. From your local police. All right. More home security, just as soon as around the house returns.[00:19:00]

[00:19:00] Eric Goranson: Hey, this is Ron Keel, the metal cowboy from Keel, the Ron Keel band and Steeler, we are rocking around the house with Eric G.

[00:19:13] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the round the house show. This is where we the most out of your home through information education. Thanks for joining us. We were talking about security around your home and my security tips. And there's a new one that's happening over the last few years, and it's something that I really want you to pay attention to.

[00:19:29] Eric Goranson: And it's something that's starting to hit the news, but it's something that we haven't really seen before, and that is the campers and squatters showing up on your property. Now, this could be a home that you've got as a vacation rental. It could be a home that was maybe your parents or grandparents, and you're working on it.

[00:19:48] Eric Goranson: Maybe you're getting ready to rent it out, or maybe you've just got it there for a couple of months, not being used while you get ready and pull the building permits for a remodel nonetheless. This can be one of the most [00:20:00] damaging problems you can have to your house because all it takes is for one of these scams to happen.

[00:20:08] Eric Goranson: And we're seeing a lot of these, these days where there's a vacant home or a foreclosed home in somebody is going on Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, wherever in putting up for rent. And then they have a key which isn't hard. I mean, literally, if there's a door unlocked, I can go up there, take a lock off a door, put my own lock on it of similar with my own key on it.

[00:20:33] Eric Goranson: And guess what? Now I have control in and out of the home and then I can pretend to be the landlord and rent that out and get a security deposit and everything else. So all of a sudden, if you don't go buy a house for three or four weeks because you've been working on it and oh, I'm sure it's safe. It's in a good neighborhood.

[00:20:49] Eric Goranson: All of a sudden, the next time you go by, someone's living in it that you didn't give permission to. And this happens all the time. And so the problem is, is that now these people, it could take [00:21:00] months to get them out of this home. And I've seen it take 3, 4, 5 months, 50 thousand dollars to get through the legal system.

[00:21:09] Eric Goranson: Because these people, 1. Either signed a lease and thought that they got the right place. 2. They are squatters and they're homeless and they know they're not supposed to be there, but they're saying that they're renting from you and now you have to pay to have them evicted and in some states, especially here on the left coast where I am, that is not easy to do getting somebody to come out of a house that they're not belonged belonging into can be a battle that can take months and cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars Especially when you look at the damage that's being done to your home.

[00:21:45] Eric Goranson: Squatters can be horrible. I have seen this happen. Um, I have gone in and helped clean up afterwards where they come in and you know, because maybe the power wasn't on, the water wasn't on. It is absolutely crazy. [00:22:00] And then people are taking cabinet doors and burning them in the fireplace. They're trying to keep it warm.

[00:22:05] Eric Goranson: And they're just slowly destroying this building. So these are things that I really want you to pay attention to. And again, If you have a piece of property that you're not going by and visiting every day, you should have cameras on it where you can access it 24 seven. So you can see if someone's trying to squat in, even here in my area, which of course, you know, makes the national news, Portland's really good at making that national news cycle with this.

[00:22:31] Eric Goranson: You can have somebody show up and be camping in your yard and it can be nearly impossible to get somebody to remove them. Now, I know that's not everywhere in Texas. You've got a whole different way of handling and I can appreciate that. But nonetheless, if you're in an area where they're very sympathetic to people.

[00:22:47] Eric Goranson: Living on private property. It's not theirs. This can be a huge problem that can cost you tens of thousands of dollars to get people to leave your area. You could have kids. You could be a single mom. [00:23:00] You could be living in a house. And if you're gone for the weekend and somebody pops in and they put up a tent in your yard, you might be surprised how hard it is to get somebody to show up.

[00:23:10] Eric Goranson: To move them, even though legally they're trespassing, and that's a tough thing to deal with, and it's a tough thing to deal with people, especially when you're just trying to make it and you're trying to survive and having to spend money for an attorney to get somebody to be evicted from the tent in your front yard seems absolutely ridiculous, but it is something that we're seeing in more and more cities.

[00:23:32] Eric Goranson: Depending on what's going on. So this is something you should really pay attention to having something that you can Defend like that and make sure that you can keep people away. You're gonna be better off I knew somebody that had a house that they had gotten from a relative and Somebody pulled a motorhome in the driveway and it took them a month or two to get it moved And, uh, they were in there squatting in the driveway and they were said, Oh, well, I was told to park there even though they [00:24:00] knew they weren't because the person had already deceased didn't matter.

[00:24:04] Eric Goranson: So pay attention to this stuff. Having uninvited guests like squatters can be one of the most destructive and expensive things to deal with. So deal with it quick, deal with it swift, get them moved out of there. And when in doubt, put up some no trespassing signs. And make sure that you have things documented really well and that you get people out of there as soon as they start to show up, spend some time and make sure they're moved out of the way, because you don't want them camping on your front yard, especially when you're trying to be there.

[00:24:35] Eric Goranson: Now, the next one, I'm sure if you work. Um, and you've got email and stuff like that. Your company has probably been hitting you this. I know they hit me all the time, but making sure your internet security is key as well. And I'm not talking about just your passwords. I'm talking about clicking on things you shouldn't.

[00:24:53] Eric Goranson: When you get emails in and let's talk about some email best practices here, because you can lose a lot of things here [00:25:00] because all of a sudden, if you let somebody in your computer, they can have access to your bank accounts to your credit card accounts to anywhere that you have things stored electronically, they can get into it and you don't want to lose all that stuff, especially if they're taking a hostage that way.

[00:25:15] Eric Goranson: So here's the thing, making sure that you've got a great firewall, making sure you've got a great antivirus program. And here's one other tip too. Two antivirus programs can actually create loopholes. Where you're actually giving in more access to people, not less. So have one really good program. Make sure that when you open things at work or at your home, when you log in and you see an email, if it says invoice and you don't know who it is, don't open it.

[00:25:47] Eric Goranson: There are so many, I get probably four or five different requests during the week. Where, hey, I'm sending you, um, you're gonna get paid from this. It's completely fake. [00:26:00] And they're trying to get me to open a document because once I open it, I've opened up the Trojan horse and they're inside my machine and they're taking every bit of information.

[00:26:10] Eric Goranson: But two or three times a week, I have people sending me fake documents for me to look at, and they are pretty easy to see when you look. So this is what I want you to do. First, stop what you're doing. Don't panic and go, what's this? Say, okay, what is this? So when in doubt, if you look at it and go, that's fake, then just delete it, remove it from your machine, make it go away.

[00:26:34] Eric Goranson: Second of all, if you click on it and it opens up and you've opened it up, slow down, don't go click inside anything on the body. Take a look and see where it's coming from. It could say it's coming from your uncle Ken, but when you look at the email address, it's some weird. Offshore email address, so take a look and see where it's coming from that.

[00:26:57] Eric Goranson: It's actually legitimate many times They're [00:27:00] not and you can actually see that they put somebody's name across it, but it's not their right email address So make sure you've got that dialed in as well because many times All it takes is for you to open something up and you've given full access And now somebody has the run of your life via your computer And if you're a smart techie person and you've got everything from your TV subscriptions to your cable stuff to your internet to your work, that could be a huge problem for you.

[00:27:26] Eric Goranson: So make sure you are only opening things, you know, 100 percent are real when in doubt, go back, write another email. Independently, don't respond back, write another email to him and say, you know, Hey, Jim, did you just send me an email? Is that okay? And don't send it from that one? Because you could be sending it back to the people that sent it to you.

[00:27:46] Eric Goranson: And they're going, Oh, yeah, I know you're good. And that's not the right person. So make sure that someone's not spoofing that email address. So Send a new email, make sure you're using the email to, if I was saying Jim, Jim, that you know, that you email back and forth with, [00:28:00] make sure that he knows what he sent you and that it's safe.

[00:28:03] Eric Goranson: When in doubt, don't open it, throw it in the dump bin and say, hey, I think I got a spam email from ya. As you write a new email and if they did, Oh, sorry, that wasn't, then you know what you've got. But when in doubt, don't open it up, delete it, and then reach out to that person and find out what they were sending you.

[00:28:20] Eric Goranson: So, you know, what's going on. There are too many people in companies that get taken a hostage hostage or taken over just because of that. Look at the MGM, what happened to their gaming stuff. A lot of different companies got nailed this last few weeks, and I don't want that to happen to you. We'll come back and wrap up home security just as soon as Round the House returns.[00:29:00]

[00:29:01] Eric Goranson: It's the end of the show. Now drinkin down people, it's time to last call on the line. Welcome back to the Round the House show. This is where we help you get the most out of your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us. I've been talking about home security tips. Whether or not it's the internet, it's, uh, you know, your identity, whether or not it's your home.

[00:29:21] Eric Goranson: And, uh, we've been talking about all these different things today, uh, just to make sure that you're safe coming into fall here. Now, there's one thing I wanted to talk about, um, just to kind of start out here. And a lot of these things, you will spend the time and the effort to implement a lot of these things.

[00:29:38] Eric Goranson: But if you don't get them to 100%, You're gonna have weak points and I want you to make sure that when you get the camera in that you keep them charged That if you're putting in that new deadbolt, that's great You've got a you know, you've got the deadbolt and you've got the new jam in there. So it's really strong Did you think about putting screws in there longer?

[00:29:59] Eric Goranson: For [00:30:00] instance, you know, if you think about the screws, the hinge point now, as soon as you put a good lock in, the weak point is the rest of the door, which is the hinges. So I want you to take out those little three quarter inch screws that are in there. Maybe half inch screws, depending on the door that the hinge goes into the jam.

[00:30:16] Eric Goranson: I want you to replace those out with structural screws. I want you to go in there and, uh, get some structural screws, get those in there, get that sunk into the wood, make sure that that's tight and making sure that you have those kinds of things dialed on is key. And it's just like going around the house, going around your perimeter.

[00:30:32] Eric Goranson: We were talking about that earlier, making sure that, uh, You've got sticks in any of the sliding windows so that they can't open up. And here's another trick too. If you're in a high crime area and you're worried about people breaking in, breaking windows, coming in that way, they do make a lot of great window films, kind of like tint that they put on that make it where you're going to have to be swinging an axe to get in, which means.

[00:30:54] Eric Goranson: Unfortunately, if it's a firefighter, they're going to have to work a little bit harder to get in. But more importantly, if you've got somebody trying [00:31:00] to break in, it's going to take some effort. They're going to be swinging an axe at that window to get in. And, uh, that's the kind of stuff you want to see to deter people from coming in.

[00:31:08] Eric Goranson: So, some of those window tents are really great to, uh, one, contain glass, two, keep people from just busting a glass up and walking in. So, these are all super important pieces. When you're talking about any of these things with home security. So spending a little time getting those things dialed in is really a great headstart because here's the thing, guys, it doesn't matter what you're living in.

[00:31:33] Eric Goranson: If you're living in a regular home and you've got a good door lock, you've got, um, window tint on. The windows that is, uh, makes it so it harder to break and it sticks together. So you can't just bust the window and kick it out. Somebody in today's sawzall can cut a hole in the side of your house really easy and walk right in.

[00:31:53] Eric Goranson: I could walk up into any house with a sawzall or circular saw or any saw right now that is battery powered. And I could [00:32:00] be in an under two minutes because I've cut a hole in the side. You can't combat that. But what you can do is make sure that you've got that house very well dialed in. So the easy buttons for people to get in are covered because really, if they want to come in, they're coming in, whether you like it or not.

[00:32:18] Eric Goranson: And the only thing at that point is going to be, if you're there to defend it or not, and that's not a good position to be in, whether you're ready or not for it. So those are some keys right there. Just making sure nobody wants to put like, you know, all the bars over the windows and all those things like that.

[00:32:32] Eric Goranson: Nobody wants to do that. Nobody wants to build a Fort Knox. Heck, they even make panels now that you can strip the drywall or plaster down the inside and put ballistic panels in between the studs. So if somebody's doing a drive by out front, that bullet doesn't come in the house. There's a lot of great technology out there, but do you need to go spend the money to do that?

[00:32:52] Eric Goranson: Hopefully not. That's pretty extreme in most cases that you have to do that. Now, there are some neighborhoods that I've been in before where maybe that's [00:33:00] going to be a cost effective solution. But to be honest for me, if my neighborhoods that rough, I don't think I want to be there for that up and coming part of it.

[00:33:07] Eric Goranson: I want to get out and get my family to a safer neighborhood. So it might be time to move on down the road. We're getting into an area where there's much better police protection and the neighborhood support. To keep that kind of stuff from happening. Now, there's another popular option out there, and these are safe rooms.

[00:33:23] Eric Goranson: Now, I think these are great for multiple situations. I think a safe room in the inside of the house where there's no window access, or things like that, if you're in an area that has hurricanes, Tornadoes any kind of a large wind event like that, where you need to get into a place that is quick and safe and you're not worried about flooding.

[00:33:43] Eric Goranson: So you're not locking yourself in a box. It's going to be flooded. But if you're trying to have a situation where you're going to have a high sense of survival with a low. You know, tornadoes can happen and they can happen quick. So you have minutes to deal with it. Having that safe room in the middle of the house could be something that could [00:34:00] be very important.

[00:34:01] Eric Goranson: And many times it's not that big a deal to do it. You could make it as big as you want to. But I've seen people go in there and hollow out that closet and go down and build a footings, go down through the hole into the crawl space. They put in Port footings in there. They put in a block wall with rebar and They've got everything tied together.

[00:34:23] Eric Goranson: And so basically they have created a vault on the inside of their home now that can be great in a multitude of Situations if you are what many people in a movie would call a high value target where you could get kidnapped Or you could have somebody that's doing, um, armed robberies in the neighborhood, having a place to go hide might not be a bad place to be just as it might not be a place bad place to be.

[00:34:46] Eric Goranson: If you've got high winds and things like that, where you're trying to get into a safe place. So creating that where you've got food, water, a method of escape, a method to defend yourself. And a way to communicate with people might not be a bad idea in some [00:35:00] situations. Do I want everybody out there going out building bunkers and doing their own thing?

[00:35:04] Eric Goranson: Hey, that's your choice. I'm not going to tell you to do that. I'm not going to tell you not to do that. But being prepared is something that, uh, one, you shouldn't be ashamed of, two, you should understand what your risks are and see, you know, if, uh, if you're good and you're not worried about that stuff and you do need someplace for that, it's not a bad idea to have a little safe room like that, that you can have.

[00:35:24] Eric Goranson: And maybe it's a pantry that you're doing. Maybe it's a closet. Maybe it's a, uh, a bathroom, whatever you're doing, make sure that you've got something there. And as long as there's not any exterior windows and it's inside of the core of the house, you know, if it's a strong place, it's by near where the stairs are.

[00:35:40] Eric Goranson: Those are good locations. So just think about that, or a basement room that you can do. I've done plenty of basement rooms like that, that are good. Um, I've even done them in locations where you could really sit there and, uh, drop out of a bedroom into a trap door down into that room. And that way, uh, you've got [00:36:00] something that you can bolt off and that's got a lot of steel in it so it's supportive.

[00:36:03] Eric Goranson: But literally you could go through there and, uh, have your own place that is going to be safe. And, uh, those are things that you can do as well, especially and again, like I was saying, guys, tornadoes, hurricanes, that kind of stuff. If you need to have a safe space to go, uh, that's not a bad way to go. And of course, you can make it as complex as you want to.

[00:36:22] Eric Goranson: Uh, we've all seen the movies and stuff like that, where the people have gone pretty crazy with it. You know, if you are a celebrity or if you're 1 of those things, having that set up where you're in a good, safe place. Is not a bad place to be now. The last thing I want to talk about here today, before we wrap up this show is making sure that you've got a safe place for your personal belongings.

[00:36:42] Eric Goranson: Do you have a safe? Do you have a safe deposit box? Where are you keeping your, your titles for your vehicles, your deeds, your stocks, any paperwork that you need to have? You know, your, your, any of those things, do you have a good safe? And I'm not talking about your cheap going and buy the off brand safe at [00:37:00] Walmart.

[00:37:00] Eric Goranson: I'm talking about something that's actually going to survive a house fire. Something that's going to survive a tornado, something that's going to survive. Something bad happening. Somebody's trying to break into it. You know, there are a lot of cheap safes out there that don't do a lot of good. There's a handful of really good ones out there.

[00:37:17] Eric Goranson: So do your research, see the testing, see what you can do. There's a lot of them out there. You put a fire out there, like it was in a house fire and they won't survive. Everything on the inside burns up and you're like, well, that was an expensive vault to keep the ashes of my important documents that didn't work.

[00:37:32] Eric Goranson: So make sure you've got things dialed in. And you've got the proper safe. If you want to keep it off at a safe deposit box and go old school like your grandmother, that's good to just remember. Sometimes it's harder to get in there. And if that bank is having issues or you can't get into it, you are now relying on somebody else to get into that.

[00:37:50] Eric Goranson: So if it's an emergency, you might want to be able to have stuff sooner. So. Think about what's being stored in there and do you need it now or do you need it within 48 hours? If you need it [00:38:00] within 48 hours, you can probably get it from the bank. If you need it now, probably not going to happen. So maybe you've got something where you've got your high value things.

[00:38:08] Eric Goranson: Off in the bank at the safe deposit box, where you can get it when you need it. And then you've got a secondary location where you're storing things to be safe. But nonetheless, keep those documents, all your paperwork, your medications, any of that extra stuff that you need to have around your house. And that's even just outside of security.

[00:38:25] Eric Goranson: That's emergency preparedness as well. And make sure that you're good that way. And then, um, really guys just making sure your lighting is good and making sure that if you've got any kind of a neighborhood watch system going on that you're playing a part of it, and maybe that's something that you need to organize for your neighborhood.

[00:38:44] Eric Goranson: If you've got a higher crime. In many areas, see, meet with your local police department, meet with your neighborhood, meet with your Facebook group for your neighborhood, spend some time, know your neighbors, get them together and rally, and you're going to have a much safer [00:39:00] place. All right, everybody, that's the end of the show.

[00:39:02] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning in. Make sure you head over and catch the podcast. Where you can catch our exclusive content over there head over to around the house online for that. Thanks everybody We'll see you next saturday. Thanks for tuning in to about the house