WHY YOU NEED A SAFE FOR YOUR HOME
Safes are great for banks, businesses, and millionaires ~ but why should regular people like us keep a safe at home? If you live in a quiet neighborhood, you may think a safe is necessary. If you live in a dicey area, you may wonder which safe will be the most effective. If you're in doubt about the benefits of having a safe at home at all, you may be wondering what in the world you would put in it. Actually, there are a good number of reasons to own a safe, and some of them might not have occurred to you.
Better Safe than Sorry!
If you own any objects of exceptional value ~ an irreplaceable heirloom, rare coins, collectibles, or even important documents ~ why take the unnecessary risk of losing or misplacing them? Here are some critical points for you to consider:
You'll always know where your stuff is. If you often misplace things, even items that are important to you, then it's time to store them in a safe, so you'll never lose them again. Protect your family photographs. You can keep digital copies of all your family photos in your home safe on a computer disk or thumbdrive, and also preserve any older family photos. These photographic memories are irreplaceable.
Restore your computer. Every computer owner knows that you have to keep a backup of everything on your computer, because if you ever come across computer problems, your files can all be restored. If your computer ever suffers a hard-drive crash, you'll be able to get back virtually everything if you can retrieve all your backup information from the safe.
Prevent theft. A safe can prevent anyone from stealing your most precious possessions. When you keep your most prized property in a home safe, you'll have peace of mind. Do you throw parties at home? Do you often host house guests? When large groups of people are in your home, you can't possibly keep an eye on every individual. Therefore, it's a comfort when you know that your cherished items will stay untouched inside your safe.
Guard against floods. If any type of water emergency happens, if you have the right safe, whatever you keep inside will remain unharmed.
Protect against fire. In case of fire, a safe can guard whatever's inside. Think about what would occur if you were to lose these crucial items to fire:
- your will
- birth certificates
- copies of driver's licenses or other IDs
- mortgage records
- outstanding loans and other debt records
- passports
- documents regarding the properties you own
- tax records
- safe deposit box keys or any other important keys you rarely use
- investment documents
- insurance papers for filing a possible claim
- titles to all your vehicles
- emergency cash
- pharmacy and prescription medication information
- bank account information
- powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, & living wills
- retirement plans
- a list of family doctors with contact information
- funeral arrangements
A home safe is superior to a safety deposit box. You may think that a safety deposit box at the bank is better than a safe kept at home. But actually, a home safe provides several advantages.
- You'll have 24/7 access, rather than just office hours.
- You'll make a one-time investment, rather than pay a monthly fee.
- Your home is private; you can take items out and put items in anytime you want.
- Cash kept in a safety deposit box is not FDIC-insured.
- Upon the death of a loved one, if you are the beneficiary, you may presume you can open that person's safe deposit box; however, banks typically seal safety deposit boxes as soon as they receive a death certificate, so you cannot open it until estate representatives provide the bank with court papers.
- At a bank, a safe deposit box's contents are rarely insured, but your home safe's items will typically be covered by your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy.
Keep your family out of harm's way. If you own any weapons, it's absolutely essential that you prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, especially from a child. Avoid danger and tragedy with a specialized safe, and no one but you will have access to your guns, explosives, knives, axes, or any other harmful items.
Do your research. When you do your homework as you shop for the perfect safe for your home, you should also ask these questions:
- How big does the safe need to be?
- Should the safe be visible or hidden?
- Where will the most secure location in your home be for you to put the safe?
- There are industry manufacturer guidelines that indicate the security rating for every safe. What level of security is best for your circumstances ~ as basic as a combination lock, as sophisticated as a retina scan, or something in between?
- Also take a look at the industry standards for levels of fire resistance and water resistance.
- Do you need a mere metal box or should it be substantially anchored?
- Are there any additional factors to consider for proper protection of your items ~ such as humidity, temperature, light, etc.?
- What company will you contact if there are any technical problems with the safe?
- Which individuals will you trust to know how to open the safe?
- What is your backup plan should someone not be able to find the information needed to open the safe?