Hoarding has received a lot of attention lately through TV shows like A&E’s “Hoarders,” and media awareness, giving people the urge to organize their homes. A well-organized home is easy to enjoy, but there are a few more reasons to get in on the trend.

• Aesthetics: Even the most severe hoarders will admit that their piles of belongings look horrible. Be proud of a home that you work hard to maintain. It will encourage you to invite others over to enjoy it with you.

• Hidden treasures: There are probably many items you’ve either forgotten about or gave up on finding years ago because of clutter. Sort it out and  reap the rewards of finding lost items.

• Emergency exits: Home alarm systems, smoke detectors and other home security devices alert you when there’s an emergency. But that’s only part of keeping yourself safe. Clutter can get in the way of emergency exits and can drastically increase the time it takes you to exit your home.

Going from renting to buying a home is a big milestone. Be sure that you’re making a sound investment and finding the right home for you by considering these three important things.

• Research school systems: Find out how the school district is ranked, even if you don’t have or don’t plan to have children. Being located near quality schools can increase a home’s selling price.

• Weigh neighborhood security: Are there signs posted for neighborhood watch groups? Check out homes in the area to see if they have window decals and yard signs for ADT security systems.  Criminals may be less likely attempt break-ins in neighborhoods protected by home alarm systems.

• Evaluate your commute: Time how far it will take you to get to work, grocery stores, schools and any other places that you’ll frequently visit. Then decide if your prospective home is worth the travel time.

ADT has long been the leader in home security.  For over a century, the company has provided top quality service and the latest technology designed to help provide customers peace of mind and security.  While all three of the home security packages offered through Best Home Security have slightly different features, there are some features that come standard with all packages.  What follows is a basic explanation of each feature and how they all work together to make you as safe as possible when you choose to use ADT home security to help protect your house and your loved ones.

Each system comes with a digital keypad.  This simple keypad is your lifeline in the event of an emergency.  With this item, you can contact ADT and have access to all of the major law enforcement agencies.  Your keypad alerts ADT Security to an emergency and is also used to activate and deactivate your system.

All systems also come with a keychain remote.  These remotes can be used to activate and deactivate the system from any room in the house.  This is also highly beneficial when trying to disarm the system while carrying a child or an armful of groceries, when typing in your access code would be difficult or impossible.

ADT alarm systems also come with motion detectors for inside the home.  These systems are designed to be pet sensitive, which reduces the number of false alarms caused by animals.  When coupled with all of the other innovative features of a home security system, motion detectors help to ensure that intruders are detected immediately upon entry of your home.

On all ADT security systems is a high decibel alarm system.  In addition to alerting both you and authorities that there has been an intrusion, the high pitch of this system is often effective in scaring away would be thieves and intruders.  When coupled with ADT yard signs and window decals, which also come standard with all packages, thieves can often be deterred before a break-in attempt or as soon as the alarm sounds.

All systems come with a battery backup in the event of a power failure, ensuring that you never go a moment without protection.  All systems are installed by professional installers, and can be scheduled and quickly installed so as to provide minimal disruption to your daily life.

In addition to the features listed above, there are a few other features that come with certain packages.  For customers who desire it, there is the option for a two way communicator to be installed with the system.  This acts as an intercom and allows you to talk with ADT monitor centers from anywhere in the home during an emergency without needing to push a button.  For people without a landline telephone, or for those who desire an extra layer of protection, there is also CellGuard, which uses cellular towers to contact ADT in the event of an emergency.  ADT alarm systems provide security options for every home and budget.

Having a home security system is an important part of keeping your entire family and your possessions safe and secure.  In neighborhoods all across the country – even those considered very safe – homeowners and renters are protecting their dwellings with sophisticated security systems.

While the presence of home security systems does reduce crime in itself, the systems are also known as somewhat of a nuisance to police and fire personnel.  False alarms are very common with keypad-entry security systems.  The reason for false alarms is usually because the occupant of the home forgot their code or accidentally entered the wrong code.

Every time a false alarm is sounded and the police force or fire department responds, it costs your city money.  The costs vary by location, but some cities estimate that false alarms cost them a million dollars a year.  Understandably, many localities are now charging fines for homeowners who have repeated false alarms.  You may be forgiven for the first one or two false alarms, but any more than that and you’ll be billed each time.

City budgets aren’t the only victims of security system false alarms.  People who fear being fined sometimes disconnect their security system or simply stop arming it.  While it may save the occupant from being fined for accidentally tripping the alarm, it also opens the home up to break-ins.

In order to combat this increasing problem, ADT Security has introduced SafeWatch SafePass, which is a small radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that alarm system owners carry with them.  It works in the same way that entering a security code would work to arm and disarm the system.  The difference is that there is virtually no room for human error with this method.  It just takes a simple wave of the tag a couple of inches in front of the wall panel.

ADT Security is the only home security company in the nation with this technology.  They hope that the simple-to-use device will be beneficial not only for the person using the alarm system, but for every police, fire and rescue department around the country.  By making it harder to trigger the alarm accidentally, the device may save cities millions of dollars a year.

In addition to using the SafeWatch SafePass, there are many other ways to avoid setting off your alarm system accidentally.

1. Make sure everyone in the home knows how to use the system.  This doesn’t necessarily mean teaching your toddler the code, but let everyone know that doors shouldn’t be opened when the system is armed.  Inform them about the delay time between arming the alarm and getting out of the door.

2. Maintain your system.  Keep sensors clean, keep batteries fresh, and call the security company for maintenance when needed.

3. Know how to cancel the alarm.  In the case of a false alarm, you need to know the cancel code to avoid a costly visit by police, rescue, or fire personnel.

A great way to help protect your home and family – and avoid false alarms – is to select from one of the excellent, technologically-advanced ADT security systems.