Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Chuck Marunde, J.D., Broker/Owner 360-775-5424


iRealty Virtual Brokers


Broker/Consultant

Washington State

SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Search MLS
    • Sequim MLS
    • Sequim MLS Map Search
    • Port Angeles MLS
    • Port Townsend MLS
    • San Juan Islands MLS
    • All Islands MLS
    • How to Search the Sequim MLS
  • Videos
    • Sequim Videos Q&A
    • Buyer Videos Part 1
    • Buyer Videos Part 2
    • Buyer Videos Part 3
    • Buyer Videos Part 4
    • Living in Sequim Video Channel
  • Books
    The Coming Real Estate Crash

    The Coming Real Estate Crash

    The Sequim Real Estate Trilogy

    The Sequim Real Estate Trilogy

    Sequim Real Estate Videos for Buyers: The Ultimate Video Guide for Sequim Washington

    Sequim Real Estate Videos for Buyers: The Ultimate Video Guide for Sequim Washington

    Escaping California to the San Juan Islands

    Escaping California to the San Juan Islands

    Get Healthy

    Get Healthy: Increase Natural Immunities, Cellular Energy, Deep Sleep & Decrease Blood Pressure

    Manage Your Energy

    Manage Your Energy Not Your Time

    Real Estate Brokerage From Bricks and Mortar to High Tech Virtuality

    Real Estate Brokerage From Bricks and Mortar to High Tech Virtuality

    7 Myths of Selling Your Home

    7 Myths of Selling Your Home

    Buying Your Retirement Home

    Buying Your Retirement Home

    The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents

    The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents

    Sequim Real Estate For Buyers: Free eBook Updates Forever

    Sequim Real Estate For Buyers: Free eBook Updates Forever

    24 Secrets of Buying a Country Home

    24 Secrets of Buying a Country Home

    Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide

    Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide

    Living Off The Grid iin Alaska

    Living Off The Grid in Alaska

    Buying and Selling Real Estate

    Buying and Selling Real Estate

    Trending Tags

      • Sequim Real Estate for Buyers (Free eBook Updates Forever)
      • Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide (Paperback)
      • Escaping California to The San Juan Islands
      • Buying & Selling Real Estate in The Rain Shadow
      • Real Estate From Bricks & Mortar to High Tech Virtuality
      • The Seven Myths of Selling Your Home
      • Buying Your Retirement Home
      • The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents
    • Agents
      Marunde Google

      Chuck Marunde on Google

      Flat Fee Listing Broker

      Flat Fee Listing Broker

      Buyers Agent Chuck Marunde

      Buyer’s Agent Chuck Marunde

      Trending Tags

        • Buyers Agent Chuck Marunde
        • Flat Fee Listing Broker
        • Google Profile & Leave Reviews
      Tetralogy
      No Result
      View All Result
      • Login
      • Register
      • Home
      • Search MLS
        • Sequim MLS
        • Sequim MLS Map Search
        • Port Angeles MLS
        • Port Townsend MLS
        • San Juan Islands MLS
        • All Islands MLS
        • How to Search the Sequim MLS
      • Videos
        • Sequim Videos Q&A
        • Buyer Videos Part 1
        • Buyer Videos Part 2
        • Buyer Videos Part 3
        • Buyer Videos Part 4
        • Living in Sequim Video Channel
      • Books
        The Coming Real Estate Crash

        The Coming Real Estate Crash

        The Sequim Real Estate Trilogy

        The Sequim Real Estate Trilogy

        Sequim Real Estate Videos for Buyers: The Ultimate Video Guide for Sequim Washington

        Sequim Real Estate Videos for Buyers: The Ultimate Video Guide for Sequim Washington

        Escaping California to the San Juan Islands

        Escaping California to the San Juan Islands

        Get Healthy

        Get Healthy: Increase Natural Immunities, Cellular Energy, Deep Sleep & Decrease Blood Pressure

        Manage Your Energy

        Manage Your Energy Not Your Time

        Real Estate Brokerage From Bricks and Mortar to High Tech Virtuality

        Real Estate Brokerage From Bricks and Mortar to High Tech Virtuality

        7 Myths of Selling Your Home

        7 Myths of Selling Your Home

        Buying Your Retirement Home

        Buying Your Retirement Home

        The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents

        The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents

        Sequim Real Estate For Buyers: Free eBook Updates Forever

        Sequim Real Estate For Buyers: Free eBook Updates Forever

        24 Secrets of Buying a Country Home

        24 Secrets of Buying a Country Home

        Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide

        Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide

        Living Off The Grid iin Alaska

        Living Off The Grid in Alaska

        Buying and Selling Real Estate

        Buying and Selling Real Estate

        Trending Tags

          • Sequim Real Estate for Buyers (Free eBook Updates Forever)
          • Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide (Paperback)
          • Escaping California to The San Juan Islands
          • Buying & Selling Real Estate in The Rain Shadow
          • Real Estate From Bricks & Mortar to High Tech Virtuality
          • The Seven Myths of Selling Your Home
          • Buying Your Retirement Home
          • The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents
        • Agents
          Marunde Google

          Chuck Marunde on Google

          Flat Fee Listing Broker

          Flat Fee Listing Broker

          Buyers Agent Chuck Marunde

          Buyer’s Agent Chuck Marunde

          Trending Tags

            • Buyers Agent Chuck Marunde
            • Flat Fee Listing Broker
            • Google Profile & Leave Reviews
          No Result
          View All Result
          iRealty Virtual Brokers
          No Result
          View All Result
          Home Home Security

          Home Security: Lessons to Save You Time and Money

          Chuck Marunde by Chuck Marunde
          July 8, 2019
          Reading Time: 5 mins read
          0 0
          0
          Home Security

          Home security is a very important subject, and we all know we should secure our homes. We know that, but the vast majority do not. Why not? It’s a bit complicated and confusing, right? Of the hundreds of systems out there and with all the advertisements on cable television and satellite and even on Youtube ads, all claiming to be the best, which one do you choose? This article will share lessons from the school of hard knocks on home security. I’ve spent years studying home security and trying various systems, and that also means I’ve spent thousands of dollars trying to narrow it down to a reliable system. Today for the first time, I’ll share my experience and suggestions, although I do not pretend to be a security expert by any means. I have, however, learned a lot from security experts, and I’ve learned how any homeowner can substantially improve their home security system, especially if you don’t have one.

          Home Security is Not Optional

          Do I need to persuade you that you need a home security system? I seriously doubt anyone doesn’t know the importance of having some kind of reliable home security system. You wouldn’t drive your car without insurance, not because you think you will get in an accident, but because if you did, it could be a nightmare scenario if you weren’t insured. Yet 1/3rd of every California driver is uninsured. Go figure!

          Who wants to wait until their home is broken into and precious keepsakes are stolen and gone forever. The police can’t help if you didn’t see the burglar. The police are likely to ask, “Do you have a photo or a video of the thief?” Of course, if you have no security system, you will have nothing to share with the police. Pause for a moment please so you can feel the agony, the negative emotions you would experience if your lifetime precious items were stolen, jewelry, cash, computers, iPads, your lawn mower and weed eater, your backup generator, your tools, your big screen monitor, your small safe, your guns, and so on. All gone forever. Do I have your attention now? Would you buy a home security after that, or would now be a better time to secure your home?

          Home Security That is Reliable and Affordable

          You might want to bookmark this article, and you might want to share it with neighbors and family and friends, because I’m not getting paid to do product reviews, and I’m not writing from theory. Everything I’m writing here is what you would learn if you spent years and thousands of dollars studying and buying various home security systems.

          Sequim Home Security

          I’ve tried all the systems in these two photos, and along the way I learned that wireless systems are not 100% reliable, especially if you have less than a lightning fast Internet. Wireless sounds great and the installation is much easier than a wired system, but some routers will not broadcast the Internet with enough strength all the way to the wireless camera at the other end of the house or further away on the garage or the outside of the house. That means the signal keeps getting dropped, and in some cases if the camera disconnects to the Internet, it will not re-connect without you manually turning the camera on and off in the house. That’s a problem if you are on vacation in Austin, although I don’t know why you would vacation in Austin!

          The Arlo is one of the most reliable wireless systems with video cameras, and these days you definitely need video surveillance. You also want to be able to see live views of your video cameras while you are away right on your smartphone. You want to get immediate alert notifications on your smartphone if there is movement in front of one of the video cameras. And you want your system to record that movement and store it safely for you, whether that is in the cloud or on a hard drive.

          I recommend you use a wired system. It is a technology that has been around for decades, and it is very reliable, far more reliable than wireless systems. Even if you have extremely fast Internet (download and upload), a wireless camera might not re-connect if your power goes out or your Internet goes down and then comes back up. Wired systems are built to stay connected and re-connect automatically. And here’s something that can drive you crazy with wireless video cameras–they eat batteries like your dog eats steak. Six cameras can easily cost $20 a month in batteries, because they never use standard batteries. The Arlo uses a 123+ battery, which is many times more expensive than a double A, and the newer Arlo which you can buy with a rechargeable battery sounds great, but I bought one and after one charge the batter would not charge at all, and these cameras cost $139 apiece. The other issue is that these wireless video cameras are constantly going dead on you as the batteries run down, and then the camera isn’t working. It’s a constant battle. Wireless cameras are using electricity and never have a hiccup. 

          You’ll need at least four video cameras, and six is better. The Nightowl wired home security system shown in the first photo above is only $299 at Costco with four cameras, and it works great. You can buy two to four more cameras for it so you will have plenty of coverage. You need coverage on the front driveway where someone would approach the house, of the front door and the back door, and where someone would walk around the house and to the garage or barn. 

          You can also make your home a “Smart Home” and equip it with an alarm you can turn on from anywhere in the world through your smart phone, and much more. A loud alarm is a nice addition to your security system, because if it is loud enough, it will scare the burglar away, and that would be good. The key to getting alerts of movement on your smartphone is that you can be aware immediately, and you can call 911 to get the police over there. You could also call a neighbor to alert them.

          If you’re going to install a wired system, you can either do it yourself, because it isn’t that hard, or you can hire someone to help you. Since a wired system only costs $300 to $500, it is well worth it, although if you need to hire help to install it, that’s where it could cost you another $500 or more.

          Much more could be said about home security, but I’ve gone long already. I hope this is helpful. Please do yourself a favor and get a wired security camera system installed soon. It could even lower your home insurance premium, and you’ll have peace of mind. I guarantee it.

          Last Updated on July 8, 2019 by Chuck Marunde

          Tags: Home SecuritySecurity Gates
          ShareTweet
          Chuck Marunde

          Chuck Marunde

          Chuck grew up in remote Alaska, graduated from the University of Alaska with a degree in Economics and Teacher Certification, and after teaching high school for two years, went to law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He served four years as a Captain and JAG in the USAF at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. After practicing real estate law for 20 years in Washington, Chuck founded iRealty Virtual Brokers covering Sequim and the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. He is the author of 2,200 real estate articles and a dozen real estate books, and he produced over 100 real estate videos. Chuck combined his love for real estate and technology to create a massive Internet presence, and his articles and videos and books have been viewed by millions. Chuck is a well recognized real estate expert and his counsel is sought by other brokers and practicing attorneys around the country. Buyers from New York to Hawaii and from Florida to Alaska seek him out to retain him as their buyer's agent, and home owners around the State of Washington seek him out because of his new Flat Fee Listing Service. 

          Related Posts

          Home Security

          Best Reasons for Security Gates

          April 3, 2010
          1
          Next Post
          Irrigation Rights

          Sequim Irrigation Districts: How to Find Out if a Property Has Irrigation Rights

          Sequim Real Estate on Your Mobile Device

          Sequim Mobile App

          Leave a Reply Cancel reply

          Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

          I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

          This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

          "I wish I read this before selling my
          home. I could have saved $50,000." Andy 

          Search 2,200 Articles by Category

          • Trending
          • Comments
          • Latest
          Buyer and Seller

          What if a Buyer and Seller Talk to Each Other?

          August 5, 2022
          Prorate Propane

          How to Prorate Propane at Closing

          August 15, 2015
          Terminate a real estate contract

          How to Terminate a Real Estate Contract

          December 31, 2020

          The Sequim Blue Hole – A Map of Rainfall

          September 1, 2019
          print newspapers

          Print Newspapers Losing Readers to the Internet

          42
          Buyer and Seller

          What if a Buyer and Seller Talk to Each Other?

          32
          FNMA Killing Transactions by Requiring Private Road Maintenance Agreements

          FNMA Killing Transactions by Requiring Private Road Maintenance Agreements

          31

          What Documents Does a Buyer Need to Buy Real Estate?

          24
          home title theft

          Is Home Title Fraud Real or is it a Fraud?

          March 27, 2023
          Sequim Real Estate Maps and Docs

          Sequim Real Estate Maps and Documents

          February 6, 2023
          Flat Fee Listing Service

          Sellers Chase the Market Down Once Again (UPDATED)

          March 22, 2023
          Sequim real estate market

          Sequim Real Estate Market: Annual Review for 2022

          February 3, 2023

          Subscribe to Chuck 
          Marunde's Newsletter

          Popular Stories

          • Buyer and Seller

            What if a Buyer and Seller Talk to Each Other?

            0 shares
            Share 0 Tweet 0
          • How to Prorate Propane at Closing

            0 shares
            Share 0 Tweet 0
          • How to Terminate a Real Estate Contract

            0 shares
            Share 0 Tweet 0
          • The Sequim Blue Hole – A Map of Rainfall

            0 shares
            Share 0 Tweet 0
          • Dangers of Buying a Fannie Mae Foreclosure Through Homepath

            0 shares
            Share 0 Tweet 0

          Leaving Comments   I hope you’ll join our community and leave comments from time to time. Please realize that comments, if approved, will be public, so do not use any personal information you don’t want broadcast to the world, and definitely don’t leave a phone number. Comments are not the place to ask Chuck Marunde for help in finding a home. To do that, call or text Chuck.

          Neither Chuck Marunde nor iRealty Virtual Brokers offers legal advice on this site. Please Read Our Legal Disclaimer

          If you’d like to view how we protect your privacy, see our Privacy Policy.

          iRealty Virtual Brokers

          iRealty Virtual Brokers reaches out to buyers around the United States with thousands of online articles, MLS sites, apps, real estate books, videos, and much more specifically to help buyers find all the answers to their questions. We also now offer a flat fee commission listing service that saves sellers tens of thousands of dollars.

          iRealty Virtual Brokers
          125 Olympic Ranch Ln
          Sequim, Washington 98382
          360-775-5424

          Search the entire NWMLS in Washington State:

          Sequim-Homes.com

          The largest independent real estate blog in the State of Washington with over 2,200 articles totally focused on our client’s best interest, their needs and their curiosity. All free and 100% reliable. I’m here if you need me, 

          © 2006-2022 iRealty Virtual Brokers and Chuck Marunde

          No Result
          View All Result
          • Home
          • Search MLS
            • Sequim MLS
            • Sequim MLS Map Search
            • Port Angeles MLS
            • Port Townsend MLS
            • San Juan Islands MLS
            • All Islands MLS
            • How to Search the Sequim MLS
          • Videos
            • Sequim Videos Q&A
            • Buyer Videos Part 1
            • Buyer Videos Part 2
            • Buyer Videos Part 3
            • Buyer Videos Part 4
            • Living in Sequim Video Channel
          • Books
            • Sequim Real Estate for Buyers (Free eBook Updates Forever)
            • Sequim Real Estate: A Buyer’s Guide (Paperback)
            • Escaping California to The San Juan Islands
            • Buying & Selling Real Estate in The Rain Shadow
            • Real Estate From Bricks & Mortar to High Tech Virtuality
            • The Seven Myths of Selling Your Home
            • Buying Your Retirement Home
            • The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents
          • Agents
            • Buyers Agent Chuck Marunde
            • Flat Fee Listing Broker
            • Google Profile & Leave Reviews
          • Login
          • Sign Up

          © 2006-2022 iRealty Virtual Brokers and Chuck Marunde

          Welcome Back!

          Login to your account below

          Forgotten Password? Sign Up

          Create New Account!

          Fill the forms bellow to register

          *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
          All fields are required. Log In

          Retrieve your password

          Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

          Log In
          This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.