Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine March 2018 | Page 30

IMPROVING Home Security Done Right Taking steps to protect your investment W ith crime rates seemingly always on the rise, most South African homes have some security mea- sures in place. Security estates have gained steady traction in recent years, but even if your property isn't located in a gated development, there are certain steps you can take to make it safer. Roy Alves, Country Manager of Axis Communications, explains that whereas before the value of houses was largely driven by location, today’s property prices are increasingly impacted by the level of its security. “Crime is not abating,” says Alves. “People want to feel safe, they want to know that their homes and families are protected.” He goes on to em- phasise the importance of not only installing security sur- veillance tools, but also eradicating blind spots and reducing false alarms. “One cannot simply install a camera, and hope a potential intruder will wander into its line of sight,” he says. Instead, a thorough site survey needs to be conducted, iden- tifying exactly where and how surveillance cameras need to be installed. 28 MARCH 2018 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine