Tampa Bay Times - 2019 In and Around The Home

In and Around THE

HOME T A M P A B AY T I M E S S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N

Tampa Bay Times

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Smart kitchens

How does technology help you cook?

By Michelle Stark, Times Food and Lifestyle Editor

Remember how on Walt Disney World’s Carousel of Progress ride, they predicted we’d all have talking robot ovens by now? We’re not quite there, but we have come a long way in terms of kitchen technology.

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ook no further than one of the hottest kitchen tools of the past five years, the Instant Pot. Basically a modern pressure cooker, Instant Pots became a viral hit in 2016, regularly selling out on Amazon Prime sale days (one year, more than 215,000 cookers sold in just one day) and spawning cookbook after cookbook devoted to the specific cooking method.

Instant Pots are many devices in one, áctually seven according to the brand: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute pot, steamer, warming pot and yogurt maker. The appliance, which debuted in 2010, also has a number of self-regulating features for safety and simple-touse buttons for programmed cooking time.

It’s a perfect example of well-worn cooking methods given the 21st century treatment. The result? Convenience and consistency, the keys for home cooks.

When it comes to technology in the kitchen, we tend to go for the devices that will either help us create restaurant-quality meals at home, or those that will make it easier to get dinner on the table in a shorter amount of time.

Think of the sous vide machine, which had a resurgence a couple of years ago among home cooks.

The sous vide cooking method uses a bath of consistently heated water to bring food sealed in a plastic bag to the proper temperature. It’s a method that’s been used in

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restaurants for ages; now, thanks to clever marketing and the foolproof nature of the bath, sous vide machines are accessible for every level of cook.

can be turned on via Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, meaning you don’t even need to get out of bed to start brewing your morning cup.

Where is kitchen technology headed? It goes beyond the devices you place on your counter and into the realm of smartphones and WiFi.

Some refrigerators from LG and other brands come equipped with touchscreens on the outside, encouraging home cooks to scan their grocery receipts after shopping so the fridge can keep track of what was just added to its shelves.

Food delivery apps have already transformed how we eat, but look to new companies like Innit for even more innovation in the home kitchen.

Innit aims to keep track of all the planning, grocery shopping, food preparation and cooking in your kitchen, creating an intuitive artificial intelligence system that can cater more directly to your family’s food needs.

With the press of a button, you can order ingredients and have them delivered to your door, create customized meals and recipe lists, and even send cooking instructions to your devices.

It’s all about making your kitchen work as one seamless system.

In that same vein, the wireless Internet in your house can now be more often integrated into your kitchen appliances, so you can do things like control your oven’s temperature from an app on your phone. A whole slew of coffee makers currently on the market

It’s the kind of fully integrated kitchen concept that current technology can help achieve. Sounds even better than a talking oven.

Some smart refrigerator features...

• Coordinate schedules for every member of the family.

• Look up recipes and have your fridge read the steps while you cook.

• Create grocery lists that sync to your smartphone in real-time.

• Set expiration dates and receive notifications to use food while it’s fresh.

• Upload photos for display.

• Create individual profiles for each family member to send them personal notes and to-do lists.

• Use a whiteboard option to leave messages for your family.

• Transparent touchscreens allow you to look inside the fridge without opening the door.

• Cast from a smart TV in another room to watch from the kitchen.

Tampa Bay Times

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Five top local shops for

DIY decorating

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent

Now that the heavy lifting and cleanup of home renovations are behind you, here comes the fun part – decorating. Find top-quality pieces for the home, unique antiques and handmade decorative accents you’ll love at these well-curated, independent local stores.

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f you’re looking for items that make a major impact (and you aren’t afraid to shell out serious cash for them), visit Tampa Bay Salvage in Palm Habor. It’s easy to get lost perusing the store’s amazing, eclectic collection which includes vintage doors, church windows, antique toys, furniture, stone statues and stained glass. You’re sure to find unique and interesting items to transform and personalize your home and garden. Recent find: a

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pair of marble lions for $4,500.

(Tampabaysalvage.com) Clearwater’s House to Home has a huge inventory of affordable furnishings, accessories and accent pieces to complement your shabby chic, farmhouse style or coastal design aesthetic. Recent find: white wood vintage bar stools with cute anchor-fabric seats for $119.

(Housetohomefl.com)

Find a quaint, homey mix of new and vintage furnishings and accent pieces at Bungaleaux on Central in St. Petersburg. Recent items available included beautiful light fixtures, antique clocks, vintage windows, serving trays and picture frames perfect for French provincial and boho styles of decor. Bungaleaux also stocks an array of MudPaint, a thick, matte paint that makes transforming upcycling projects a breeze. Stop by on a Saturday for a complimentary cup of wine. (727-317-5667)

One Amazing Find in Tarpon Springs offers items in a range of different styles, including religious, rustic, mid century and boho chic. Find vintage Chalk Paint headboards, mirrors, kitchen items and glassware in addition to a wide selection of Christmas ornaments, clothing and jewelry. Recent finds include a beautiful matte-gray, mid century vanity/desk for $249 and a ladder-back wooden kitchen chair for $79. (Oneamazingfind.com)

In the middle of the hubbub at Tampa’s Armature Works is A.W. Mercantile, a fun, small shop stocked with locally made items including Tampa-themed coaster sets; large linen, throw pillows ($45); a cool vintage-style white metal dry goods canister set; and a restored 1937 oscillating desk fan for $159. (Armatureworks.com)

Tampa Bay Times

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Five great apps that help simplify

Home ownership

By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

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eplacing air conditioning filters?

Trimming the shrubs? Nobody ever said running a household was easy.

But now, organizational apps for your computer, phone and tablet can help you keep track of all the chores. Here are five of our favorites.

HomeZada (homezada.com) Ever wondered what it’s like having a (digital) personal assistant? For $59 a year, the HomeZada app will help you manage every aspect of your home. From planning all your remodeling projects to providing a seasonal maintenance checklist at your fingertips, this handy digital hub does it all.

Centriq (mycentriq.com) Once upon a time, homeowners shoved all the manuals, warranties and receipts for their new appliances into a miscellaneous

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desk drawer. Now, you can store all of it – plus photos, videos and other useful product information – on Centriq. The free app helps you keep tabs on using, fixing and maintaining everything from your HVAC system to your smoke detector.

It even alerts you if you own one of 50 million products recalled for safety risks.

Wunderlist (wunderlist.com) Anyone who makes daily to-do lists will flip for Wunderlist, an app that lets you manage your personal, work, and home tasks across multiple devices. Its streamlined layout makes it easy to create and share organizational lists with spouses, children, or roommates. You can even set reminders to notify others when it’s time to complete specific household chores, like paying the mortgage or giving Rover his flea meds.

Happy Plant (happyplantapp.com) Get a green thumb at last with Happy Plant. The fun-to-use app creates a watering schedule for your plants and sends you notifications so you stick to it. Each plant gets its own profile where its growth is monitored. The app even encourages you to take selfies with your plants that it turns into adorable time-lapse videos.

Letgo (us.letgo.com) Have you been bitten by the decluttering bug? Download Letgo, which allows users to host digital garage sales. Simply snap a photo of the item you want to sell, enter a price, and share it with buyers in your area.

Before long, you’ll be earning extra bucks – and making Marie Kondo proud.

This homemade bread makes a

Lovely housewarming gift

By Michelle Stark, Times Food and Lifestyle Editor

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here is nothing like the gift of food to let someone know you really care. And for friends and family who have just moved into new homes, bringing over something they can eat is both thoughtful and practical. Casseroles are classic, but if you want to offer something different, try a whole basket of food. Pick a theme, and arrange three or four homemade items in a basket your giftee can use again - or even a large bowl or colander, for maximum practicality. Standbys in my housewarming baskets include things like homemade pesto, a selection of flavored salts or other spices, and a good olive oil. And for the centerpiece? Try a fancy loaf of bread.

Bread is a classic housewarming gift. Remember that quote from It’s a Wonderful Life? “Bread, that this house may never know hunger,” they say. “Salt, that life may always have flavor. And wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.” It’s good

advice that holds up today. And homemade bread is even better, a lovingly rendered loaf that you can customize depending on your giftee. Here is one of my go-to recipes, particularly delightful during the holiday season, but a solid housewarming basket centerpiece all year long.

Sage Walnut Bread

2 cups walnut pieces 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup fresh sage, roughly chopped Toast the walnuts in a 325-degree oven until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove

from oven and set aside to cool. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and let sit for 10 minutes to let the yeast do its thing. Stir in the honey, oil and salt.Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough has formed a shaggy ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter.

Knead the dough, adding flour as necessary, to form a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to knead the dough, for about 5 minutes. Put the dough into a bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil; turn the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Let the dough rise until it is puffy, about 1 1/2 hours. Gently deflate the dough and knead in the walnuts and sage. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball.

Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment or greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover the loaves with damp towels and let rise another 30 to 45 minutes.

Tampa Bay Times

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Top 5 kitchen gadgets You need right now

By Michelle Stark, Times Food and Lifestyle Editor

Reusable straws

St. Petersburg’s City Council voted in 2018 to ban plastic straws in the city by 2020, and the move is a reflection of a larger national trend to reduce wasteful plastic. But if you simply can’t live without a suitable sipper, there are many other options, from silicone to stainless steel to glass. We’re partial to Hummingbird Glass Straws, which are wider than many silicon and stainless steel options, and offer the more ergonomic bent-top design. (hummingbirdstraws.com)

Silicone storage bags

Similar to the movement away from plastic straws, reusable silicone storage bags are trending now, and with good reason. They’re a solid alternative to plastic snack bags, and can be used to store everything from refrigerated fruits and veggies to sandwiches and crackers taken togo. Airtight, leakproof and self-sealing, these food bags can be popped in the dishwasher (and even the microwave) for repeated use. We like the Stasher brand, which comes in five vibrant colors. (stasherbag.com)

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A chimney starter

Whether you’re starting up the charcoal grill or getting a firepit going in your backyard, it helps to have a little push. That’s where the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter comes in, our favorite version of the hollow metal cylinders that will help get your fire going. This is how it works: Fill the chimney starter with charcoal, top with loosely crumpled newspaper, then light the paper on fire to heat the charcoals. Use the handles to pour the hot charcoals into your grill (or pit), and get to cooking. (weber.com)

Handheld juicer

This is the kind of simple kitchen device that can feel life-changing. There’s nothing fancy about it: a juicer the size of a large lemon in which you place half a lemon or lime. But instead of using your hands to squeeze the halves, the long handles on the juicer help get the job done, leaving your hands free of acidic juice. Plus, the machine catches any seeds and helps extract every last bit of juice from the fruits. We prefer the ones made from stainless steel or tough aluminum, like Williams Sonoma’s Open Kitchen Lemon Press. (williams-sonoma.com)

Zester

Another workhorse in my kitchen is a zester, which I use for many other things besides zest. I like the Microplane Premium Zester, which you can find for less than $15 in most stores and online. Besides being a terrific blade for getting the rinds off of oranges, lemons and limes, I love using the long handheld device as a very fine grater. It’s an ideal way to top a single serving of a dish with a flurry of fresh Parmesan cheese, and it also works to finely grate whole nutmeg for baked goods. But my favorite use? When a recipe calls for finely minced fresh garlic or ginger, I use the zester instead, eliminating a knife and cutting board entirely.

Tampa Bay Times

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Take the party outside with these

Outdoor entertainment ideas

By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

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loridians are lucky to be able to celebrate outside nearly all year long.

Whether you’re hosting a dinner on the lanai or a good oldfashioned pool party, we’ve got ideas to make all your outdoor festivities fabulous.

Pizza makes the party!

Now you and your pals can bake your own customized pies with an outdoor Ooni pizza oven ($599) available at Just Grillin Outdoor Living, 11743 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. (justgrillinflorida.com). The multi fuel oven, which runs on wood, charcoal or gas, bakes Neapolitan-style pizzas in no time flat. “This model

comes with two oven doors: a glasswindow with temperature gauge and an open door. The open door is good for pizza parties; pizza in, pizza out. It is a fantastic product for the price point,” says Sam Curtiss, the store’s digital marketing manager.

Every swanky soiree needs the right lighting, and that goes for outdoor parties, too. Illuminate your special evening with a few Seasonal Living outdoor LED table lamps from DoMA Home Furnishings (domahomefurnishings.com), with stores in Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater.

The colorful cordless lamps feature a handmade ceramic base and a threepanel UV-resistant polypropylene shade with an anodized aluminum frame. ($249 and up.)

You can’t have a party without music! Rockustics outdoor speakers ($200 and up), available at Rick’s Electronics Boutique, 1128 Central Ave, St. Petersburg (donttossitwefixit.com), allow you and your guests to enjoy your favorite tunes while kicking back outside. Designed to look just like rocks, coconuts and garden planters, the speakers blend in with the landscape, while boasting high-fidelity sound.

Ever dream of a pool party where fun-lovers can also watch the big game?

SunBrite all-weather LED television sets, also available at Rick’s, can be wall, ceiling or pole-mounted outside your home.

The high-performance TVs feature full-HD picture quality, an anti-glare LCD panel, and a powerful built-in audio system that delivers even better performance than sound systems found in indoor TVs. (Prices start at $1500 for a 43” model.)

Add whimsy to your outdoor celebration with the fun garden decor at Southwest and Tropical, 5641 State Road 54, New Port Richey (southwestandtropical.com).

Choose from Japanese pagoda lanterns, nautical art, squid sculptures, Buddha statues and more. Throwing a Hawaiianthemed luau? You’re in luck. The sprawling shop even carries large tiki heads that double as perfect tropical party decorations. All you’ve got to do is mix the mai tais!

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Choose outdoor furniture that can stand up to

Florida’s weather

By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

Porches, patios and other outdoor spaces are the perfect spots for Floridians to gather and unwind. When choosing outdoor furniture, be sure to opt for materials and fabrics that can stand up to our area’s warm weather and seasonal rains.

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he rustic teak wood pieces at Treehouse Gallery, 2835 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg (treehousegallery.com) are sourced from around the world, and they’re tough enough to withstand extreme heat and humidity, says Laurie Dulin, the store’s general manager. Enjoy breakfast al fresco at a gorgeous kiln-dried teak round table ($1,198) or serve drinks on a beautifully knobby teak root cocktail table ($1,563). “Teak root is harvested from underground, so it can definitely go outside. The density of it makes it impervious to the elements and also to bugs, which makes it perfect for Florida,” says Dulin.

Add a splash of color to your porch, pool deck or garden with a piece of brightly colored Talavera pottery, also available at the store. The vibrant clay sculptures, which are hand-made in Mexico, come in a variety of whimsical animal shapes.

Working with a tight budget? Patio Casual Outdoor Furniture, 180 Race Track Road, Oldsmar (patiocasual.com), specializes in affordable coastal furniture made of recycled plastic, aluminum, synthetic wicker, and other durable UVprotected materials that won’t deteriorate in rain, heat or humidity. The sprawling 20,000 square-foot store is tucked inside the Oldsmar Flea Market and features everything from hammocks and Adirondack chairs to large sectionals and fire pits.

“Our low-overhead situation enables us to sell higher quality products at a lower customer cost,” says Anne Othen, who co-owns the store with her husband, Tom. Looking for a comfy outdoor book nook or just the perfect spot to snooze? Kick back on a lovely day chaise ($2,000) from Leaders Casual Furniture (leadersfurniture.com), a Florida-based retailer with locations in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. The chaise is made from all-weather synthetic resin wicker hand-woven over a rust-resistant aluminum frame and it features a gigantic canopy for shady relaxation. Both the canopy and cushions are covered with weather-resistant Sunbrella fabric guaranteed not to fade.

Choose your fabric’s color and design from dozens of options.

Also at the store: After soaking up the sun or splashing in the pool, rinse off right outside with a free-standing outdoor shower ($300). Also made of synthetic-resin wicker over aluminum, the streamlined shower comes in three colors and stands nearly 7-feet high to accommodate even your tallest friends and family members.

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

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Should You Get Salty?

Saltwater pools are becoming increasingly popular.

Here’s how they stack up against traditional chlorine pools

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent

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here’s nothing like jumping into a pool to beat the heat and humidity, and Floridians enjoy many more months of pool weather than most. So it makes sense that many Florida homeowners take the plunge and have an inground pool installed, despite the expense.

Although you won’t recoup the cost of putting in a pool when you sell your house, pools make homes sell much faster, says Tampa Bay real estate agent Rande Friedman. They’re a major purchase and commitment, so careful consideration about pool specifics is important.

One question homeowners need to tackle is whether to get a saltwater or chlorine pool. The first thing to know about the water in saltwater pools is that it’s not like the saltwater in the ocean. Saltwater pools are a lot less salty than ocean water and actually contain low levels of chlorine. A saltwater pool system uses a salt chlorine generator, which converts salt to chlorine via electrolysis to disinfect the water.

If you’re not sure which to choose, the good news is that the benefits of one don’t vastly outweigh the other. They both have pros and cons that boil down to personal preference – and whether you’d rather spend more money upfront. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide:

Chlorine pros: • Lower initial cost • Lower electricity costs • Won’t damage pool equipment as salt can (but can damage grass and decking)

Chlorine cons:

• More expensive to maintain $300 to $800 annually

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• Maintaining the proper Ph balance is essential, so water needs to be tested frequently.

• Requires big, heavy buckets of chlorine tablets every one to three weeks, and additional chemicals are also required maintenance. Chemicals must be stored carefully in dry, well-ventilated areas because they can be dangerous.

• Will need to shock the water more frequently than with saltwater pools.

• Chlorine can harm pool deck paint.

• Some research suggests that chlorine’s interaction with organic materials (such as skin cells and sweat) can create toxic chemical byproducts harmful to people’s health.

Salt pros:

• It’s easier on eyes, skin, hair and swimsuit fabrics.

• Much lower maintenance costs if wellmaintained about $100 a year on average.

• They stay cleaner longer.

• Salt doesn’t have to be stored as carefully as chlorine tablets, which pose health risks.

• Needs to be shocked less often, such as after a heavy rain or when algae starts to bloom.

Salt cons:

• High upfront cost for saltwater generator, which can be as high as an extra $2,500 over the cost of a chlorine system. The generator cells wear out more quickly in a warm climate such as Florida’s and need to be replaced every three to five years, which costs from $200 to $700.

• Can corrode pool lining, heaters, fixtures and lighting over time (making sure those elements are appropriate for saltwater pools when you put it in should help alleviate this problem.)

• Uses more electricity.

• The system is more complex, so you’ll likely need to hire a professional to fix minor issues.

• Maintenance requires dealing with heavy bags of salt.

• Saltwater spills on a deck or soil can cause damage.

Be Safe!

High-tech and low-fi ways to safeguard your home from burglars.

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent

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lorida has more than its share of home burglaries: Nearly 25,000 homes were burglarized in 2018, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. For most people, a burglary represents the loss of a significant chunk of change: More than $2,400 on average. To keep your family and home safe, consider what University of North Carolina at Charlotte researchers found when they surveyed more than 400 incarcerated burglars: Only 12 percent planned their burglaries in advance, and nearly half were a spur-of-the-moment decision. More than half – 60 percent – said that an alarm would persuade them to hit another house instead.

For better or worse, there are more home security options than ever before, with some companies promising to do the job with way less hassle, money and commitment than old-school hardwired security systems. But alarms aren’t your only safety option.

Burglars prefer the path of least resistance, which means making your house look like it’s not worth the trouble is key. And you don’t have to live in a fortress – or spend a fortune – to do that.

“Most homeowners don’t want to live in a compound,” says Will Caito, retired U.S. Army counterintelligence agent and an instructor at Sheepdog Response, a defense and threat assessment

training program based in Austin, Texas. “They want their homes to look inviting to guests, but uninviting to criminals.”

For help figuring out the best options for your home, here are some things to consider.

DIY wireless security

Systems such as Nest, LifeShield and Wink Lookout are easy-to-install wireless systems that use your Wi-Fi to provide video monitoring of your home. A good option to consider is SimpliSafe, an affordable system with a simple setup that offers professional monitoring for $15 a month, with no contract

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required. You can choose a simple package that includes smoke and fire protection as well as breakin monitoring, or pay a little more for a panic button or additional sensors. SimpliSafe also has a backup if your power goes out.

Here are more general pros and cons of DIY wireless home security systems.

Pros:

• Fast and easy to install • Relatively inexpensive to get started, and you can save on monthly monitoring fees by monitoring the system yourself

sold separately and you’ll pay monthly fees for each camera to use them.

• If you have a big house, one or two cameras are likely to be inadequate, requiring you to buy multiple cameras • If you don’t opt for professional monitoring and choose to do it yourself, you might miss a crime in progress. And if you do catch a criminal in the act, it’s up to you to call the police • Because these systems rely on Wi-Fi service, most won’t work if your service goes out.

• Could be prone to hacking, so ask the company for advice for securing your home network

• Cameras enable you to keep an eye on kids and pets

• Often expensive upfront costs, and monthly monitoring fees start at around $20 but can be as high as $50 or more a month • Many of these companies require a three-year contract and impose hefty early cancellation fees.

• Many are connected to landlines, which burglars often cut. (Some companies have backup overrides if this happens, so be sure to ask.)

• You can arm and disarm the alarm via an app on your phone, from anywhere

• If you’re alerted that your alarm was tripped but you can’t tell whether there’s an intruder orit was an accident, you could be fined if your alarm isn’t registered. Pinellas and Pasco counties require that home alarm systems be registered annually and will fine you more for a false alarm if your alarm wasn’t registered. Hillsborough has a form with which to register an alarm on its website, but it’s not required.

• You can build on the system over time, adding more cameras and sensors if you like

Ten Ultra-Cheap Ways to Make Your Home Safer

• More appropriate if you rent an apartment and aren’t allowed to cut into walls to hardwire a security system • Good for a small home where one or two cameras would do the trick

Whether or not you’re ready to choose a home security system, make sure you’ve got these safety bases covered:

• Many offer smart-home control features

Cons:

• Wireless options can end up being pretty pricey.

The Nest Secure Starter Pack, for example, is only a few hundred dollars, but cameras are

Professionally installed home security systems

Generally, companies such as ADT, Brinks, Frontpoint and Vivint offer professionally installed hardwired security systems and 24/7 monitoring. A good option: Newcomer Vivint Smart Home is pricey overall, but monthly monitoring fees are relatively inexpensive at $29 a month. And if you can pay for the (very expensive) equipment outright, you don’t have to sign a long-term contract. Vivint provides some of the best smart home tech, letting you control multiple locks, cameras, your thermostat and garage door from an app on your phone. It’s also much easier to uninstall Vivint equipment and take it with you if you move. Owners of larger homes with multiple entry points who are comfortable paying more for security might like Vivint.

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Don’t neglect garage doors, which many people do by leaving them open and the doors from the garage to the house unlocked during the day. Many burglars are brazen enough to walk right in, or worse, back in a van to leisurely fill with your valuables.

Install a peephole on your door, which allows you to check out anyone trying to gain entry while keeping you safe.

Outdoor cameras and lighting – especially motionsensor lights – can be enough to deter a burglar. Caito recommends motion sensors on the insides of the windows and adding protective shatter-resistant film to the glass.

Pros:

• The alarm equipment is professionally installed.

Leaving a porch light on while you’re out of town is inadequate: Thieves can see that there aren’t any lights on at home. Hire a house sitter or ask a friend to turn lights on and off for you as well as collect your mail so it doesn’t pile up in your box or in your door.

• Some companies have multiple monitoring stations so they can switch your surveillance to another station if yours experiences technical difficulties.

A “Beware of dog” sign is an oldie but a goodie to protect yourself from a burglary. Leaving a large dog bowl on your back deck also might persuade a potential intruder to not gamble that the dog is imaginary and skip your home.

• Most will contact authorities for you in the event of a break-in, giving you peace of mind when you’re away from home. |

Remember that plenty of burglaries happen in the middle of the afternoon, so keep doors and windows locked and alarms armed – even when you’re home. Three out of 10 home burglaries occur when someone is home, according to the US Department of Justice.

Don’t leave a house key under a doormat or in an obvious flowerpot by the door.

• Some companies, such as ADT, offer free whole-home risk assessment when you sign up.

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Cons:

Don’t assume that you’re safer after being hit once – burglars will often return after you’ve replaced the items they stole if you proved to be an easy target.

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