In recent years, many California residents have been moving away from the state's urban areas and into communities with much smaller populations. Primarily, people have been motivated to move out of their fear of crime. It's commonly believed that California's cities aren't very safe, and that home security is much better in many of the state's smaller towns. In reality, however, crime occurs all over the state, and crimes can be worse in smaller places that are more remote and less populated. So residents of the state really need to think things through and protect themselves before it's too late. By following these five easy home security tips, California residents can feel confident that they are safe, no matter where they may live in the state.

5. Keep your doors and windows locked at all times. Often, people think its okay to leave their doors and windows unlocked, or even open, if they're at home. Many thieves won't bother trying to rob you if you are at home, but your presence at home won't stop the ones who aren't as fearful of getting caught or having a violent encounter. Keep the entrances to your home locked at all times to really protect yourself and make it challenging for anyone to break in.

4. Keep your important information locked up. Criminals who break into houses are usually just looking to steal big screen TVs and other expensive items, and fortunately, all of those items can be replaced. Yet, some criminals break into houses just to steal vital information, which they can later use to get even more money from you. Make sure you don't leave information about your credit cards, bank accounts or social security numbers in a place where criminals could find it.

3. Keep your property fully protected with a home security system. These electronic systems can monitor every area on your property in order to provide you with eyes and ears when you aren't around. Best of all, home alarms quickly relay important information to private security professionals so they can respond rapidly in order to protect you and your property.

2. Keep your really valuable items in a safe or a safety deposit box. If you have very expensive (but small) items on your property, then it's always best to store them in places with the maximum security available. On your own property, you can store those items in a fire-proof safe, but the most secure way to store them is in a safety deposit box at a bank.

1. Keep your risks low with insurance. Even though you can take several home security steps to improve your safety, you still can't guarantee that you and all of your belongings will be safe. In order to make sure you don't lose much money in case anything should happen, it's always important to have insurance. You can protect yourself best by purchase insurance for several things (your house, your car, your life, etc.) to cover all of your bases.