Precious Metals Storage At Home

The first part of home storage is just basic home security.  Your home does not have to be a fortress but it needs to have better security than the other homes in your neighborhood so that criminals just pick another one.  The obvious ones are: 

1. Lock your doors and windows at all times.

(Sounds simple but you would be amazed how many burglars just walk right in.)

1. Motion detection activated outdoor lights
2. Good deadbolt locks
3. Thorn bushes under exterior windows
4. No ladders or tools stored outdoors
5. Typical security system with offsite monitoring
6. Tactical shotgun – entire books can be written about proper gun selection and best type of rounds to use.
7. Cameras – technology now allows cameras that call your phone if motion is detected while you are away.
8.  A dog that barks.

Now that these obvious items are out of the way we can move on to a few specifics.  Short of a new home with fortress architectural details built into the home there are several things that you can do to harden your existing home to avoid being targeted by criminals.

1. HARDEN THE DOOR - The doors are the usual ways to gain access into a home so make it difficult.  The average exterior door can be kicked in fairly easily.  Just ask your local fireman how easy it is to do so and it will amaze you.  A good deadbolt with a long throw into the casing is a start.   Heavy combination door strikes for both the deadbolt and the door knob bolt about 18” long that allow for 6” long screws into the door framing members will greatly harden the door.  Add a door & lock reinforcer that is a metal plate that wraps around the door under the lock and knob mechanism and it is even better.  I also like the Defender Security U 10827 door reinforcement lock installed with 6” long screws.  If mounted a little high it is an excellent childproof lock for the exterior door as well.  Of course don’t forget to add 6” long screws for your hinges into the doorframe as well.  If you really want to feel vulnerable search for bump key videos on you tube and you can see just how easy it is to defeat a regular door lock.  A second   deadbolt without an outside key as well as the Defender Security U 10827 will secure the door, however, you will not be able to access it from the outside yourself.  You can however, lock all the outside doors from inside and just leave one to re-enter with a key.  If you have a panic room or interior room that you can retreat to in the event of a home invasion consider a simple Dooricade Door Bar installed with 6” long screws into the door frame.  Retreating into a back room with Dooricade and a prepositioned weapon with your cell phone waiting for 911 to arrive might be the best strategy during a home invasion especially if there are children present.                 Most of the items discussed above and shown below can be purchased at your local hardware store or ordered on Amazon and installed with simple tools over a weekend. 

1. WINDOW HARDENIN\ - There are a few things you can do to a window to harden it as well.  Motorized security shutters are not nearly as expensive as they once were.  They are available for exterior as well as the interior applications.  I prefer the interior as they are less visible from the outside and will be less likely to call attention to your home.  There is also window security film that you can install over the window glass. This makes your home window glass a little like car safety glass that makes it much harder to break out the window glass and gain entry.  Lastly you can simply close your drapes or blinds.  Allowing someone to look into your home lets them know what and who is inside.         

1. SAFES - Assuming you have taken reasonable precautions to protect the perimeter consider a safe inside your home.  My son has written an article on buying a safe that explains the different ratings on safes and how they are determined.  (Drop me an email and I will be happy to send you a copy.)  Most safes purchased at big box stores are junk and will not slow down a real thief for very long.  Buy a good safe rated TL-15 or better even if you have to buy a used one.  Most safes are rated based on the time to get inside by a professional with intimate knowledge of how the safe is constructed and with a full range of tools under ideal conditions.  Hiding the safe makes that time a little longer since they have to search to find it to begin the task of getting it open.  Usually a thief is trying to get in and out quickly – especially if you have a security system and the time to get away is critical.  After you purchase your safe you can consider the hiding place.  If small enough an upright freezer with a cheap door lock will be a good place.  Simply cut out the bottom of the freezer so the safe sits directly on the floor (always bolt the safe to the floor from the inside) and lock the freezer door.  They will have to pry open the freezer door just to take a look and see if there is something inside.  A small hall or other closet can be a good place for a larger safe.  You can either install a good deadbolt to the closet door to slow them down or disguise the entry with a Murphy door bookcase that will appear to be a built in bookcase but will open like a door with a hidden latch.  There are many other ways to hide your  safe;  just be a little creative.  They have to find it to open it.

1. SECRECY  - The best security is never let anyone know you have something worth taking.  Be careful who you share your asset information with such as insurance agents.  If you are not going to insure it then do not mention it.  Don’t open your safe in front of children that may tell others.  The fewer people that know about your valuables and your hiding place the better.  Believe me, some people just cannot wait to tell others all about you.

Many banks now do not allow you to keep gold, silver or cash in a safe deposit box.  I have always recommended against it for many reasons.  The first one is everything is stored at your own risk and the bank assumes no liability for your items.  The second is the bank can be closed for many different reasons locking you out of their vault.  Finally the IRS or the courts can seal your box and prevent you from entering it. 

I always recommend storing a small amount of emergency valuables at home. However, when you become uncomfortable storing over a certain amount, there are other options.  Just give us a call and we will be happy to talk with you about them.

Semper paratus

Larry LaBorde

Larry LaBorde sells precious metals through Silver Trading Company LLC. Since 2001, Silver Trading Company has offered high volume sales of gold, silver, platinum and palladium to serious investors around the world. It also offers guidance about storage options for metals. Please visit Silver Trading Company’s website at www.SilverTrading.net.