Alarm Systems Offer Sense of Security but No Guarantee
Many of my columns have been about people who have lost money on their homes. This column, however, is about how people may avoid losing money in their homes.
These days, it seems like we all know someone who has been the victim of a break-in. Many home and condo owners are trying, however, to limit their vulnerability to crime with a security system. There’s no guarantee that even the most sophisticated system is going to protect you, but many residents in the Valley and elsewhere seem to think that an alarm is a good way to boost their real property value and at the same time avoid personal property losses.
Getting educated about security systems means learning a new vocabulary. There are information panels, home management modules, computer chips and sound discriminators. If you want to get fancy, you’ll have to learn about infrared technology, long-range radio communications and menu-driven systems.
“The Valley is one of the most competitive areas for alarm companies,” said Bob Asire, general manager of the San Fernando Valley branch of Westec Security Inc. in Van Nuys. He estimates that 15-20% of homes in the Valley have some sort of alarm system. In parts of Encino and Sherman Oaks, he said, up to 60% of homes are protected by a security system.
“It becomes a way of life,” Asire observed. Once residents get accustomed to having a security system, they almost always want to continue having one. The recession has increased concerns about crime, he added, and many builders and home sellers use alarm systems as an added incentive to close a deal. All this helps explain why demand for alarms continues to grow, he said.
Despite newspaper and radio ads that tout complete alarm systems starting at about $99, Asire said a basic system will usually cost about $2,000 for a typical home. One of his customers spent $200,000 on a security system, but, Asire said, that’s pretty unusual.
Besides spending the money to install a system, it’s important to know what kind of service is being offered to back it up. So-called local alarms only set off a loud blast for the neighbors to hear.
Better systems are connected automatically by phone to a monitoring station that refers serious situations to the police. Residents can also pay for armed response and/or private patrol cars. About 80% of Westec’s alarms, Asire said, are tied into a community patrol.
“The average residential burglar is unsophisticated,” said Robert Michel, president of Valley Alarm Inc. in Van Nuys. “If an alarm goes off, they’ll usually run.” Residents who can’t afford an expensive system can get a basic system for $500. That will include a handful of perimeter units that set an alarm off when a door or window is opened. Residents have to pay extra for motion and audio detectors to recognize an intruder or breaking glass. Either way, “any system will definitely increase the value of a property,” he said. “It certainly makes a house more attractive to a potential buyer.”
The bottom line with any alarm system, of course, is whether it makes any difference. “There’s no way to document in any way that a security system actually deters the criminal element,” said Sgt. Bob Shallemberger, Van Nuys community relations officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. But “something is better than nothing,” he added. “Given a burglar’s opportunity to break into house A or house B, if A has an alarm, the burglar may go off to B’s house instead.”
Private patrols, Shallemberger said, are an effective way to deter criminals. Other less expensive precautions include leaving lights on timers, putting bars on the windows and setting your radio to a talk station so that it sounds like someone is home, he said.
Alarm systems are important to many home buyers but they rarely make or break a deal, said Carolyn Jones, branch sales manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Services in Northridge. “It’s never been brought up as an issue in my transactions.”
Still, the big home builder Kaufman and Broad Home Corp. now pre-wires about 50% of its homes for alarm systems, said Mark Beisswanger, president of the home builder’s Coastal Valleys division in Woodland Hills. “There’s a tremendous variety out there so we let the homeowner decide which system to install.”
Evolutions in technology may prompt K&B; to pre-wire fewer homes, however, Beisswanger said. Wireless systems are becoming increasingly popular, eliminating the need for in-the-wall wires.
Security systems are also becoming easier to use, with alphanumeric displays and easy-to-read menus that take some of the old guesswork out of setting your alarm.
In case your phone lines are cut, some systems feature long-range radio communications that automatically call a private monitoring station or police station. And, home management modules allow residents to program their alarm system and even the lights in their home.
Some systems also let residents call their alarm by phone and enter an access code to check on the alarm system or turn on a light with the push of a phone button. Residents with money to spare may also want to consider video and audio intercom systems. This can get expensive, however, because outdoor cameras may need a heated enclosure with a fan. Plan to spend up to $5,000 per camera if you want it to scan.
Buyers who want an alarm either have one installed or they sometimes can remove the essential parts of the alarm system in their old home and move it to their new one, Jones said.
About 100 alarm companies belong to the Los Angeles Burglar and Fire Alarm Assn., said Vince Nigro, first vice president. Residents considering an alarm system can call the association for a list of companies and to find out whether any complaints have been lodged with the association.
For residents who want to really get educated, Nigro also teaches an 18-week class on security systems at the West Valley Occupational Center in Woodland Hills.
