'Safe at home' becoming a popular design addition
Amid shaky banking environment, more Americans may be stashing their valuables at home — sometimes, under their pillows.
Keeping something important under your pillow hasn't always been a practical move — sleeping with a DeMarini bat, for instance, won't necessarily improve your softball swing, thanks to the chronic neck pain you'll acquire.
But what about keeping everything important under your pillow?
Smart Money shares the story of a homeowner who purchased Hollandia International's "safe-in-a-bed," a $400 add-on that nestles two safe-deposit boxes in a bed's base, under the mattress and just below where sleepers rest their heads. According to author Charles Passy, it's part of a trend toward keeping valuables at home, as opposed to in banks or offsite vaults. And manufacturers are noticing.
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Home-safe makers and retailers are reporting a 40% increase in sales in recent years. What's considered a "safe" also has evolved: In addition to the small combination boxes you'll find in a hotel closet, manufacturers also now designing full-closet safes. And full-room vaults. And the kinds of freestanding structures that inspire television shows such as "Doomsday Preppers."
Part of the reason for the movement is the distrust in banks that has persisted since the housing crash last decade. Another is simply taste, especially among the luxury set. From the article:
"When somebody is building a $100,000 custom closet, they don't want a safe that looks like it belongs in the back of a delicatessen," says Robert Tompkin, president of Prestige Safe, a high-end New York manufacturer.
These companies aren't the only ones taking note of Americans' protection cravings. Telecom providers such as Comcast and Verizon have joined the mix by offering home-security services, MSN Money reports.
Where might home safes be catching on the most? Probably not in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, which comprise the top three cities in the Institute for Economics and Peace's recently released Peace Index. The bottom three states in the analysis of crime and protection were Louisiana, Tennessee and Nevada.
— Tony Stasiek is a producer/editor at MSN Real Estate.
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It's just nice to know that your stuff is secure should something happen while you're away... I and everyone I know has been ripped off, so aside from just wanting a safe, it's kinda necessary too. Don't just think about stuff like guns and jewelry, but the irreplaceable stuff including papers, pictures, videos, backup computer data, etc.... One fire or attempted theft and the safe not only pays for itself, but there's no price or insurance payoff for family pictures and heirlooms.
Bank safe deposit boxes are the most secure. Home Safes are VERY convenient. One is not better than the other, you could have both if you need them.
The worst drawback to a home safe is you could be killed over the contents. A burglar will torture you or your family to open the safe. If you have a Safe and a pro burglar learns this, he can rob and kill you over it. No Safe is foolproof. A Bank vault has very expensive security equipment guarding it. And you won't be tortured over it.
But consider this too: a smart thief can torture and kill you (or your wife) for your Debit card. They don't want you alive after they take it because they know you will both stop it at the bank and call the cops.
Keep your home Safe hidden from view. Make sure all family members are able to open it for a thief. Here's the best instruction of all: carry a loaded gun in a holster or your pocket at all times (always oppose the Govt's antigun/weapon laws). If an Intruder does come for your safe, you will at least be armed. For those who think then to not have a home Safe, they can come for any of your valuables, especially your cash and your debit card.
What wasn't stated is that the safe craze is generated by people rightfully fearing burglaries in a society whose members are becoming destitute and desperate--a sign that the economy is not rebounding.
If the banks have anything to do with it, it's likely the draconian measures soon to be implemented with regard to safety deposit boxes, which the banks will now poke their noses in on a regular basis because you might be a drug runner or terrorist. One of the items to prohibited: money.
About Teresa Mears
Teresa Mears is a veteran journalist who has been interested in houses since her father took her to tax auctions to carry the cash at age 10. A former editor of The Miami Herald's Home & Design section, she lives in South Florida where, in addition to writing about real estate, she publishes Miami on the Cheap to help her neighbors adjust to the loss of 60% of their property value.
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