If you keep something expensive at home-a gun collection, some heirloom jewelry, valuable coins or even cash-you need to make sure you're protecting your valuables adequately. Unfortunately, many people don't. Invariably, those people think they were quite savvy about home security. Here's what they did wrong-and how to fix it.

Leave valuables in plain view. Believe it or not, many people do this. Do yourself a favor: open your blinds, walk outside, and look in your windows from the street. What do you see? If you can see a television, stereo equipment, or anything else that looks like it might be worth some money on the black market, you're practically hanging up a sign on the front of your house: "Hey, burglars! Come rob me!" Don't advertise: rearrange your furniture so your valuables can't be seen from the windows.

Buy a safe-and then don't protect it. Safes are key in protecting your precious things. As a smart homeowner, you've gone and bought yourself a big, beautiful safe with no exposed seams or hinges, thick steel all the way 'round (not just at the door), a lock house protected by a layer of ball bearings between steel plates, and an alarm that goes off when the safe is tampered with. And then a gang of burglars comes and carries it off to their top-secret warehouse, where they can break into it at their leisure.

The bottom line? No safe can protect your valuables indefinitely; given enough time, any burglar can crack even the toughest brand. So make sure your safe is safe. Bolt it to the floor-preferably a cement floor. And don't skimp on other aspects of home security once you have your safe.

Don't install a home alarm. Many people think that once they've dropped a lot of money on a top-of-the-line safe, they don't have to worry about other aspects of home security. Don't make that mistake. An in-house burglar alarm is a necessity to protect your home and valuables. Look for one that includes distance monitoring, and that will alert the authorities if there's a breach in your security.

Don't bother to check installers' credentials. If you hire someone to install a security alarm, that person now knows your home's strengths and weaknesses. You need to be sure that person is reputable. Luckily, in Britain, there's the Security Industry Authority-a government branch that licenses installers working for private security firms. The licensing process includes a criminal background check and training requirements. Hire only a licensed professional to install your security system-you can't afford not to.

Put your valuables in a false bottle of juice or cleaner instead of a safe. Clever little safes that look like household items can be tempting-they're cheap, cute, and seem like they'd work well. The best hiding place is in plain sight, right? Wrong. Those might fool a few teenagers looking for drug money, but they won't fool the professionals. They'll tear a house to pieces, including cleaning supplies, looking for items hidden in household goods.

Let your house look empty when you're away. Professional burglars case neighborhoods to find the best house to rob-not necessarily the biggest or most expensive-looking, but the one that's easiest. They'll watch a house for days before going in. If you go away on vacation, you can't afford to let on. Fool the burglars by installing timer-activated lights programmed to go on and off throughout the day. Televisions and radios can also be fitted with timers so they switch on and off intermittently. Hire someone trustworthy to cut your grass and collect circulars off your stoop, and have the post office hold your mail-wouldn't do to have it collecting in your mailbox.

Leave your house vulnerable. Make sure your doors and doorframes are solid, strong, and in good repair-and that you have and regularly use a deadbolt on all your doors. If your door has a window in it, it's an invitation for burglars to simply break the glass, reach inside, and unlock your deadbolt-so you may want to change your door. Make sure your windows are strong, with good locks, as well-with your security system's logo in plain view. This way, burglars will think twice about taking a hammer to your windows if they think an alarm will go off the moment they do.

Home security is more than the right safe, more than motion-activated lights, and more than strong doors and windows. It's a combination of all of these things and more. It takes time, effort and investment to keep your home as safe as it can be, but if it deters a burglary, it's worth it.