Storing valuables at home comes with one essential advantage — you’re able to access your assets quickly and easily without depending on third parties. That fact can prove to be crucial in an emergency, and storing your valuables at home also offers a nice degree of convenience.   

At the same time, the choice to keep your valuables at home poses unique risks. Burglary likely comes to mind immediately. The risk that “unauthorized” members of your household, like children, run off with your stuff is another. Some valuables may also be damaged in acts of nature or accidents like house fires.  

What factors should you consider when deciding on a new home safe? This guide offers some pointers, keeping in mind that most readers are actively investing in gold and other precious metals.   

How to Choose a Quality Home Safe  

It’s not hard to find articles that tell you what home safes are supposedly the best choice for you and your valuables online. Most are powered by affiliate links, and many fail to recommend actually decent safes.   

We won’t be going that route because buying a home safe is an extremely personal process. There is no “best” home safe. It depends on what you’re storing, why (who or what you’re protecting it from), and how often you plan to access it.   

We can, however, give you some useful pointers.   

Some of the most reputable brands in the home safe space include:  

Liberty Safe — not just the top gun safe manufacturer in the US, but also an excellent choice for home safes to store your gold and other precious metals.  

Fort Knox sells heavy-duty home safes in various sizes and also produces vault doors. 

Gardall manufactures premium-quality home safes in a range of sizes.  

AMSEC (American Security Products) safes have been around since 1946 and make high-quality home safes, including those suitable for storing gold and precious metals.  

You can also look for third-party quality certifications:  

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Ratings quality-test a range of products. When testing safes, UL looks at how burglar and fire-proof they are.  

Safes certified by the European Security Systems Association (ESSA) are especially burglar-proof.  

What to Consider Before Buying a Home Safe  

Are you planning to store gold and other precious metals in your home safe, whether in the form of bars or coins?   

Looking for home safes specially designed for this purpose can be a bonus. Some safes have compartments allowing you to separate different types of metals, for example. They may also be equipped with an anti-tarnish lining that keeps your precious metals in excellent shape.   

Fire-proof safes can be important, too, especially when storing gold. Due to gold’s relatively low melting point, your gold bars and coins may potentially be damaged in a house fire. Fire-proof safes can help to keep your gold in one piece.   

Location, Location, Location  

Choosing a high-quality safe is essential, but so is deciding where to install your home safe. Remember — many burglars are just as good at their job as you are at yours. They know exactly where to look and have strategies in place for moving a safe quickly.   

Premium safe manufacturers can work with you to create custom concealment options. The old “behind a painting” trope won’t work anymore. Consider odd locations, like the space behind your fridge, or explore the option of having your home safe bolted to the basement floor. This makes it hard to move, especially when it’s filled with gold bullion.   

Finally, implement additional security measures like alarm systems, video surveillance, and good OpSec that limits who can access your home.   

Investing in gold and precious metals only pays off if you can hold onto your valuables, and choosing the best home safe for your needs is a crucial part of that. Take your time, do your research, and consider your new safe another long-term investment crucial to your financial future.