By installing and maintaining a security system in your home, you may be able to reduce your homeowners insurance and protect your home from two major threats: break-ins and fire. But, if you are unhappy with the cost of service from your current home security provider or are simply looking for a new security system, perhaps you should consider the services of a local home security systems company. Through good management practices and expense control, most local home security systems offer better value than the national chains. Plus, most small businesses have the philosophy that it is better to earn a little from a client for 10 years than it is to earn a lot from a client for only a few years which makes for excellent customer service. Its up to them to earn your trust each and every day. If you are worried about your existing system, local home security systems have monitoring specialists that can reprogram and test almost any system in less than one hour. However, there are some older systems and proprietary systems that may require minor equipment upgrades. Another advantage to using local home security systems is that their monitoring can frequently be provided month-to-month, which means you are not indentured to a long-term contract like those offered through national chains.