You're thinking of getting a home alarm system. You've looked at various companies and compared the systems and the different kind of monitoring. You're close to making your decision, but one question needs to be answered: is it better to own or lease your home alarm system?
Some home alarm companies will sell you an alarm system while others lease you a system. Both have their advantages, however, you need to truly see the big picture to make a wise decision.
Leasing:
Companies like AlarmForce will lease a home alarm system to you once you sign up for their service. This zero down leasing concept is nice upfront as it doesn't require the homeowner to put any money down. They do require you though to sign a multi-year contract. With the lease, the company will cover some service, depending on what it is. Sometimes, however, you will still have to pay for the service call. The negatives to leasing are the already mentioned contract (which is a big negative as you're stuck with the company even if you're unhappy with their service) and the fact that once the contract is over, you are left with nothing if you were to go to another company. With a lease, you're paying for something someone else owns, so at the end of the day, you will be left with no ownership and no system.
Ownership:
Some home alarm companies like Simplisafe or Ackerman will sell you a home alarm system. The positives are that you have actual ownership of your alarm system and that you can switch to other monitoring companies if you aren't happy with your service (if you haven't signed an alarm contract). A homeowner needs to understand that not all alarm systems are created equal. Some systems can cost $199 while others can go into the thousands of dollars. Beyond that different systems have different features and monitoring capabilities. Ownership provides the customer with options and an asset - pending they don't spend too much money for their system upfront.
At Think Protection we believe that the customer gets the best value by owning their alarm system. A lease may seem like a good idea upfront, however, over the course of your contract you'll end up spending thousands of dollars and will be left with nothing at the end. A high value, low-cost alarm system will require you to spend some money upfront, however, in most cases, you'll be able to pay less for monitoring and will have the asset of ownership. You can also avoid signing a long-term contract and if you're unhappy with your service you can go elsewhere.
Never lease when you can buy a feature-rich home alarm system at a low cost.
