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If you will only be sharing your house with responsible adults, a revolver is great. Once you load it, all you do is point it and pull the trigger. .44 special would be a great round, low recoil, plenty of stopping power. Try it, if it is too much go to a .38 special. Smith&Wesson or Ruger. If you share a house with small children, a good name brand semi-auto without a round in the chamber is pretty safe and fast to bring into action.
With no round in the chamber, the fact that small children can't rack the slide means the gun is effectively unloaded as far as they are concerned. Check the effort required to rack the slide to make sure you can do it and small children can't (they might surprise you.)

VERY good points. Ruger SP101 and SW99 .40S&W would be my recommendations.