Archive for the ‘Home Insurance’ Category

Review Your Home Insurance to Prepare for the Winter Months

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

As the weather changes, your house may get damaged. Especially during winter, you should keep your property in top condition and make sure that your home insurance will be able to cover any damages done by the weather. Here are ten tips to keep your property in good condition during the winter:

  1. Do a review of your home insurance policy. Make sure that your home insurance covers your whole property, as well as new items that added to your house.
  2. Place valuable items upstairs. This is to protect them from possible floods.
  3. Unplug electrical appliances. In case of harsh weather that may cause flooding, you should unplug all electrical items and place them as high as possible. You should also turn off the main switches to cut off electrical flow in the house.
  4. Make sure that all items are secured and will not be washed away during the flood.
  5. Keep your house clean and well-maintained. Make sure that no drainages are clogged, and gutters are cleared of blockages such as leaves and other clutter.
  6. Equip your house with flood defenses. These include sandbags and other devices designed to keep flood from entering your house.
  7. Have an emergency kit ready. In the event that a flood comes, it is important that you have all the items you need to give first aid to anyone who can get wounded.
  8. Have an inventory. Whether you keep a list, photos, or a video of your property, it is important to keep secure files that serve as proof of your material possessions. You need this when you will file a claim for your home insurance.
  9. Keep your home insurance files in a secure place. Keep a hard copy and a digital file of your home insurance documents. You’ll never know when you’re going to need them. Also, keep your home insurance agent’s contact number so that you can reach the easily in case of emergency.
  10. Look at other home insurance sellers. You can find home insurance companies that offer better coverage for weather-related damages to your home and the items inside it.

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Always Keep Your Home Insurance

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

If you think that cutting back on insurance would save you lots of money, think again. At this time when the economy is very dangerous, you should exert all your efforts in making sure that your home is protected. Keep your home insurance at whatever season it is in your life. In the same way that you should keep a health insurance even when you are healthy, so should you keep your home insurance even if you think your house is stable and your finances are okay.

This is a season when everyone seems to be frugal. There should be a line drawn to it. Now, more and more Americans are saving up by collecting coupons, looking for freebies, and figuring out a lot of ways to save money.

Though it is true that when you cut back on your home insurance you would surely get instant savings, the consequence might be grave, if your house is underinsured, you would have a lot of trouble should it be damaged or when you lose money to pay for your home mortgage. it would also make your family in danger.

According to Mark Gibson, State Farm Insurance Cos’ assistant vice president of advertising, the economy is now causing a lot of people to reevaluate their finances and making sure that they are able to maximize their money.

This also hurts the insurance companies, as they see a lot of their policy holders letting go of their home insurance. People are also looking for home insurance policies that would save them a lot of money. Companies respond to this by offering a lot of new savings and other perks for their home insurance policies. The battle remains to be dependent on who could give the best coverage at the best rate.

Companies are now giving away discounts and throwing a lot of freebies and perks to home insurance. However, homeowners should be careful in getting these. They should evaluate properly and make sure that they know the actual price of their home insurance.
There are a lot of home insurance companies that do false advertising.

President Barack Obama has been continuously executing programs to help homeowners who are in trouble, and other Americans to help them live a better life amid the economic recession.

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House Insurance Prices Expected to Increase

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

After the Florida Legislature passed laws that allow insurance companies to increase their rates up to a maximum of 10 percent, it is now expected that the rates of house insurance policies would indeed go up. This move aims to decrease the risks for citizens in Florida to suffer so much in case a hurricane destroys their state.

However, this bill that was recently passed is actually on the other side and very much far from the laws passed in the last two years. Those bills were in fact aimed at holding insurance companies accountable, and to lower their premiums after the increased rates following hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

As we all expect the raise in insurance costs, it is best to prepare for its coming. Here are important information you have to know and be aware of for you to be able to prepare well:

  • Citizens Property Insurance holders in South Florida can expect their house insurance premiums to increase by around 10 percent per year, until their premiums are considered to be financially sound.
  • For one to be financially sound, premiums should increase from around 15 to 85 percent, depending on the community.
  • Other policy holders of different house insurance policies in the area can also expect their premiums to increase by around 10 percent every year. This is because the bill would actually permit increased rates in accordance to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
  • Policy holders can be charged for about 45 percent of their premiums for them to be able to offset costs. However, this is unlikely to happen and is set to a worst-case scenario. If in case that is not enough, property and auto insurance policy holders who are not with Citizens would be charged for about 18 percent of their house insurance premiums.
  • If in case there is a major catastrophe, policy holders can be charged for around 10 percent each year.
  • Emergency fees after a hurricane are not taxable, and are also not subject to commissions or profitable factors.

With this set of information, you should be able to determine well if you want to shift your house insurance policies. It is best to do this now since the season of hurricanes is fast approaching the state already. Also, it is best to exert your own efforts in protecting your house. Conduct necessary repairs and other construction jobs to strengthen your house.

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House Insurance Reform in Texas Still Pending

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

House insurance in Texas is the most expensive one there is. Homeowners have long been waiting for reform, but it seems that they have to wait for two more years before they are able to get lower rates. A partisan conflict came up in the House about voter ID regulation that is GOP-backed. After this, [...]

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Home Insurance: What to Consider

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Some people do not have an idea of the coverage of their home insurance policy. A lot of homeowners buy on impulse, missing out on a lot of necessary information. Some even end up paying more than what they signed up for, because of additional costs also known as riders. A homeowner should be able [...]

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Home Insurance: Being Wise Pays

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Home insurance is a necessity. In other words, every homeowner needs this. A lot of mortgage and lending companies do not approve loans until the applicant shows proof of a home insurance. As a homeowner though, how do you make sure that you are getting the best out of your home insurance? Here are tips [...]

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House Insurance Myths

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

When it comes to house insurance, you have to be sure of all the information you get. Without the proper information, you might end up getting the wrong insurance policy. Worse, you might not get proper coverage. There are a lot of house insurance myths and misconceptions among all of us. These myths can cost [...]

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Agents Preferred Over Online Home Insurance Access

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Three fourths of American consumers would still go to a home insurance agent than get it online. However, in the younger age brackets, they prefer getting theirs online, because of its ease and convenience. Moreover, younger people are more accustomed to using the Internet, then the older ones. These are the results of a recent [...]

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Get a Good House Insurance

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Your house insurance can help you a great deal in case something happens to your home. However, a lot of times it turns out the other way. How do you make sure that you are really insured? Here are ways for you to defend yourself and get what your house deserves: Coverage appraisal. Make sure [...]

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Why Your Home Insurance Should Cover Earthquake Damage

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Many Americans do not have earthquake coverage in their home insurance policies. Even in the state of California where an earthquake in 1994 killed 57 persons and destroyed property and infrastructure worth $20 billion, only around 12 percent of all homeowners have earthquake coverage, according to data from the California Earthquake Authority. Some homeowners also [...]

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