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Keeping Your Home Insurance-Friendly Through Fall

Posted on October 31, 2016October 24, 2016 by agentinsure

Some people are lucky enough to live in climates where the weather stays mild all year long. If you live in a more turbulent environment, then you know all about the damage that weather can do to your home if you don’t take the right precautions. If you’ve gone through InsureUS and gotten a great policy, then you can rest assured that you’ll be covered should something happen. But, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. You don’t want to stay in a hotel while repairs are done on your home, so here are a few things you’ll want to do to keep your home safe through the Fall:

Trim any stray tree branches that may do some serious damage to your home
Install the storm windows
Winterize your pipes with heating tape or insulation
Get your firewood supply up if you use a stove or a fireplace
Check your propane levels if you use gas for heating or cooking
Inspect your home for drafts and leaks and patch up accordingly
Check your siding and make sure that it’s in good, stable condition
Have your furnace inspected by an HVAC professional, you generally want to get a tune-up once a year, and Fall is a critical time
Clean your humidifiers with a little white vinegar if it gets dry in the Fall where you live
Prepare your outdoors: Close the pool, rake the leaves, put the Summer furniture away, etc.

You may or may not need to check off every item on this list, it depends on what the Fall is like in your area. But few climates demand no preparation for Fall whatsoever.

Tenants Insurance

Posted on May 3, 2016April 16, 2016 by Victor Varma

By Tom Lum

Protection of your assets and the risks of third-party liability should be a primary concern to all renters simply because accidents do happen and we seldom have visibility to them until after the fact. An unwatched pot or overflowing bathtub can cause a great deal of damage to your unit and contents. Tenants insurance covers your contents against losses caused by fire, smoke damage, water damage, vandalism, theft, and many additional perils.

What is the specific protection that tenants insurance can provide?

Contents – Protection for contents in the policyholder’s unit and other personal belongings worn or used by the resident on- and off-premises. If you were able to turn your unit upside down and shake it, whatever falls would generally be considered “contents” whereas whatever doesn’t is part of the building and is not covered. Contents can include, but are not limited to furniture, clothes, televisions, bedding, and dishes. Some restrictions may of course apply.

Personal Liability – If a resident is found to be responsible for causing damage to the building or another person’s property (for example, if a resident accidentally started a fire in their room) or caused bodily injury to another person on the premises, coverage under the policy will respond up to the insured limit to pay legal expenses and compensatory damages subject to the Policy Terms, Conditions, and Exclusions of the policy.

Additional Living Expenses – If as a consequence of an insured loss the tenant’s unit is unfit for occupancy or a resident has to move out their unit while repairs are being made, coverage under the policy will pay the increased expenses up to insured limit incurred by the resident to obtain temporary housing subject to the Terms, Conditions, and Exclusions of the policy. If a resident has to move to a hotel for a few days while their unit is being repaired, these additional costs and increased food costs for restaurant meals may be covered under the Policy subject to the Policy Terms, Conditions, and Exclusions of the policy.

Other Coverages – Additional coverages may be available for earthquake, jewelry, and fine arts. Please check with your insurance broker as required.
Coverages may be subject to a deductible. Please check with your insurance broker for policy specifics.

Additional Benefits

Some tenants insurance policies offer access to value-added services, direct from the insurer, as an additional benefit of the coverage. Novex Insurance Company, for example, offers Novex Assistance – a program designed to provide tenants with services including:

An unlimited legal information telephone help line for advice about property, landlord/tenant relations, employment, contracts, social benefits, licences and permits, inheritances, and family law.
Home care services including housekeeping when property is damaged; babysitting for sick children or grandchildren; babysitting in case of hospitalization; homemaking on return from hospitalization; and visiting nurse.

Please note that home care services are subject to certain limits and conditions. Please ask for details.

Tenants Insurance Programs

Tenants insurance programs exist for a number of different types of tenants that may offer tailored coverage and pre-negotiated preferred rates for insurance. These preferred rates may offer cost savings over retail market tenants insurance offerings.

Building Tenants Insurance Programs – For the benefit of tenants living in certain buildings.

Seniors Tenants Insurance Programs – For the benefit of senior tenants living in certain retirement homes. May specifically include coverages for hearing aids, wheelchairs, or scooters.

University/College Tenants Insurance Programs – For the benefit of their students while living in residence at certain colleges or universities.
In most cases, tenants insurance programs may be supplied without cost to the building owner, retirement home owner, or college/university. Improved property and general liability loss experience may result for the building owners due to the insurer’s ability to subrogate. This may in turn lead to lower commercial insurance rates in future.

Conclusion

Protecting your contents and yourself against liability risk is a prudent step to take regardless of whether you own your home or not. Tenants insurance is a risk coverage often overlooked by renters that can, in many cases, provide significant risk protection at reasonable rates. Ask your insurance broker about the benefits of tenants insurance and learn how little it can cost to cover your belongings and third-party liability risk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tom_Lum/2011352

Ways To Make Moving Less Stressful

Posted on May 2, 2016May 1, 2016 by agentinsure

Finding a new home to live in is very exciting. However, the actual act of moving is not something that anyone looks forward to. The actual moving process can be very stressful if it is not planned and executed well. To assist in the moving process, we have gathered some tips that will make it easier both while packing and while you are unpacking. To explore your options for homeowner’s insurance, be sure to contact us at InsureUS.

Coordinate packing by room and color code your boxes. A big mistake that many people make is that they fail to pack by room. If you pack by room and you take the time to color coordinate your boxes as you go, then the unpacking process is so much easier. You can move all of the boxes by color into their corresponding room while you are moving and then unpacking is easy because the boxes you need for that room are already in there. You will not have to spend any time searching for a box in the pile.
Keep an inventory. Another great thing to do is keep an inventory of items as you pack them and mark where you have them packed. This is helpful because if you need to find something fast, you can refer to your inventory sheet and find it in no time at all. It is also a great idea to label your boxes in this process.
Pack a first night bag. Chances are that you will not want to unpack your home on the same day that you move. You will still need some basic items on the first night so make it easier on everyone and pack a first night bag with all items you need. That way you can get some much needed rest before tackling all of those boxes.

Renovations that can add value to a home … and those that can reduce it

Posted on April 1, 2016March 31, 2016 by Victor Varma

Whether you’re thinking of selling your home or just want to improve its comfort value, there are inexpensive steps you can take to achieve either goal.
They include adding ceiling fans; updating appliances to attractive, energy-saving units, applying a fresh coat of paint and replacing old-style light fixtures.
Here are some renovations that will decrease the value of your home, according to Scott McGillivray, author of How to Add Value to Your Home.
* Breaking down the wall between two small bedrooms to create a master suite. Buyers prefer three-bedrooms.
* Converting an attached garage to living space. Sounds like a good idea, but many buyers won’t even look at a home that doesn’t have a garage.
* Adding artistic touches to the home, like large wall paintings. They can be painted over, but most buyers prefer uncluttered walls, a blank space for them to fill in, not an example of the previous owner’s tastes.
* Painting walls dark colors tends to make home buyers think the rooms are small and unwelcoming. Light-colored walls make the rooms feel larger and friendlier, which is what home buyers want, even if they will paint the walls themselves.
* Doing it yourself: Quoted in Bottom Line Personal, McGillivray says that unless you are a professional remodeler, skip do-it-yourself updates. When buyers, and the home inspectors they hire, see such work, they wonder what else you have done, such as working on the electricity and plumbing. Buyers are more confident when they feel a home has been professionally maintained.
* Adding a chain-link fence in the front yard looks cheap and unwelcoming. And it give buyers a low first impression of the property.

Plumbing Issues: Will Home Insurance Pay?

Posted on November 2, 2015May 26, 2015 by agentinsure

Bellaire, Texas is a growing city that offers a number of sites and events. It has seen its share of BBQ competitions and music festivals. With a population of more than 17,000 people, it is part of the Houston-Sugar Land metropolitan area. Due to its location, there are many job opportunities within the city as well as with a short commute.

When you buy a home insurance policy in Texas, you want to look at whether plumbing issues are covered. This requires reading some of the fine print to determine what events will count and what ones will not.

Some of the issues you may deal with in regards to your plumbing include:

– Broken pipes

– Clogged drains

– Broken toilets

– Broken water main

– Sewer replacements

Whatever it is that is going on, you want to deal with the issue quickly. You could experience some water damage as a result of the plumbing. The water may be going everywhere, damaging not only the floor, but also your furniture, carpet, and potentially even drywall and home structure.

With water damage also comes mold – and this can be a costly thing to take care of as well in Bellaire. You want to pay as little as possible. After all, that’s why you have home insurance. It’s much easier to file a claim and let the insurance company pay so you don’t have to. They take care of all of it, including making the repairs so you can simply enjoy being a homeowner.

In many instances, the home insurance policy will pay for plumbing issues, but it has to be coverage that’s included on your policy. Otherwise, the claim will get denied.

Call and talk to one of our agents for help with a policy and quotes now.

Will Home Insurance Cover Car Damage?

Posted on September 1, 2015May 26, 2015 by agentinsure

West University Place is found within Harris County, Texas. It’s a relatively small city of 15,000 people, though it is located within the Sugar Land-Houston metropolitan area. The city focuses on many different events throughout the year and offers a significant amount of parks and recreation to keep people outdoors and active.

As a homeowner, you want to make sure you have a home insurance policy that you can rely on in West University Place. There may be various things that happen on your property and you want to know that it’s all covered.

If something or someone hits your car while it’s on your property, what happens? Car insurance may not pay due to the coverage you have or because of what actually happened. This means you then have to turn to your home insurance policy because it happened on your property.

Some of the things that could happen include:

– A branch falling on your car

– A contractor backing into your car

– A flood damaging your car

– A drunk driver hitting your car

– Much more

There’s no way to know what could happen and therefore you need a policy that’s going to protect you from most of it in Texas. It’s possible for home insurance to cover a significant amount of car damage that could occur. You have to make sure the insurance company has the correct information on your car and that you look to see if the coverage levels are adequate based upon the value of your car.

Finding a home insurance policy doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Call and talk to one of our knowledgeable agents today and let us find you a policy. We will start by getting quotes from different companies.