Homeowners Insurance and Property Protection Insights
The following articles provide practical information for homeowners seeking to understand insurance, protect their property, and make informed decisions about coverage and risk. You’ll find guidance on common claims, coverage options, maintenance considerations, and tips to help safeguard your home and your investment.
Do Insurance Needs Change When the Mortgage Is Paid Off?
Paid off your mortgage? Congratulations! Your monthly mortgage payment probably included extra funds for property taxes and insurance. Of course, you’ll still have to pay taxes. But now that you…
How to Identify and Address Gaps in Your Homeowners Insurance
You may not have considered homeowner’s insurance policy gaps. You own a home. You buy homeowners insurance. Simple, right? Not always. There are a number of situations a standard homeowner’s…
12 Tips to Avoid Kitchen Fires (and What to Do if One Occurs)
It isn’t just sharp knives and overindulgence in cooking wine that makes kitchens dangerous places. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking fires are the leading cause of…
Home Replacement Cost vs. Market Value: What’s the Difference?
Homeowners often wonder why their home's replacement cost differs from its market value and how those two numbers should affect homeowners insurance decisions. Your home’s replacement cost reflects what it…
Keep Your Basement Dry with These Tips
Nothing strikes terror into a homeowner’s heart like coming home to water flooding the basement. Unfortunately, climate change has made basement floods increasingly common. It’s not only a pain to…
Does Your Family Have a Home Safety Checklist?
Not unlike home inventories, many people don’t think about creating and maintaining a home safety checklist. Fortunately, most of us feel safe in our homes, and we don’t spend much…
A Guide to Fallen Trees and Insurance Claims
Your neighbor’s tree falls on your house or car. Or it’s your tree and your neighbor’s house or car. Or maybe the tree doesn’t fall, but a storm blows a…
A Homeowner’s Guide to Water Heater Safety
Water heaters are often forgotten as they sit in a utility closet, basement or garage until they break down and leave residents without hot water. Neglecting a water heater in…
Insurance Coverage for Life Estate Properties
What is a life estate and why do you need life estate coverage? Leaving a home to heirs that is currently occupied by a family member or someone else is…
How to File a Homeowners Insurance Claim
While homeowners insurance provides important financial protection against common losses, no one wants to go through the disruption and inconvenience of filing a claim. We’ve provided the information below in…