Bed bugs are often associated with travel and hotel rooms, but your home is hardly a safe haven from the dreaded pests in fact, pest control professionals find bed bugs more often in single family homes, apartments and condominiums than in hotels and motels, according to the most recent Bugs Without Borders survey by the […]
5 Misconceptions about Home Insurance Vs. Specialized Jewelry Insurance
While most people count on the scope of their renters or homeowners insurance policy to cover their precious assets, they may find that coverage insufficient in the face of a potential loss. In most cases, the value of a single broad policy is outweighed by that of specialized jewelry insurance policies. Contrary to popular belief, […]
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Treehouses?
Because of the potential fun and entertainment value, if you have a large, healthy tree in your yard, a treehouse can seem like a tempting proposition. Before you start construction on your new treetop hangout, however, it is important to think through potential insurance ramifications to understand where you may be at risk. Specifically, you […]
Uncorking The Basics of Wine Insurance
Many of us simply open a $15 bottle of wine, pour a glass and sip it. Other people savor the art of collecting wine, whether it’s for pure pleasure or as an investment. But some of those collectors fail to insure their valuable vino – wines that can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars per […]
Who Covers Company Equipment Stolen or Damaged While Employees Work From Home?
Earlier this year, John Sebak handled an insurance claim filed by someone who was working from home and got into a car accident. The accident destroyed a computer owned by the person’s employer. “The car insurance didn’t cover it, but their home insurance policy did,” said Mr. Sebak, owner of Sebak Insurance Agency in Natrona […]
Insurance for Home Day Care Businesses
When caring for children in your home, having the proper insurance is essential. Here are a few considerations when selecting a home day care insurance policy. What is Home Day Care Insurance? Home day car insurance, also known as child care insurance, protects care providers from the unique risks at-home day cares may face. While […]
Home-Based Business Insurance Explained
With millions of Americans losing work this year, it’s not surprising that home-based business startups are gaining popularity. About one in five homeowners reported they had launched a home-based business in the last six months, according to a recent online poll conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Hanover Insurance Group. While starting […]
Homeowners Coverage in the Age of Catastrophic Weather Patterns
The deadly winter storms that descended on Texas in early 2021, following a summer of record-setting wildfires in California, have reminded many Americans of the importance of homeowners insurance. Here is some advice on how to protect yourself-from a major disaster or an everyday one. Risk From Natural Catastrophes is Increasing Many parts of the […]
How to Protect Your Home From Extreme Weather
Climate change can be a hot topic these days, but regardless of one’s views on the subject, scientists have taken an interest in how it might affect the intensity or possibility of future weather-related events. Natural disasters – whether predicted or not – expose the susceptibility and risks of our home and communities. According to […]
Reduced Home Insurance Premiums for Having Smart Devices
These days, many homeowners are using smart home devices to help keep their largest asset safe. As a result, many home insurance companies are offering discounts on their premiums for customers who use these items. However, since this technology is still fairly new, not all companies currently offer this perk. To that end, it’s important […]
Home Warranties – Like Insurance, But Different
You just bought the home of your dreams. Or maybe you’ve been living in your home for years. In either case, you’ll likely face the frustration and cost of repairing or replacing a failed kitchen appliance or major system, like an A/C or heating unit. If you’re about to buy a house, a failed appliance […]
Smart Home Devices and How They Can Affect Your Insurance Premium
Chances are you have a variety of smart home devices in your home. Sales of smart home devices, which measure in the billions of dollars, have increased every year for the last four years and are projected to continue to grow. Nearly 30% of homes are considered smart homes. Smart home devices not only provide […]
6 Cybersecurity Tips When You Work From Home
As of September 2020, nearly 60% of full-time and part-time workers in the U.S. were doing their jobs remotely at least some of the time during the coronavirus pandemic. And many of them would like to keep doing so. This work-from-home pivot makes some employers’ IT professionals nervous, though. A global study released in October […]
COVID-19 and Homeowners Insurance
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted many aspects of society, but your home insurance policy will continue to function normally. Will Homeowners Insurance Premiums be Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic? It’s hard to say with any degree of certainty what will happen to homeowners insurance rates. There are many factors to consider. First, people are staying […]
What’s Covered by Umbrella Insurance?
Homeowners insurance protects you if, say, a fire burns your house to the ground. That’s a start. But you also need to think about protecting your home against something equally dangerous: a lawsuit. If a houseguest slips in the bathtub, you could get sued. Lose the lawsuit and you could lose all of your assets, […]
Umbrella Insurance is the New Liability Coverage
It seems as though the wealthier an individual is, the higher the risk of being sued. It’s just one of the downsides of being affluent, especially if that person is also a business owner. In opportunistic lawsuits, primary policies like standard car insurance, home insurance and a business owner’s policy do not fully protect a […]
House Rentals vs. Apartment: Which One is Right For You?
Choosing between renting or buying a home is already a hard choice for a lot of people. If you decided to rent, there’s also the question of whether you will be renting a whole house or apartment. Depending on your circumstances, a different option might be better for you. Here are the advantages and disadvantages […]
6 Tips to Help Deter a Break-In
Every 13 seconds, a burglary occurs somewhere in the U.S., adding up to approximately 2.5 million burglaries each year, according to Alarms.org. Two-thirds of those crimes are home break-ins, and if it were not for home security systems, that figure could be significantly higher – a study from UNC Charlotte found that 83% of convicted […]
What to Know About Insuring a Historic Home
Whether your historic home is new to you or has been in the family for generations, an essential element of taking care of the property is adequate insurance. “Insuring a historic home can be very different from insuring a newer home,” said Dawn Meadows, an insurance adviser with Clarke & Sampson in Alexandria, Va. “The […]
Alpaca Stampede, Spoiled Wedding Cake, Teacher Defamation – What’s the Insurance Link?
Picture this: Your next-door neighbor Gary runs an alpaca farm. Most of the time, the alpacas are happy springing along, munching on grass, and looking cute. But one one occasion, a dog agitates the group, and the alpacas storm their enclosure and stampede over your property, leaving a trail of damage in their wake. While […]