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 […]
How Smart Home Technology is Influencing Home Insurance
By now, most Americans have grown accustomed to smart devices. Whether it is a smartphone or a smartwatch, we interact many times a day with some sort of smart device. These gadgets have changed the way we live providing unprecedented convenience and productivity. Smart devices in the home are no different. Over the last few […]
10 Facts You Should Know About Weather-Related Home Insurance Claims
Weather-related home insurance claims can be a whole separate ball game from other home claims. “Weather losses are always more complicated because you’ve got thousands of people experiencing losses at the same time. These events are taxing on the entire community, whereas if you have one loss, such as a water main break in your […]
Severe Weather is a Wake-Up Call to Check Your Insurance
If you’ve watched the news recently, you’ve noticed that intense storms are becoming more regular, with some catastrophic results. Whether the issue is the wind damage from a hurricane, water damage due to torrential rains, or the property damage caused by a wildfire, weather-related damage is a growing concern. The increase in severe weather means […]
What You Need to Know About Flood Insurance
Flood insurance is an important policy for most homeowners to have. But only about one in seven homeowners purchase this critical safety net to protect them from the ravages of flood water. What is Flood Insurance? Flood insurance is a specialized policy that protects your home and belongings against damage from flood waters. If you’re […]
Climate Change May Affect Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy in Two Ways
You only need to watch the news once to understand that weather events have become more dramatic over the past 10 years. According to Maryland State Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, whether you’re talking about tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or wildfires, “Both the number and severity of natural disasters have increased” – and so have the number […]
How Smart Home Technology is Influencing Home Insurance
By now, most Americans have grown accustomed to smart devices. Whether it is a smartphone or a smartwatch, we interact many times a day with some sort of smart device. These gadgets have changed the way we live providing unprecedented convenience and productivity. Smart devices in the home are no different. Over the last few […]
Here’s What You Need to Know About Airbnb-ing Your Home
Sally Miller left corporate American when her first child was born to spend time with her growing family. But this also meant the family income took a hit, so she started exploring ways to make money from home. Hosting her four-bedroom home in San Jose, California on Airbnb turned out to be a great side-gig. […]
Service Animals, Emotional Support Animals and Your Business
Many people with disabilities use a service animal in order to fully participate in everyday life. Dogs can be trained to perform many important tasks to assist people with disabilities, such as providing stability for a person who has trouble walking, picking up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, preventing a child with […]
Condo vs Homeowners Insurance
In many ways, buying a condo is similar to buying a house: you get the freedom of owning your living space but you also have to take responsibility for what happens to it. So how similar are insurance coverages for condos and houses? Let’s find out. Condos vs Houses: The Ins and Outs of Your […]
3 Types of Water Damage
Is Your Home Insured For Water Damage? Water is one of the most common causes of damage in homes, and it represents a large number of insurance claims. Water damage to your property can happen from any number of sources: Plumbing or Appliances Severe Weather or Storms Accidents Infiltration Causes of Water Damage in Insurance: […]
Common Questions About Flood Insurance
Check out the answers to some common questions about flood insurance. Answers all come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I Don’t Have Flood Insurance – Why Do I Need It? Floods are the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year. Floods cost America, on […]
Homeowners Insurance: Premium, Policy Limits and Other Home-Related Insurance
Premium Many factors influence your premium and it will also vary by insurance company. An independent agent can help you shop for the best price without compromising your coverage. Some of the things that can affect your premium include: The cost to rebuild your home (this is not the same as the purchase price which […]
Unoccupied and Vacant Home Insurance: What is it and Do I Need it?
If you leave your home unattended for weeks at a time, your homeowners policy likely won’t provide coverage in the event of a claim during the time it is unoccupied or vacant. As a result, any damages or losses that occur would have to be paid out of pocket. For these times, unoccupied and vacant […]
Renters No More: Millennial Home Buyers
According to Primary Residential Mortgage Inc., Millennials are currently the largest class of homebuyers in the market. It may come as a surprise to some, but this young, tech-savvy generation is still set on finding a home, even during a volatile market with rising interest rates and fewer homes on the lower end of the […]
Water Damage in Your Home
Water damage is the leading cause of property-related losses for homeowners, according to Chubb claims data. A recent Travelers report revealed similar findings. After analyzing eight years of claims data, the insurer found that 20% of homeowners claims were attributable to non-weather water issues including plumbing, sewer or appliance leaks and failures – making non-weather […]
One-Third of Homeowners Liability Claims are From Dog Bites
In 2017, dog bites and dog-related injuries accounted for more than one-third of homeowners liability claims according to the Insurance Information Institute. There are approximately 89.7 million dogs in the United States and 36.5% of U.S. households own at least one dog. The average cost per dog bite claim was $37,051, totaling over $700 million […]
Breaking Down Your Homeowners Policy
Homeowners insurance is important to many people and is often required to satisfy your mortgage requirements. But how well do you actually understand your policy? Most homeowners policies can be broken down into six sections. Dwelling: This pays for damage to your house and structures that are attached to your house. This includes plumbing, electrical […]