Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners Insurance Information
- *Hover below on blue dots to obtain more information on different HO coverages:
Secondary Home
Be certain that you extend the liability coverage under your
homeowners policy to include your secondary home. You should also
consider including the secondary home under an excess liability or
umbrella policy to provide for additional liability limits.
Flood Coverage
Purchase a flood insurance policy to protect your home and covered
contents from certain types of flood losses as designated by the
National Flood Insurance Program. A flood policy is purchased as a
separate policy through the federal program (NFIP) or through a
servicing carrier known as a write your own carrier.
Personal Property / Contents - Property Damage
Your homeowners insurance policy typically covers personal property,
including the contents of your home and other personal items owned by
you or family members who live with you. Make sure your homeowners
policy includes replacement cost coverage for personal property so
that you always receive the full cost to replace whatever item is
damaged.
Fire
Make sure your homeowners policy contains guaranteed replacement cost
coverage. This protects you if the cost to reconstruct your home is
higher than your current limit of coverage. Also be sure that your
insurance includes rebuilding your home to code. Very often, local
ordinances and building codes change over time, which may require
additional costs.
Personal Injury
Your homeowners insurance policy includes liability coverage for
property damage caused by any member in the family, but it may not
cover rumors or statements that damage a reputation. You need to add
an endorsement to your policy to expand coverage to include liability
protection that covers personal injury.
Umbrella / Excess Liability Coverage
An umbrella or excess liability policy increases your personal
liability limits by adding protection over and above your current
auto, boat, or homeowners policies-providing real financial value, as
well as priceless peace of mind. Excess liability insurance is
available either by an endorsement to your homeowners policy or
available as separate coverage.
Jewelry, Fine Arts, and Collectibles
Valuable possessions insurance covers personal property that may have
unique value, cannot be replaced like regular personal property or is
subject to special types of losses such as breakage or mysterious
disappearance. For most valuable possession categories, there is no
deductible applied at time of loss. Valuable possessions insurance can
be added to your homeowners policy or may be written as a separate
policy.
Wine Collection
If you have a sizable wine collection, you may want to consider
scheduling the collection on your homeowners policy. Doing so expands
your coverage and eliminates the deductible in case of a loss. You can
also consider unique coverages for wine, such as for spoilage.
Additional Living Expense / Loss of Use
Ensure that your homeowners insurance policy provides additional
living expense or loss of use coverage to compensate you for the
additional costs you incur for reasonable housing and living expenses
if a covered event makes your house temporarily uninhabitable while
it's being repaired or rebuilt.
Off-Premises Theft
Most homeowners policies offer an option to include off-premises theft
coverage as an endorsement, which covers you for theft of your
personal property away from your residence.
Water Backup
Water backup coverage can be added to most insurance policies.
Consider adding it so that you have the coverage you need in the event
of damages caused by a clogged drain, sewer, sump pump, and related
risks.
Personal Liability
Your homeowners policy includes personal liability coverage to respond
to incidents where injuries or damages occur to a third party where
you may be deemed negligent. However, you should consider purchasing a
personal umbrella or excess liability policy to provide additional
coverage limits to protect your assets in case a lawsuit is brought
against you.
Medical Expenses
Your homeowners policy should include medical expenses coverage to
take care of injuries and treatment - generally not of a serious
nature. In the event a person is injured on your property and requires
medical attention, you would be able to submit the injury-related
medical expenses to your insurance carrier. Medical expenses are
usually paid without a liability claim being filed against you.
Miscellaneous Coverage
You should make sure your homeowners insurance policy covers your
trampoline, as many insurance providers refuse to take on trampoline
liability and exclude the item from coverage.
GET HOMEOWNERS QUOTE
Your Home Is Important, Make Sure It’s Protected
You have to ask yourself…
What would happen if a disaster struck your home tomorrow? Are you confident you’re properly covered for damages and total loss? Would you be required to pay out of pocket for some or all the repairs?
These questions are crucial to address because major insurance carriers hold on new clients after a disaster strikes. More importantly, when you're facing a crisis, you’ll feel less pressure knowing:
Your representative took the time to make sure you have the right protection
Your insurance carrier has your back
What is Home Insurance for?
Home insurance covers the hazards that most homeowners face. When a loss occurs, you will file a claim with your insurance carrier, and you are paid for the expenses, minus any outstanding deductible amounts.
Insurance also covers personal liability exposures, to protect you from many situations that could lead to lawsuits from others.
For instance, if someone slips and falls in your home or is injured somewhere on your property, you can be held responsible. Liability coverage is there to protect you.
You could also potentially need insurance to protect you from having to pay for:
Storm damage, fire, windstorm, lightning, and hail
Dog bite liability
Manufactured home coverage
Trampoline or swimming pool liability insurance
Wind damage
Sinkholes
Flood damage
Sewer or septic backups
Replacement cost for personal property
Umbrella liability insurance
When you see an independent insurance agent like us you have the chance to explore all your options for insurance, and protect the things that are most important to you.
Little-known facts about Homeowners Insurance
There are many things about insuring a home that most consumers aren’t aware of. We are here to make sure you avoid potential problem areas, including:
Most policies will not cover sewer backup, unless you purchase a special endorsement
Damages caused by surface water or water that flows below the surface of the ground aren’t usually covered
A standard homeowners policy typically does not include Flood Insurance
A standard homeowners policy only covers jewelry, up to set limits if the loss resulted from one of the perils named on the policy
Many policies default to actual cash value, which means if you purchased a widescreen TV and home theater system for $1,000, it may now only be worth $450, so that's all you'll receive on the claim. Just like the dwelling limit mentioned above, replacement cost insurance pays out the total replacement value of your possessions, not their market value, in the event of a claim.
IMPORTANT: You can combine your Home and Auto policies (and others) for even more savings.
Who needs to insure their homes?
Manufactured homes
Mobile homes
Condos
Townhouses
Secondary homes
Homes you rent to others
Seasonal resident homes
Why We're Different
While most insurance products are similar in price and function, insurance providers vary when it comes to structuring a policy tailored to you.
After all, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all insurance policy when it comes to your personal policy.
Contact us today, and we'll help you protect what matters most.
Create your own Certificate of Insurance
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