You may pay less for insurance if you buy a house close to a fire hydrant or in a community that has a professional rather than a volunteer fire department. It may also be cheaper if your home’s electrical, heating and plumbing systems are less than 10 years old. If you live in the East, consider a brick home because it's more wind resistant. If you live in an earthquake-prone area, look for a wooden frame house because it is more likely to withstand this type of disaster. Choosing wisely could cut your premiums by 5 to 15 percent.
Check the CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report of the home you are thinking of buying. These reports contain the insurance claim history of the property and can help you judge some of the problems the house may have.
Remember that flood insurance and earthquake damage are not covered by a standard homeowners policy. If you buy a house in a flood-prone area, you'll have to pay for a flood insurance policy that costs an average of $400 a year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides useful information on flood insurance on its Web site at FloodSmart.gov. A separate earthquake policy is available from most insurance companies. The cost of the coverage will depend on the likelihood of earthquakes in your area. In California the California Earthquake Authority (www.earthquakeauthority.com) provides this coverage.
If you have questions about insurance for any of your possessions, be sure to ask your agent or company representative when you're shopping around for a policy. For example, if you run a business out of your home, be sure to discuss coverage for that business. Most homeowners policies cover business equipment in the home, but only up to $2,500 and they offer no business liability insurance. Although you want to lower your homeowners insurance cost, you also want to make certain you have all the coverage you need.
Homeowner’s insurance protects you from a variety of types of loss, including theft, fire, or other damage. Events such as earthquakes and floods will typically not be covered by a standard homeowner’s policy. It is best to know what you are up against before the time comes to make a claim.
If you are renting a home or apartment you can purchase renter’s insurance. This protects you from water damage, fire damage, and theft. It is becoming more common for landlords to require tenants to carry renter’s insurance as a condition of their lease. It makes sense to do this so your personal property will be covered.
You will need to check with your insurance agent to discuss the types of coverage that are available. It depends on many things, including the type of home you have, your location in regards to natural disasters, and a host of other things. Everyone’s situation is unique, so be sure to ask your questions to find out what you will need.
Replacement cost coverage is important. This means that your possessions will be
Continue reading "Santa Clarita Homeowner's Insurance - Replacement Cost Coverage" »
The Station fire, as well as other fires in the southern California area, have been devastating for many. If you have been directly affected, know that your insurance company is there to help. If you have Farmer's Insurance, you can contact HelpPoint for immediate assistance. I am also available to answer your questions and to put your mind at ease.
Posted at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Several of my clients had questions after hearing about Sunday night's 4.7 magnitude earthquake centered near the Los Angeles International airport. Even though we didn't feel it here in Santa Clarita, homeowners want to know more about earthquake coverage and policies.
Earthquake insurance must be purchased separately from your standard insurance policy. Although it is not mandatory to carry a policy covering your home and personal belongings in the event of an earthquake, if you are considering adding this coverage you will most certainly want to speak to your agent about this matter.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.
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With all of the recent rain here in Santa Clarita and throughout the Los Angeles area, I have received many questions about insurance coverage in case of damage. The simple definition of a flood is an excess of water on land that is normally dry. This includes unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
Typically, your homeowner's insurance policy does not cover flooding, but may cover loss resulting from wind, rain, hail, wind-driven rain, and lightning. Rain or wind-driven rain, and hail damage are not in the same category as floods. Wind-driven rain damage is generally a covered peril, regardless of the cause. This also applies to wind or lightning which causes an opening in which rain enters the premises and causes water damage to the structure or personal property inside of the structure. If your business or residence is located in a FEMA identified high risk flood zone, a separate flood insurance policy will most likely be required.
This may sound very confusing, so be sure to contact me or your insurance agent if you have further questions or have sustained damage during the recent rains.
Periodically it is a good idea to get a copy of your homeowner's insurance loss history report. This is called a CLUE report, and it is available from ChoicePoint or ISO. A reord is kept for five years, so if you have not had a homeowner's insurance claim during the past five years, you will not have a loss history report.
A good claims record can be important if you are selling your home, and also for your current homeowner's insurance rates. Having a claim in the past does not have to pose a problem; any repairs on improvements made to your property can make your home even more attractive to potential buyers and insurers.
Contact your homeowner's insurance agent to be aware of your options.
If you have been affected by the recent fires, be sure to contact the Department of Insurance at (800) - 927- HELP to see if you are eligible to receive assistance for living costs you may incur over the next few days.
You will also want to contact your insurance agent to ask any questions about your homeowner's insurance policy.
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Santa Clarita attorney Rob Werner will be hosting two events at his home during the current Rotary year. I had an opportunity to speak with Rob at a recent local function.
If you host an event at your home that is open to the public, there may be insurance issues you will want to address in advance. If someone should have an accident or become inebriated at your house, you may be responsible legally as well as morally if there is an incident. It is best to prepare for this in advance so that everyone involved knows what to do after the fact.
Contact me any time to discuss insurance matters that you may have questions regarding.
Posted at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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One of my clients, Mike Thomas of Thomas Graphics, is a printer in North Hollywood, California. We were having a discussion about his business insurance coverage, and he asked me to tell him more about his coverage for his printing business.
If your business has a lot of assets, such as expensive equipment, you will want to make sure you have sufficient theft and property damage coverage. Business interruption insurance is also important to small business owners. One thing you may not have thought about is life insurance for yourself and other critical personnel in your company.
Contact your insurance agent for more answers to your questions. I am a Farmer's insurance agent in Santa Clarita, and am glad to answer any questions you have about this or other insurance matters.
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Have you taken the time to prepare a home inventory of your belongings? In case of a loss you will want to know exactly what you had in your home so that you can provide your insurance company with accurate information. A great resource for this is Know Your Stuff. They provide free software to help you list and describe your home's contents. Take a look at this site and let me know if you have any questions. It may be a time consuming process if you have never done this before, but it will be a great relief to you should your home or personal belongings be damaged or destroyed.