​Spring is the right time to review your homeowners insurance policy given the unpredictable weather the season usually brings.
The second-best place to start the homeowners insurance review process is by reading the declarations page of your policy. The declarations page offers details on how much coverage you have, lists your deductibles, and tells you your annual premium. 
Policyholders should ask themselves three questions when reading their homeowners insurance policy:

• Is my home covered for its full rebuilding cost?

Standard homeowners insurance policies include dwelling coverage which allows a policyholder to rebuild his or her home at its current location, in the event of a partial or total covered loss. Policyholders who have made major improvements to their home, such as adding a new room, enclosing a porch, or expanding a kitchen or bathroom, should adjust their homeowners insurance dwelling coverage limits to reflect these changes.

• Does my home insurance policy cover expensive items?

Standard homeowners insurance policies place dollar limits for the theft of certain types of expensive personal property, like jewelry, furs, and silverware. To cover expensive personal property to their full dollar value, consider adding either a special personal property endorsement or a floater. Endorsements and floaters are priced based on the personal property’s appraised value.

• Does my home insurance policy’s liability coverage fully protect my assets?

Standard homeowners insurance policies include liability coverage.  For instance, it covers the policyholder against the cost of lawsuits when bodily injury or property damage is caused to other people by either the policyholder or those residing at the policyholder’s home. Liability coverage also pays for damage caused to other people by the policyholder’s pets.
Standard homeowners insurance policies cover a home’s structure if it is damaged due to covered disasters, such as a fire or a windstorm (e.g., tornado, hurricane), as well as the home’s personal property in the event the home’s property is either damaged due to a covered disaster or stolen.
​
The best place to start is by contacting our agency with your current policy in hand even if you did not buy it through us.

Our agency can customize an auto insurance policy for your special needs.
Call our office today. You’ll be glad you did!

Last year came with a wide range of tremendous disasters ranging from extreme weather to tornadoes, which brought the importance of insurance coverage to the attention of many renters who didn’t think that they needed this protection.
Unfortunately, all too many renters discovered that they were wrong when they assumed that their landlords’ policies would cover them, as well. The reality, though, is that the landlords’ policies extend only to the protection of the building itself, and not the contents of the units.
Renters’ insurance, also known as contents insurance, provides coverage against extreme weather, such as heavy rain and snow, wind, and lightning, as well as from damage due to vandalism, smoke, fire, and theft.
Furthermore, the standard policy also includes liability protection, so that the policyholder will be covered for legal expenses if anyone is ever injured while in the home and sues. The standard liability coverage is generally up to $100,000.
The coverage provided by renters’ insurance also frequently includes living expenses if you need to stay somewhere else while repairs are made to the apartment, or while you find a new place to live if the home has been entirely destroyed, such as in the case of a fire.
Our agency is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider but brings the clients the best deals from many different insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place.
So, let us do the searching for you for free! Call our office for a Quick Quote or visit our website for all your insurance needs.

Motor vehicle theft takes a human as well as a financial toll
A motor vehicle—car, SUV, truck, bus, or motorcycle—is stolen in the United States approximately every 45 seconds. In addition, parts of cars, like airbags and catalytic converters (which are stolen for their recycling value) are stolen out of the cars themselves. Cars and car parts stolen in the United States often wind up on overseas markets, making recovery impossible.
And, though armed auto theft represents a small percentage of the incidents, carjacking is a violent crime that can add a dire emotional toll and even bodily harm to the financial loss.
Auto theft is covered under the comprehensive portion of a car insurance policy. However, as always, it's better to prevent a loss than to deal with the fallout of having your vehicle stolen.
Prevent motor vehicle theft
There are a number of things that make your vehicle attractive to thieves—including make, model and the value of certain parts. Know that it's not always the most valuable, the flashiest or the most expensive car makes and models that are most desirable. So, whatever your car, don't make it convenient for would-be criminals. Take these precautionary measures—and check with your insurer; some may even help lower your premium.

• Keep your doors locked and windows shut anytime you're not in your car, even for a few minutes.
• Make valuables invisible. Don't give thieves more motivation to break into your car. If you have to leave personal property in your car, keep it in the trunk. Even in areas you think are safe, don't leave a purse or other valuables on the car seat unattended.
• Park in secure, highly trafficked, and well-lit areas. In public parking garages or areas, stay as close as possible to guard booths or store entrances. Best case, keep your car in a garage and always lock the door to your home garage.
• Make use of anti-theft devices. Use a security device like a steering wheel lock or a gearshift column lock—the more difficult it is to take the car, the less likely a would-be thief will target your vehicle. Most new cars include tracking devices, which can help locate a stolen car, but these are available for purchase and installation into older cars, as well. Check with your insurance pro about how your anti-theft device might qualify you for a discount.
• Exploit your vehicle identification (VIN) number. The VIN number is utilized by a number of law enforcement agencies and databases and insurance databases to make it harder for car thieves to sell a stolen car or its parts.
• The VIN is usually found on the dashboard on the driver’s side of the car. Mark your VIN prominently: Use paint or an indelible marker to put the VIN under the engine hood and trunk lid and on the battery. This will make it harder for thieves to unload the car and make it easier for the police to identify the vehicle if recovered.

If the worst happens and your car is stolen, you’ll want to file a police report. Then check that your policy covers car theft and get the claims process started. Notify one of our insurance agents about the incident as soon as possible—the longer you wait, the harder it will be to remember the details.  Note that many insurance companies now use mobile apps, which can help you get the claims filing process started immediately.

What constitutes high-risk?

• Your home is located in an area prone to severe weather such as hurricanes, windstorms, tornadoes or hail.
• You live in an urban area with high crime, vandalism and theft.
• Your home has an old plumbing, electrical and/or heating system—these represent a higher chance of causing fire or water damage.

If the problem is not where the house is located, but the condition that it is in, find out what type of improvements or disaster-resistant features would be needed to make your home more insurable.
Ask for help from one of our insurance agents
We have many markets and can find the one that best suits your needs.