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Even a small leak can become a major problem, so knowing what you’re covered for and how to prevent water damage are equally important. The below tips should help uncover any potential water problems down the road and keep your property dry this summer.
- Check appliance hoses.
- Standard hoses are not as durable as they used to be.
- Replace rubber hoses with steel-braided hoses.
- This is a low cost fix that can save thousands in water damage.
- Broken tiles in the shower can allow water to leak into the walls or on the floor.
- Replace cracked tiles and re-grout when needed.
- Run dishwasher and washing machine only when you are home.
- If a leak occurs, you can turn the appliance off right away.
- When on vacation, turn off the main water supply to your house.
- Keep storm drains near your house clear of leaves.
- Install a gutter guard.
- This can prevent a rooftop disaster caused by drain clogs, and also prevents flooding by water that isn’t carried away from the house.
- Install a water pressure gauge.
- An inexpensive gauge can prevent damage caused by water pressure that’s too high.
- Pressure should be between 60 and 80 PSI.
- Have the correct insurance coverage.
14 things every house-shopper should do before signing on the dotted line…
But an important and often overlooked consideration is the insurance implications of your purchase.
You will be paying insurance on your home for as long as you own it, which is why you need to do your homework before you decide to make an offer. Why? Thinking through all the costs associated with buying a home will make the process run more smoothly, and it may also save you money.
So here are some important tips to help make all phases of your home search easier and more worry-free.
Before House Hunting:
1. Check Your Credit Rating
A good credit history helps you in many ways. Good credit makes it easier to get a mortgage at a competitive rate, and it may also qualify you for a good credit discount on your insurance. Get a copy of one or all of your credit reports. Make sure they are accurate and report any mistakes immediately. If your credit is not as good as it could be, take steps now to improve it [1].
2. Protect Yourself with a Renters Insurance Policy
If you are currently renting a house or apartment, protect yourself financially with a renters insurance policy [2]. In the event of a disaster, renters insurance [3] can help protect the down payment you’re building to buy your new home, as well as provide useful a insurance history to your prospective homeowners insurer when you go to buy your first home.
While House Hunting
As you search for your new home, remember that the physical characteristics of the house—its size, location, construction and overall condition—can affect the cost, choice and availability of home insurance. Following are some factors to consider when shopping for a home:
3. Quality and Location of the Fire Department
Houses that are located near highly-rated, permanently staffed fire departments usually cost less to insure. This also holds true for homes that have a hydrant nearby.
4. Proximity to the Coastline
Houses located on or near the coast will generally cost more to insure than those further inland. There will also likely be a separate hurricane or windstorm deductible [4].
In some coastal communities, private homeowners insurance coverage may not be readily available. Instead, you may need to purchase insurance through a state-run insurance program, which can provide less coverage, and in some cases be more costly, than private insurance.
5. Age of the Home
A stately, older home can be quite beautiful—but they can also cost more to insure. Ornate features like plaster walls, ceiling molding and wooden floors may be costly to replace and can raise the cost of insurance. And, plumbing and electrical systems can become unsafe with age and lack of maintenance. If you are considering buying an older home find out how much it will cost to update these features and factor it into the cost of ownership.
6. Condition of the Roof
Always check the condition of the roof. A new roof matters to insurers and keeps you and your family safer. Depending on the type of roof and whether or not you use fire and/or hail resistant materials, you may even qualify for a discount.
7. Is the Home Well-Built and Up to Code?
Find out whether the house has been updated to comply with current building codes. Homes built by careful craftsmen and those built to meet modern engineering-based building codes are likely to better withstand natural disasters.
8. Risk of Flooding
Damage from flooding is NOT covered by standard home insurance policies. If you are buying a home in an area at risk from flooding, you will need to purchase separate insurance. Insurance for flooding is available from the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program [5] (NFIP), and from a few specialty insurers.
9. History of Earthquakes
While earthquakes are most frequently associated with California, they occur in the majority of states and, like flooding, are not covered under standard home insurance policies. Earthquake insurance is available from private insurers as an endorsement to a homeowners policy, and in California from the California Earthquake Authority [6]. Check rates with your insurance professional—the cost of earthquake insurance differs widely by location, insurer and the type of structure being covered.
10. Swimming Pool or Other Special Feature
If the house has a swimming pool [7], hot tub or other special feature, you will likely need more liability insurance. You may also want to consider purchasing an umbrella liability policy [8] to provide added protection in the event someone gets injured on your property and decides to sue you.
Before You Place a Bid on the Home
11. Check the Loss History Report
Ask the current homeowner to obtain a copy of the loss history report on the home. Homeowners can obtain either a Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange [9] (C.L.U.E.) report, which is available from LexisNexis, or an A-PLUSTM [10] property report from ISO®. These reports provide a record of the type of loss on the home, the date of the loss and the amount and status of each claim—going back five years. If the report indicates there has been damage to the house, have it checked by a professional.
A home claim history can provide extremely valuable information and should prompt questions from the buyer. For instance, if there was a claim for water damage on the home, it is important to find out the source of the damage (such as a burst pipe) and whether it has been properly repaired. On the other hand, if there was a claim for wind or hail, which resulted in a new roof, this makes the home stronger and is very attractive from an insurance perspective.
12. Get the House Inspected
You’ll need to have the house properly inspected in order to get your mortgage approved. Accompany the inspector and make sure he/she does a thorough inspection of the home. The inspector should:
- Check the general condition of the home
- Look for water damage, termites and other types of infestation
- Review the electrical system, plumbing, septic tank and water heater
- Show you where potential problems might develop
- Double-check that past problems have been repaired
- Suggest important upgrades or replacements
If the inspector raises questions, your insurance company will as well. And, be sure to find out if there is an underground oil storage tank, as many insurers will not provide policies for homes that have one.
13. Estimate How Much It Will Cost to Maintain the House
Routine maintenance is your responsibility as a homeowner. Losses caused by failing to properly care for your home are not covered by standard homeowners insurance policies. So make sure you factor these costs into the overall price of owning the home.
14. Call Your Insurance Professional
Don’t wait until the last minute to think about insurance. Ask your insurance professional if the house will qualify for insurance, and get an estimate of the premium. The sooner you act, the smoother the process will be. Don’t be shy about asking for estimates on more than one house. Insurance is an important consideration when purchasing a home. If you are uncomfortable with the cost of insuring a particular house, keep looking for one that better fits your financial situation.
For more about insuring your new home: Homeowners Insurance Coverage [11]
ALL SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
- Insurance Information Institute: http://www.iii.org/article/home-buyers-insurance-checklist
I am very thankful for this team of professionals that serve our customers everyday with quality homeowners insurance and car insurance at prices that are usually lower than our competition. Moreover, we monitor every renewal for accuracy and competitiveness. Our goal is to place your home and car insurance with one of our quality companies that you can build a long term relationship with. However, we all know that, occasionally, that doesn’t happen….our renewal process allows us to see these issues and start working on them well before the policy renews.
Our Specialty: Home and car insurance in Oklahoma….we don’t try to be experts in all lines of insurance.
Our Experience: As of this writing, every staff person has an Oklahoma Agents License to service and sale and our staff of 7 has 108 years of combined personal insurance experience.
Our Motivation: We desire slow, steady growth through long term client relationships.
Our Commitment: To place your best interest above our own.
“Okstatewide.com – when you tired of fighting homeowners insurance in Oklahoma”
Travelers, Safeco and Progressive Insurance are 3 of our favorite homeowners insurance and automobile insurance providers to quote and sell in Oklahoma because…..
1. they offer excellent coverages
2. their claim service is what you expect it to be and
3. they offer rate stability….they don’t price gouge you on your renewal.
Most Independent Insurance Agents represent 10 or more companies homeowner insurance companies in Oklahoma and they are usually willing to quote any of them. That is where Statewide Insurance Agency is different….we only quote products of companies with proven track records of price, coverage and service stability.
Furthermore, you do not have to ask us to review your home insurance policy when it renews…..we do it automatically as one of the agencies most important processes.
Please consider Statewide Insurance Agency the next time you need a quote on your home or car insurance in Oklahoma.
Beat the Heat — and Your Air Conditioning Bill — This Summer
Did you know that, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Americans spend about $11 billion each year on air conditioning? That might not be such a surprise if you’re the one who writes the check for your household energy bill every month.
Believe it or not, you can spend less on cooling costs while still keeping cool in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Here are 5 things to do before you reach to adjust the thermostat:
- Make sure your house isn’t part of the problem. If your home isn’t insulated and sealed well, warm air could be leaking in, sabotaging your efforts to cool things down. Make sure all cracks and openings are sealed, along with your ducts. The DOE says air loss through ducts can account for 30 percent of the energy a cooling system uses.
- Keep that breeze flowing. Natural ventilation is a great way to decrease the temperature in your home without using any energy. Open windows in the mornings or evenings when the air is cool and get a cross-breeze going throughout the house.
- Check that the heat isn’t on. You might be heating your house in the summer without realizing it. How? By using the oven, stove or other appliances that generate heat. Cook outside whenever you can, and use the dishwasher and clothes dryer at cooler times of the day if possible.
- Create your own personal cool zone. Cooling the whole house might not be necessary if you’re only using a few rooms. Set up fans (ceiling fans will allow you to set your thermostat a few degrees higher), drink plenty of cool liquids and eat cold foods, which can help lower your body temperature. You might even consider wearing a damp shirt to stay comfortable or putting an ice pack on your forehead, the back of your neck or your wrists.
- Don’t forget the basics. When it’s sunny outside, keep your curtains closed. Minimize your use of lights, as they generate heat. And, when the outside air is warmer than the air in your house, close the windows to keep the cool air in.
We can’t promise these tips will keep you just as cool as when you kick back and turn on the AC full-blast. But saving money every month? That’s pretty cool, too.
ALL SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
- Safeco Insurance:
If you own your home in Oklahoma/OKC Metro, or if you’re in the process of buying your home then you’re aware of the importance of a homeowner’s insurance policy. But are you making sure that your homeowner’s insurance policy is saving you as much money as possible?
Here are a few tips and tricks for saving money
on your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy.
Do Your Research
A smart consumer will request several quotes and shop around for the best deal on their homeowner’s insurance policy. Talking with independent agents is always a good method for getting a good understanding of what constitutes the best deal taking coverage and cost into consideration. But you should also look for any discounts you can: many memberships come with insurance discounts, even wholesale club memberships like Costco and Sam’s Club.
Update Your Home
If you own or are purchasing an older home especially, talk with an agent about what modern upgrades will affect your premiums. You can make some changes that make your home safer and also save you money every month!
Brush Up on the Lingo
Sometimes, consumers choose a slightly cheaper option without knowing the real cost of the compromise in coverage. For example, consider the way your policy handles a payout. Actual Cash Value will save you a little money on your premium, but should something happen, you may find this payout inadequate.
This is because Actual Cash Value payouts are based entirely on the current worth of the home and contents insured. In contrast, Replacement Cost will payout based on the current cost to rebuild or purchase the home and contents. This can mean a stark contrast in what your payout looks like and greatly affect your ability to recover from a disaster.
Consider A Higher Deductible
As with any type of insurance, you can expect to lower your premium by raising your deductible. You have to consider whether this option is the best fit for you, because raising your deductible will put more financial responsibility on you than sticking with a lower deductible. Speak with an agent about how much you feel comfortable with raising your deductible up to and see how it affects your annual premium.
Add an Umbrella Policy
Although adding an additional policy made seem counter-intuitive when it comes to saving money, an umbrella policy can add extra protections that save you significant money in the future. Should you face any liability litigation, that exceeds your homeowner’s policy, you are personally and financially responsible for those costs. If you don’t have the funds available, you could be looking at wage garnishments or worse. An Umbrella policy is quite inexpensive to add and the protections it provides are more than worth it.
Oklahoma home insurance rates increased roughly 30% during a 5 year period ending in 2017 despite the fact that our weather was pretty good in 2014 – 2017.
These increases have Oklahoma homeowners scrambling to find quality home insurance with stable companies without the high cost that many insurers are still trying to charge.
In our opinion, the following 5 companies offer the greatest home insurance value in Oklahoma and, in our opinion, these companies will have the best chance of saving Oklahoma consumers money as you seek quotes for your homeowners insurance needs. All 5 of these companies offer outstanding coverage, excellent claims service, they usually have a lower cost than competitors and they offer good rates on car and home insurance bundles.
1. Progressive Insurance
2. Safeco Insurance ( a Liberty Mutual Company)
3. Travelers Insurance
4. State Farm Insurance
5. Allstate Insurance
Statewide Insurance Agency represents Progressive, Safeco and Travelers Insurance but not State Farm or Allstate.
Protect your personal assets from others by purchasing Liability Insurance! #mostimportantcoverage
