February Home Maintenance Tasks

Each month in 2016, we’ll be sharing a short list of tasks and ideas of things you can do to help take care of your home, vehicle, and family. Consider them a helpful reminder of what needs to get accomplished throughout the month to keep your important items protected.

Here’s what’s on the list for February:

Add New Jewelry On Your Insurance Policy - If your Valentine surprised you with a new bracelet or ring, make sure it’s covered! Bring in a copy of the appraisal or receipt and we’ll add it to your Home or Renters insurance policy. (This also applies to artwork, guns, and other collectibles or antiques if you’re not a jewelry person.)

Purchase A Fire Extinguisher - If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, now is the time to get at least one. Plan a family meeting and teach everyone in the household when and how to use it. It’s an easy way to prevent a small kitchen fire from getting out of hand.

Getting Married? - February 14th is a popular date for weddings! If you’re tying the knot this month, call us to discuss your insurance. We’ll look at your individual policies and discuss how best to combine them for your new household. (Plus you might qualify for more discounts!)

Show The Love! - There is no better way to show your family how much you love them, then with the proper amount of life insurance! We can give you a quote on an affordable term policy and help you get this important coverage in place quickly.

We LOVE to help our clients! Let us know if we can assist you in any way with your auto, home, business, or life insurance.

Are Your Christmas Gifts Covered?

This time of year, most of us are doing a lot of shopping!  Christmas gifts and holiday sales mean that everyone is buying a little bit more than normal.  So what does that have to do with insurance?

 

Let’s look at some common purchases and how you can make sure they’re protected!

 

Electronics - Did you purchase a new flat screen TV or Xbox on Black Friday?  Maybe a new laptop or some high dollar headphones? 

 

All of these items are covered for theft or fire (or any other covered peril) by your Homeowners or Renters Insurance, but they are subject to your deductible. 

 

However the BIG problem is that when someone has a major fire or burglary, they FORGET what they have!  It’s hard to remember every item in your home. 

 

That’s why we recommend that you keep a Home Inventory of high-dollar items.  Save your receipts, take photos, or just keep a list.  Keep this info in a safe place (like a file backed up in the cloud), so that you can access it in case of a claim.  Our agency recommends knowyourstuff.org, a great free Home Inventory site provided by the Insurance Information Institute. This isn’t required, but you’ll be glad you have it! 

 

Guns, Jewelry, & Art - If you purchase high dollar, custom, one-of-a-kind, or collectors items, you need to contact us as soon as possible!  These items will be covered by your policy, but may be limited to an amount much less than what they’re worth.  If you contact us, we can review your policy and tell you exactly how much coverage is available and if you need to add these specific items to your policy.

 

And what about all of those gifts sitting in your car trunk?  Yes, it’s a great place to hide presents from the kids but here is the bad news - your auto insurance DOES NOT cover the contents of your vehicle.  That means that if someone breaks in and steals everything, it’s only covered by your Home or Renters policy.  And if you have a large deductible, you could be out of luck!  Get those presents into a safe location quickly and don’t keep them stored in your vehicles. 

 

’Tis the season for lots of shopping!  Call us to make sure all of your possessions are properly protected!