Saturday, March 31, 2007

Understanding Home Insurance

By Oliver Turner Platinum Quality Author

In today's generation home insurance has created a mark among all other forms of insurance. Homeowner's insurance policy provides insurance to personal possessions including the house garage and other structures of property against certain risk factors like theft or fire.

Typical Homeowners insurance policy has two main sections.

Section 1 includes the property of the insured and Section 2 includes the personal liability coverage that needs to be insured.

At times, lender might require homeowner's insurance as part of requirement in obtaining a mortgage. While buying home insurance policy one has to keep certain important things in mind. One needs the best level of protection as well as the provisions for valuables like jewelry, computer equipment, kitchen appliances and other possessions. In order to have adequate home insurance coverage one must check with agent or home insurance company beforehand to be sure of the adequate coverage instead of relying on the coverage mandated by the bank or mortgage company. Those levels are for protecting the house only and eventually skip the protection of possessions.

While applying for home insurance the insurance company needs to know about your present occupation, employment history, marital status, date of birth and social security number. The insurer needs to check the credit criminal and insurance history. Insurance claims of past is also checked by the home insurance company. The decision to chose a specific type of homeowner's policy, deductible and how to pay for the coverage depends upon the homeowner.

There is exception to destructions like flood, earthquake and poor maintenance of house. Home insurance is needed and most lending institutions will require the homeowners to acquire a certain amount of coverage before issuing a loan to purchase property. The lender has a vested interest in property and wants to ensure financial compensation in the event of disaster. Homeowners may suffer a default of loan if they fail to carry the level of coverage needed by lender.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

How to Get Budget Home Owner Insurance Quote in Pennsylvania

By Elizabeth Newberry Platinum Quality Author

If you’re looking for a home owner insurance quote in Pennsylvania, never call random home owner insurance companies and start asking for quotes. Home owner insurance companies are going to ask you many questions about your home, and several of those questions are going to be about your homes contents and valuables. So, instead of rushing around your home looking for answers, you need to prepare yourself before calling for a home owner insurance quote in Pennsylvania. This generally means taking inventory of your home.

Since this is a preliminary list of your home’s contents and your valuables, you don’t have to worry about receipts and videotapes documenting your ownership. You should, however, make a thorough list of the contents of each part of your home. This can be a very simple process.

For example, get some paper and a pen, and write the name of every room in your home – one room for one sheet of paper. This includes the living room, kitchen, all bedrooms, all bathrooms, the dining room, the less formal living room such as the family room, and a home office if you have one. Also include sections for your attic and basement, if your home has either or both of those.

Next, grab one sheet of paper – whichever room you feel like investigating at the time – and thoroughly go through the room. Write down the contents of the room; everything from furniture such as couches, beds, coffee tables, and kitchen tables, to decorative items such as paintings, carpets and rugs, plants, and collectibles. Also make sure to include entertainment items such as videos and DVDs, CDs, records, and books, as well as other electronics including computers, printers, and fax machines.

Finally, make a list of all valuables, such as jewelry and heirlooms, kept in your home.

Having this information handy will give you a jump start on getting a home owner insurance quote in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Houston Homeowners Insurance Information

By Glenn Lamb Platinum Quality Author

Houston homeowners insurance has had some changes over the last few years. Previously most homeowners selected a HOA package for the least expensive coverage or a HOB package for more complete coverage. After the Texas lawsuits involving mold many insurance companies no longer offer HOB packages because they include mold coverage.

As a replacement for HOB there are amended HOA policies that add coverage’s to make a better package. Because these packages are not standardized, like HOA and HOB packages, it is a little harder to comparison shop them. I suggest getting a couple quotes from reputable companies and then comparing cost and coverage.

Make sure the policy you select has high enough limits to cover the dwelling, other structures, and personal property. In many cases it would cost much more than the market value to rebuild your home after a disaster. That means that it could be advisable to have a higher dwelling limit than the appraised value. A basic policy may not have coverage from sudden release of water, fall of trees and limbs, collapse of building, or breakage of glass. A good amended HOA policy should include these coverage’s.

For your personal property make sure the limit is high enough. I also recommend getting “replacement cost valuation”. This is much better than an “actual cash value” policy that would settle for the depreciated value of your goods rather that the amount needed to buy new items.

Personal liability coverage is usually from $100,000 to $500,000. It is usually inexpensive to increase to $500,000 and that is what I suggest.

To save money on your policy it is usually best to get your home and auto coverage from the same company because there is typically a good discount for this. Your agent should discuss all the other possible discounts available. These may include non-smoker, alarm, newer home, over 55, and more.

Texas residents can visit my Houston homeowners insurance website for more information. Or you are welcome to call my office at 281-537-2700.

Lamb Insurance Agency, Auto, Home, Life, and Business Insurance for Texas - http://Insurance-For-Texas.com/ - AUTO- http://houston-auto-insurance.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glenn_Lamb

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Your Homeowner's Insurance Policy – Dissected: Part 1 of 5

By Krista Farmer

If your homeowner’s insurance policy has been stuck in a drawer, cabinet or just tucked mindlessly away somewhere, it is probably about time to pull it out, shake off the dust and make sure it’s still up-to-date. This article is the first in a series of five articles that will help you decipher your homeowner’s insurance policy.

Who has time to labor through deciphering an insurance policy when the house needs cleaning, the fence needs mending, Fido needs a feeding and the kids need to be driven to soccer practice?

Let’s face it. At the end of the day, the only thing a person wants to read is the newspaper or a good book. Reading one’s insurance policy is surely the last thing on the list of “hot reads.”

While keeping your homeowner’s insurance updated is a dismal task, it is of utmost importance. As discussed in a previous article, not only is it important to purchase homeowner’s insurance, it is just as important to know what that policy covers.

Homeowner’s insurance policies contain several different coverage areas. This article, and some of the next few that follow, will help you make sense of the different sections within your homeowner’s insurance policy.

RESIDENTIAL COVERAGE

The most obvious coverage is protection against damage to or destruction of your residential structure. In other words, if your home is destroyed by a tornado, fire, or whatever your policy covers, the insurance company completely replaces or repairs your home.

In this section of coverage, the most important reason to keep your homeowner’s insurance policy updated is because, in the event of disaster, the insurance company will only reimburse you for what your home is insured for.

For example, you purchased your home and homeowner’s insurance five years ago. It is very likely the value of your home has increased since the purchase date. If you purchased the home insurance policy five years ago and have not updated the policy to the home’s current cost to rebuild, the insurance company will only reimburse you for the price you paid five years ago. So, if you purchased the home for $300,000 and the value has increased to $500,000, you’re losing $200,000 – quite a large sum.

In the end, it is essential to keep your homeowner’s insurance policy updated because you want to be sure your home is insured for 100 percent of the replacement cost. (Some policies automatically update to your home’s current value. Does yours?) While it is easy to let that dust settle over your policy from year to year, keep in mind that putting it aside could cost you much more in the end. Your homeowner’s insurance policy may make heavy reading, but it will be even more burdensome should it be out-of-date.

To read more articles about health, auto, life and homeowner’s insurance, check out http://www.hometownquotes.com/insurance-articles.html

Home Town Quotes, a Franklin, Tennessee company, provides a quick and easy way for consumers to compare multiple insurance quotes. To learn more, visit http://www.hometownquotes.com/.

Krista is the Director of Public Relations for HometownQuotes.com. She received her Bachelor of Science from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. She is a member of PRSA and PRSA Young Professionals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krista_Farmer

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