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The world of homeowner’s insurance has so much depth to it, so much so that even seasoned homeowners can get confused and hung-up on what is exactly in a standard homeowner’s insurance policy, and what exactly isn’t! There are certain kinds of coverages that aren’t normally included in a standard policy but that should definitely be considered!

Dwelling Insurance is what you are probably thinking about when you think of the term “homeowner’s insurance”! This is the coverage that protects the structure of your house from wind, lightning, fire, and hail! But keep in mind that flood and earthquakes might not be under this umbrella of coverage! If you live in an area that has been flooded in the past, or has had earthquake trouble—you should consider adding this coverage too!

Personal Property Coverage extends to your physical possessions in your home and is part of a standard policy, if something were to be stolen or destroyed in a covered perilous event it would be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy! But if you have certain high-value items in your home such as jewelry, art, or certain collectables you will likely need to purchase more coverage to prevent gaps in your coverage!

Personal Liability Coverage is used when someone sues you due to getting hurt on your property—and is usually included in a standard policy! It can pay for legal costs and even settlement amounts if needed—and just like other coverages it can have additional coverage added as well! With the increasing costs of medical care and treatment it might be worth looking into increasing your coverage if you have people over to your home regularly!

If you have been shopping around for Homeowner’s Insurance you might have noticed that there are pretty massive differences between companies and how they arrive at their insurance premium quotes!

Insurance premiums and an insurance company’s quotes are determined by different factors such as how old the house is, if your home has a swimming pool—and even the location of the house are all common factors that are put into play! Insurance companies will then use this information to calculate how much it would be to repair your home, how often do people in your area file claims, and other factors to come to their grand total!

Some companies are totally different in how they come to their cost of insuring you—creating an opportunity for big cost differences, and due to this you can pick and choose a company that calculates your insurance quote in your favor! If Company A gives you a high premium every month because of your zip code location, you can shop around until you find Company B that does not factor that into their calculations as much!

Just like with shopping at different stores to find a better price, it is worth it to shop around for insurance quotes! You might be able to find a monthly premium that is easier to handle, but has all the coverage that you want! It’s always worth the time to shop around for something as important as homeowner’s insurance!

While it has been a wild ride this past year working from home, there are a few benefits of this work from home situation that we find ourselves in! In the past, working from home was considered somewhat fo a taboo—where managers would be wary of employees working from home, and employees who felt like they had to over-perform just to keep the peace with the management! But now with a worldwide acceptance of this scenario, a large portion of our global workforce is now working from home and seeing the benefits!

There is no denying that there is a better work-life balance among most of those who are working from home! With commute times plunging from 30 minutes on an expressway into 20 second jaunts down a hallway—it begins to add up! An hour a day in commute over a year can add up to over 200 hours in commute time, which is well over a week that workers are saving on average!

Workers are now able to broaden their horizons by working for companies in other locales! Through remote work, people in a small-town outside of any major metropolitan area can work from home with a high-speed internet connection! Conversely people who were living in expensive areas can now move to a cheaper one while still maintaining their current job—and sometimes pay!

People who work from home have also probably noticed that they are spending less money and saving more than they used to! This can be attributed to using your vehicle less, not picking up food or coffee while going to and from work—and people spend a lot less money on pajama pants than they do with business casual clothing!

There are many more benefits past these and as we go further into this pandemic we are starting to see more benefits pop up too! But with hope now apparent on the horizon, we can start to look forward to the future with happiness in our hearts and past this work from home phenomena!

Now that the cold weather is behind us and in the rearview mirror, it is a smart move to start preparing your home for when the heat of the year begins to arrive! By taking just a few steps and a little time out of your day you can be prepared for when the thermostat starts to edge into the 80s and 90s and it’s too hot to do housework outside!

Check Your Front Door!

The changes in temperature through the year can make your door’s weather stripping and caulking not fit the way it is supposed to! Before tightening your door hinges to cover your gaps, make sure the caulking and weatherstripping is still good enough to keep using!

Repair Walkways!

If you had any snow or ice on the ground over the winter there is a chance that bricks, tiles, or pavers may have shifted—this can be a tripping hazard for yourself and others! Be sure to inspect, adjust or replace any bricks or pavers that might have come loose every year to prevent accidents!

Check Your Windows!

Just like other objects on this list, you should check your windows to see if they are able to open and close properly, and if there is any escaping air when closed! The expansion and contraction of the glass and surrounding materials might have caused a small gap—and it is worth it to cover these up when it gets really hot!

There are many other things to look over after each winter as a homeowner! If you keep a good eye out around your house and keep up with maintenance you will be able to enjoy your summer so much more—worry-free and without breaking the bank!

If you are a homeowner and reading this, you should be extremely proud of yourself for doing something that is very challenging, yet incredibly rewarding as well! With that being said, you probably have already experienced some of the “joys” of being a homeowner such as the never ending amount of projects, finding surprises in your home—both good and bad, and having a place that you and your family can call home!

But there are a few things that are not really touched upon in the day-to-day life of being a homeowner, such as ways to save on Homeowner’s Insurance! So to help you out, we have made a list of things that most homeowners probably have not heard about until now!

1. Go Independent
   If you are looking for the best rate on your Homeowner’s Insurance you need to shop around, and the best way to do that is with an independent insurance agent who’s free to look at different companies for you! Think of it this way, if you wanted to look around for a good car for a good price you can’t just walk into a single dealership that sells one brand and expect to know what a good deal looks like! Shop around!
2. Water Damage Might Not Be Covered
   It is worth it to see what kinds of water damage is covered in your homeowner’s insurance policy, a lot of coverages will only cover water coming from inside your home or if a storm created an opening for water to come in—but some instances such as flood and water main bursts might not be covered! Be sure to ask your agent about these additional coverages if you live in an area that is prone to storms or pipe bursts!
3. Keep Your Home’s Inventory Up To Date
   If something were to happen to your home and your personal belongings you might not be able to remember what to claim, or be able claim everything you owned since there was no inventory to go off of! You want to do this every year and let your insurance agent know what else you accumulated throughout the year—and funny enough, this is often a step that is overlooked by even the most diligent of homeowners!

Owning a home is a very rewarding and worthwhile experience, and despite the many steps you have to take, it doesn’t have to be hard! If you ever feel confused about something or have questions about your homeowner’s insurance policy give your agent a call for help!