When most consumers think of insurance for their home, they are thinking of 3 traditional types of protection. Homeowners insurance protects the actual building, property, and contents against loss or damage, and may provide some liability protection. A product called private mortgage insurance, or PMI, is usually sold with a home mortgage, and it is used to make mortgage payments to the lender, and so, it protects the lender, and may be required by the loan company. Another product, called mortgage insurance, or mortgage life insurance, is actually a term life policy which is purchased to pay a home off if the borrower should pass away.
However, many consumers want to protect their ability to pay their home mortgage off in case they should lose their job. So when they are looking for mortgage insurance or home insurance they are not looking for the traditional products at all! And some people are wised to be concerned, and to want to protect their homes. After all, US statistics show us that over one third of home foreclosures are caused by a loss of income. Furthermore, the numbers also tell us another thing. Most Americans will be unemployed a couple of times in their working lives. Since the loss of income can cause huge financial products, and since an unemployment period will happen to most of us, it is prudent to protect ourselves.
Many employees do qualify for state unemployment benefits, but the average amount of US state unemployment benefits is less than $400 a week. This is not enough money to keep most families current on their bills, mortgage, and other obligations, like putting groceries on the table.
Some workers plan to save so they can cover themselves during a period of job loss. And of course, we all should have a few months worth of income in the bank so temporary job losses do not ruin us financially. However, months of savings can get wiped out with one car repair or medical bill, and depleted savings do not always get replaced as quickly as they should. On the other hand, having a bill to pay ever month, for the security of knowing that cash will come in during a the time between jobs, works out better for many working people.
A supplemental or private layoff protection plan can provide peace of mind for a few dollars a month. It pays cash to the plan owner, so that person an use the money to pay the most urgent bills and obligations. The plan benefits the consumer, and not just the loan company. Many of the older credit protection plans are designed to only protect the lender by making payments on a loan or bill.
Some plans pay benefits of up to $2,000 a month, so this benefit can actually cover a mortgage, keep the electricity paid, and buy food for many people. If a person has a private layoff protection plan, they can choose to defer bills that are less urgent, and to pay those bills that need to be current every month. It is a consumer driven credit protection plan that pays cash to the plan member.
Posts Tagged ‘ Homeowners Insurance ’
How can you tell that you really need home insurance? Well, if you’re not planning any illegal things like insurance scam (which is definitely not a good idea, especially these days), it will be really hard to predict any situation when you will actually need some insurance coverage for protecting your house. Until, of course something bad happens and you will need the money to pay for the damage. However, there’s a range of circumstances that make an insurance policy for your house a really welcome if not necessary addition to your paperwork portfolio.
The following are the most typical events that will make having home insurance a necessity unless you have a lot of money and can rebuild your home from scratch without worrying about finances.
Fire
Fire is definitely one of the most hazardous of perils that can happen to a house. It has the potential to completely destroy an entire building within minutes and there’s a very little chance that any of your personal belongings will survive it. Fire is very hard to control and it can happen any time, with most cases of fire being reported when the home owner is actually away. It can be a spark from a malfunctioning home appliance or a cigarette butt that lights up a pile of dry leaves that you’ve left in your front yard. And the moment you arrive home you find nothing but a pile of ashes instead of all of your belongings. A standard home insurance policy provides protection against any forms of fire.
Flood
Living in an area with no large bodies of water nearby doesn’t mean that you don’t have the risk of having flood damage in your house. Things like heavy showers, bad water pipes and even a broken washing machine can flood your house and damage a large part of your belongings beyond repair and restore. Sometimes, the damage from flood can be much worse that that caused by fire. Standard home insurance policies do not carry coverage against flood damage and you will have to purchase such a policy as a weaver to your current one or buy it separately.
Earthquake
Earthquakes are certainly the hardest to predict and hardest to protect against of all natural disasters. An earthquake can destroy an entire town or city within just a few minutes, turning even the most durable of constructions into a pile of dust. And the best thing you can do during an earthquake is to stay away from your house that can collapse over you. Standard insurance policies include coverage against earthquakes, too. However, in order to make sure you will also be paid for the lost belongings you should have an inventory of all the items (especially valuables and electronics) with detailed information on every piece that can further be used for reimbursing the cost of all the lost belongings.
There are other circumstances that can also be a threat to your house and you want to have coverage against them. Having tornado insurance in an area where they are common is definitely a must. However, keep in mind that no one is imposing you to have home insurance, It’s a decision choice that can save you a lot of money and time in case something bad happens to your house.
It’s clear that insuring your home is a must if you are worried about your house and want to protect your property against different situations. Getting your home insured gives you some peace of mind and certainty that is particularly welcome in situations like fires, storms, floods, theft and other unpleasant accidents. However, most insurance buyers don’t quite know what exactly their policy covers, how much coverage they can expect and how to cut their insurance costs if they feel that the policy is too expensive for their wallet.
How much insurance coverage do I really need?
There are two main factors you have to consider when trying to answer this question:
- Replacement costs of your house. This is the amount of money you would need to restore or rebuild your house if it were damaged or destroyed. The best way to learn this is to multiply your square footage over the current local construction costs. Try asking different construction companies to determine the latter.
- Replacement costs of your property. The most effective way to learn the exact replacement costs of your belongings is to make an inventory of all the items in your house with the exact purchase value of each item. This inventory will be particularly useful when filing a claim, so try to make it as accurate and detailed as possible.
What does homeowners insurance cover?
A standard homeowners insurance policy carries coverage against damage delivered in situations like:
- Hail and windstorms
- Explosions
- Firestorms and lightning strikes
- Burglary and acts of vandalism
- Smoke and plumbing leaks
The policy will also pay for the medical costs if someone other than you or your family member is injured on your territory. And it will cover your living expenses if you have to move to another place while your house is being repaired or rebuilt.
Homeowners insurance may provide coverage against other perils such as floods or tornadoes, but you will have to buy a separate policy in order to get this type of coverage for your house.
How to economize on home insurance?
There are different methods you can use in order to cut down your costs:
- Improve your credit rating and try to keep the record as clean as possible. Those who have poor credit scores pay higher premiums for all types of insurance and homeowners insurance is no exception.
- Opt for discounts. It never hurts to ask your insurance provider about discounts, but it may turn out that they are quite easy to obtain. Most insurance companies provide incentives to those who install security features, fire and smoke alarms, or improve the safety of their houses.
- Raise your deductibles to the amount you can afford to pay upfront. Deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before insurance coverage kicks in. The higher the amount of deductible the lower is your premiums. However, make sure you can afford to pay the specified deductible if something happens to your house.
- Shop around to get a competitive offer. Insurance rates for the same house can vary dramatically from one company to another. Try to get as any quotes from different providers as possible before purchasing the actual policy. You will be surprised to learn how different the rates may be sometimes.
Myth: Standard policies will pay for flood damage.
Fact: None of standard insurance policies will cover any damage resulted from a flood. In case you have the need for flood coverage you should purchase it separately or include it as a weaver to your standard policy.
Myth: The medical payment coverage included in the insurance policy will pay for my and my family’s medical costs.
Fact: This type of coverage will pay for the injuries that someone other than you or your family members (guests, neighbors, visitors, etc.) had sustained while being on your property. However, your homeowners coverage won’t take effect if it’s you or someone else from your family. In such a case standard health insurance plans are employed.
Myth: In case my house is devastated the insurance company will pay as much money as I tell them my house was worth.
Fact: If it occurs that your house gets devastated due to a various reasons (explosion, fire, tornado, etc.) the insurance company will only cover your lost items and the house itself if you provide all the necessary information such as purchase price and serial numbers of all the items that were lost. Of course, it’s impossible to provide such information from memory after the house was destroyed. That’s why your insurance agent is likely to recommend you having an inventory of all the items (especially valuable ones or equipment) stored in your house, and having a copy of it in different places. This way you make sure that you will be covered to the right extent and the insurance company assures that there is no fraud with your claim.
Myth: If my house gets robed things like jewelry will also be paid for.
Fact: It is true that such valuables like jewelry are covered with your homeowners insurance. However there are limits to the amounts the policy will cover such things, with most insurance companies putting a cap of $1500 on all the valuables that are lost due to fire or burglary. In case you think that it’s too little to cover the actual value of your jewelry or furs you should buy additional coverage for such items.
Myth: I should lower my coverage if I want to get cheap home insurance.
Fact: Saving money doesn’t necessarily imply that you have to cut down the most important aspects of insurance coverage. The whole purpose of having an insurance policy is to be adequately covered in case of damage delivered to your house. You can use other more effective methods of cutting your insurance costs such as installing security and fire alarm systems in your house, or getting your home insurance from the same provider as auto or health insurance. This will usually give you great discounts.
Myth: Can I use the purchase value of my house as the dwelling coverage amount when defining the amount of insurance coverage for my policy?
Fact: It’s the most common mistake the homeowners make when purchasing insurance for their house. The main catch is that the purchase value of your home is comprised of both the value of the house and the land it’s built on. And it’s evident that in case of a fire, storm or any other even that might destroy your house, the value of the land should not be reimbursed. That is why you should use the replacement value of your house as the dwelling coverage for the insurance policy. The easiest way to calculate the replacement value is to multiply the square footage by the construction costs in your area.
Mar
For most of us purchasing a home is the biggest investment to mike during the whole lifetime. And it’s reasonable that such an important investment needs reasonable coverage. That’s why you need homeowners insurance.
What’s included in homeowners insurance?
In case you finance your house purchase through a mortgage, your lender is most likely to require you buying basic homeowners insurance. The basic homeowners insurance includes coverage against the following risks:
- Theft
- Fire and lightning
- Smoke
- Frozen pipes
- Ice and snow
Basic insurance policies also include liability coverage for cases when someone is injured in your house. In case there are legal actions taken against you it will also pay for court fees. Basic insurance will also cover your costs in case it’s impossible to live in the house due to fire or any other damage.
What’s left out of coverage?
To learn what is not included into the coverage you should read through your policy, especially the Exclusions part. Things not covered by standard policies vary from one company to another, but most likely they will include damage due to earthquake, flood, nuclear accident, war, act of terrorism and similar. Still, you can purchase additional coverage for such events to be included into your home insurance policy. Wear and tear damage is never included into the policy because it’s considered to be maintenance, which is the owner’s sole responsibility.
How much coverage do I need?
When buying a house through mortgage loan your lender will require you to purchase minimum home insurance coverage (which is usually the purchase value of your home). However, it’s usually not the amount of coverage to meet your insurance needs. Instead, try calculating how much money it would require to rebuild your house entirely and use this amount as the base for getting the right coverage amount. Speak to your agent when completing the insurance policy to calculate the exact amount, or even run a full inspection for qualified appraisal.
Typically, liability limits are around $100,000, however it’s too little to protect your assets in case of legal action. You may opt to raise your limits up to $500,000 for an additional price. Sometimes it may be useful to get umbrella coverage, which pushes your limits beyond $1 million, however such coverage is typically offered only when you have both your auto and home insurance from the same carrier.
Money saving tips
Of course homeowners insurance can be quite costly sometimes. Especially when you have many items under additional coverage. In order to keep the coverage you need while still having reasonable rates you might want to consider raising your deductibles first. Deductibles are the amount of money you will have to pay out of your own pocket for the damage before the insurance policy kicks in. and the higher is that amount the lower will be your premium. The usual deductible within standard policies is $250. Try raising it to $500 or even $1000, and your rates will go down by up to 15%.
Another good way to make your home insurance cheaper is installing security features such as alarm or video, special locks and so on. This way you protect your assets and the insurance company is likely to give you a good discount for that.