Category: Home Insurance

Tips for making and storing a home inventory

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Maintaining a detailed home inventory and securely storing it is a task that everyone should prioritize. However, it’s frequently deferred, mainly because it takes time. Who has spare time? However, if you are ever in a situation where you need to utilize it, you’ll undoubtedly be gratified. At Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc., based in Fillmore, NY, as an independent insurance agency, we take our commitment to our customers very seriously.

Before initiating your home inventory, gather a notepad, pen, camera, or cell phone. Capture photos of every room from different perspectives, emphasizing the high-value items. Start with any room you feel most comfortable with. Jot down everything you see and provide as much detail as possible. Details like brand names, model and serial numbers, and purchase dates are invaluable. If you have receipts or invoices for items, attach them to your list.

Remember to open the drawers and closets. Overlooking an item is not an option here. Proceed from one room to another, following the same procedure. If you have them, don’t omit the attic, basement, garage, and shed. Once you’ve completed the inventory, which may take several days, it’s time to decide where to store this crucial document safely.

Storing it away from your home is an ideal option, but if it’s not feasible, ensure that it’s stored in a waterproof and fire-resistant box. Create a copy and ask a friend or family member to keep it safe. Additionally, capture images of it and store them on the cloud, allowing you to access them no matter where you are.

When you need help with home insurance decisions, contact Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. in Fillmore, NY.

Does my home insurance policy cover my work-from-home business?

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Understanding Home and Business Insurance for Home-Based Workers

In an era where full or part-time remote work and side hustles have become commonplace, it’s crucial for everyone to comprehend the importance of financially and legally bifurcating our home and work lives. Home insurance policies offer limited coverage for work-related equipment and paraphernalia, and this blog post aims to explore how to enhance such coverage, especially for those residing around Wellsville and Fillmore, NY. At Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc., we are dedicated to tailoring a home and business insurance plan that fits your unique needs.

Home Insurance and Working from Home

Your home insurance policy prioritizes personal coverage over business-related assets and activities. Typically, most home policies provide up to $2,500 coverage for business assets, a limit often surpassed by small enterprises. If your business assets exceed this amount due to items such as inventory, tools, or office equipment, you should consider adding supplemental coverage.

Options for Additional Coverage

Adding a business property endorsement to the existing home policy is a common approach for self-employed individuals. Should your business assets reach the standard $5,000 endorsement limit, consider elevating it as necessary. Businesses with employees that yield revenues below $250,000 can take advantage of in-home business insurance, which covers property, liability, and other commercial insurance aspects. Businesses with revenue exceeding $250,000 should ponder over a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) that includes commercial insurance elements like Workers’ Compensation and liability coverage for colleagues or customers who might get injured at your home office.

Working with Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc.

The Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. team is always at your service. We proudly serve homeowners and businesses in and near Wellsville and Fillmore, NY. Contact our Fillmore office at 585-207-3066 or our Wellsville office at 585-593-9678 today to schedule an insightful consultation with our seasoned agents.

How Home Insurance Protects Your Home from Common Risks

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Home insurance protects your home and personal belongings in the event of a covered risk. These perils can be included in the main policy, added in an addendum, or covered under an “all perils” policy. The agents at Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. are ready to review your existing coverage to help you understand any potential gaps. If you just bought a home or want to explore your options, we’d love to present additional choices for home insurance in Fillmore, NY.

What Is a Peril?

Peril is an insurance term that means risk or danger. Typically, it’s used to describe losses covered by your home insurance. This may include water damage, theft, fire, and weather events. Although every policy varies, you can also include living expenses, liability, and other coverage options.

In some cases, home insurance includes all perils except those excluded from the policy. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand the type of policy you have, what’s covered, and what’s not. If you live in an area vulnerable to windstorms, vandalism, or theft, for example, your agent might recommend additional coverage. If you have a home loan, your mortgage lender may require specific coverage as well.

The Specifics: Check Your Policy for This Coverage

Dwelling coverage is the heart of your policy and includes the house and attached structures, such as a garage. Meanwhile, other structures insurance handles damage to fences, sheds, and structures not attached to your dwelling.

Most homeowners’ policies reimburse you for losses associated with personal property, such as clothing, electronics, and furniture. Loss of use coverage pays for some expenses if you need home repairs.

Personal liability insurance protects you from legal claims involving damage or injuries suffered by others on your property. Medical payments insurance protects you from financial losses if someone who doesn’t live with you gets hurt on your property. Usually, it also covers injuries caused by your pets.

Talk to your agent regarding the potential risks versus the costs of additional home insurance. For example, flood, earthquake, and sewer backup policies pay for specific damages to your home.

We Can Help!

Contact Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. today to set up an appointment for a free home insurance quote in Fillmore, NY.

Things home insurance won’t cover

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Home insurance allows you to sleep at night. Otherwise, worrying about all the bad things that could happen might keep you awake. In spite of all the things it does cover, home insurance does have exclusions, so you are not quite as safe as you may think. At Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. in Fillmore, NY, we try to make sure all of our customers have the right home coverage and are aware of the exclusions. 

Home Insurance Exclusions

Infestation

If your house is overrun with rodents or being eaten by termites, it can be overwhelming. It is also not covered by your home insurance. This is one of those things that you need to treat before it does any damage. You must maintain your home and get termite treatment, and an exterminator is part of your responsibility as a homeowner to maintain your home. 

Flood

Floods have become a more common occurrence as the climate has been changing. Places that have never seen a flood before have been flooded. The danger is real, and the damage can be devastating. Unfortunately, home insurance won’t cover flood damage to the house or to the content.  If you want to have coverage, you can get it from flood insurance through the NFIP. 

Earth movement

When the earth moves underfoot, whether it is an earthquake, a sinkhole, a mudslide, or a landslide, it isn’t covered by home insurance. You can get an additional policy to take care of these issues. Be sure to ask your insurance agent about it. 

Wear and tear

Home insurance is not designed to cover the normal wear and tear that happens to homes. Things like roofs getting old and furnaces dying. These are things, as a homeowner, you need to budget for because they will happen. 

Give Us A Call

Contact Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc. in Fillmore, NY when you are in the market for home insurance. 

Personalize Your Home insurance

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Home insurance isn’t just one type of insurance. It protects the structure of your home, your content, your assets and provides you with a place to stay if your home is damaged or destroyed. How much insurance you require for each of these areas is what your well-trained insurance agents help you determine. In Fillmore NY, you can count on  Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc to help you to personalize your home insurance. 

What type of content coverage should I have? 

There are two types of content coverage:

  • Replacement cost
  • Actual value

Replacement cost is the amount that it would cost you today to replace anything that you have lost. If it is a 10-year-old stove, you get the money you need to buy the equivalent at today’s cost. 

With actual value, you would get the amount that a 10-year-old stove is worth today, so not enough to replace it with a new one. 

Only you can decide which type makes sense to you. 

What things raise your liability risk?

These days, everyone worries about being sued. Not only the actual suit but getting legal representation can be very expensive. When you own a home you have lots of risks, but there are certain things that increase your risk. One of them is getting a dog. Some dogs are considered such a high risk that insurance companies won’t cover them. If you are adding a new pet, check with your home insurance to make sure you have coverage. Another is getting a trampoline. Every year they cause lots of injuries. If your kids must have one, raise your liability coverage to protect your assets. 

Contact Walker and Associates Insurance Agencies Inc in Fillmore NY when you are looking for an independent insurance agency to help you protect your home.