Buying a home in Albertville or Wayzata, Minnesota may require a certain amount of home insurance to protect your property. Although personal belongings are usually covered in part by a home insurance policy, there are situations when you will want to keep your insurer informed about new purchases that come into your home.

Expensive Purchases

If a purchase is very expensive, then you may want to inform your insurer about the item as soon as you bring it into your home. Give your insurer the details about the replacement cost so that it is noted on your account.

Expensive purchases that may be appropriate to inform your insurer about include electronics, jewelry and furniture. After informing your insurer about the purchase, keep a copy of the receipt and a picture of the item in a safe location so that you can prove that you owned the item if something happens in the future.

Other Purchases

Although it is appropriate to inform your insurer about expensive purchases, it is not necessary to give the details of every item that you bring into the house. Articles of clothing, a pair of shoes or an inexpensive piece of furniture may not require you to inform your insurer about the purchase.

In most cases, the amount of coverage that you have for personal belongings may provide enough funds to handle low-cost purchases that are not specifically identified.

While it is not necessary to inform your insurer about every purchase that you make, it is usually a good idea to mention high-cost items to ensure that the replacement cost of those specific items is covered. Call us to talk to an independent agent today for more information about coverage for personal belongings.

You may be able to get a credit of ten or even twenty percent on your home insurance in Wayzata, Minnesota. Installing a GSM home alarm system will lower the risk of loss from perils such as fire and smoke as well as provide security against home intrusion and burglary.

Any measures that you take to make your home safer and more secure will help your family feel more protected and secure. Smoke detectors and dead bolt locks are a good start, but installing a GSM home alarm system provides an additional level of protection.

GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communication and is basically an advancement in technology from the days when alarm systems worked through telephone lines. Such systems are wireless and use the same technology as your cell phone to communicate. A 24/7 remote monitoring center can alert you to any dangerous condition such as an attempted break-in or the presence of smoke in your home. You can also monitor your home from yourself from, your smartphone or a computer.

All home insurance companies are different, but as a general rule, they all offer some type of discount to homeowners who choose to install a monitored alarm system in their home. Some may also offer a discount for smoke alarms and other devices that are not connected to an independent monitoring system.

While it is still possible to suffer a loss from fire or other problem detected by an alarm system, it is also more likely that the damage or loss will be minimized with early notification. If the police are notified immediately, they may be able to catch the intruder before he has a chance to escape with your valuables. Every minute counts when a fire breaks out and a quick response by the Wayzata Fire Department can minimize the loss.

If you have been considering the purchase of a GSM home alarm system, please give us a call. An independent agent can give you a good estimate of how much you could save in home premium payments by making your home more safe and secure.

When a tree in your yard is causing problems with your neighbor, it may seem like the perfect opportunity to use your home insurance to remove the problem. Although some insurers in Albertville, Minnesota may provide some assistance in certain situations, it is possible that your coverage may not include the removal of trees.

Risky Situations

Although the removal of a tree from your yard may not be covered in every situation, it is possible that your home insurance provider will allow you to make a claim if the tree is in a precarious or dangerous position.

Risky situations, such as when the plant is dying and branches are falling onto your roof or your neighbor’s roof, may allow you to make a claim as a preventative measure against more costly repairs and damages in the future.

Variation on Policies

While some insurers may allow you to make a claim in certain situations, each policy is different and the details of your current homeowner’s plan may vary. Even if the situation is risky, some insurers may not allow you to make a claim to pay for the removal of a tree.

Read your policy thoroughly to determine if you have coverage for the removal of trees or if there are certain situations that will allow you to make a claim. You may have a clause or exception that prevents you from making a claim in some situations.

The ability to remove trees from your yard that are causing problems with your neighbors may depend on the current situation. If you want to learn more about coverage options and details, contact us to talk to an independent agent.

If you own your home and have a business, then you may have heard that you will need to have two separate policies in order to have everything covered properly. Home insurance is designed to cover risk exposures that are related to a person’s personal home. A business will need its own policy in order to be protected correctly. Here are a few reasons why you will need two different policies.

Why You Need Two Policies for Your Home and Business

• A business has a lot more risk exposures that need to be covered by a business policy. Most personal line agents may not write any policies for insurance companies where the applicants home is the place of business.
• A business policy carries a higher liability limit than a normal home policy. In most cases the lower limit starts at one million in coverage and can be increased to cover the increased customer exposure.
• A normal home policy only covers personal belongings so if you have a business in your home, then none of the companies merchandise would ever be covered should there be a total loss.
• Your home policy will have limited coverage for high dollar items. A business policy is more comprehensive in what it covers.

If you live in the Wayzata, Minnesota area and have questions about your home policy or a business policy, then you need to contact your independent agent today. As your agent we can help answer all of your questions that you may have about your insurance options. It’s important that you give us a call so that we can give you specific details for your circumstances and help you get the policy that you need for your business and home.

Identity theft can happen to anyone, even people living along Lake Minnetonka in the small city of Wayzata, Minnesota. Well Wayzata is a nice quiet place to live and everyone is friendly, but, there are evil-doers out there, lurking on the Internet and trying to find ways to steal your identity.

If you use a computer to bank online, make purchases at Amazon, or stay in touch with your friends on Facebook, you are at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. No insurance can protect you 100 percent of the time from having your private information compromised.

The best thing you can do is take as many steps as you can to make it harder for an identity thief to steal your identity. Chang passwords frequently. Don’t open emails from unknown senders. Check your bank and credit card statements to make sure there are no withdrawals or purchases that you don’t recognize. Even with all that, you still are at risk.

Your standard home insurance policy will not cover identity theft, but many home insurers will offer you some protection against the hideous invasion of your privacy by giving you the option to add an endorsement for identity theft to your policy.

An endorsement under your home insurance policy will not reimburse you for the monetary losses you may suffer if someone hacks into your bank account, but what it will do, is pay for the expenses that you incur to restore your identity and credit.

For instance, when you find out that your identity has been stolen, you might want to do things like cancel all of your accounts and open new accounts. It can take a lot of time and be expensive if you have to get a new passport, birth certificate, or driver’s license. You may have to send certified letters to all of your creditors, need notary services and even miss time at work. When you add an endorsement for identity theft, it will cover some, if not all of those expenses.

As your independent agent, please give us a call and we can see if adding this type of coverage to your home insurance policy makes sense for you.

The premium on your Albertville, Minnesota home insurance policy is calculated by assessing the different level of risk associated with insuring your home. Anything you can do that significantly reduces the chance of loss, and thus the need of your insurer to possibly have to pay a claim, can help lower your premium.

For instance, installing an alarm system can make you less susceptible to loss by burglary. Smoke detectors protect against fire and installing storm-resistant shutters can minimize the chance of broken windows and other damage from flying projectiles in a strong windstorm.

While Albertville, Minnesota is not in the path of tropical hurricanes, it is very possible that a big thunderstorm can generate winds with speeds great enough to blow over trees and send branches hurtling through the air. Tornadoes, while fairly rare, are a possibility in the Gopher State.

Storm-resistant shutters that can cover your exposed glass windows, do an excellent job of protecting those windows in severe weather conditions. Such shutters also provide a level of security, making it a little harder for a criminal to gain access to your home.

Insurance companies in Minnesota will reward you for taking proactive measures to help protect your house, and the people inside, from damage or injury as the result of a severe storm. While your premium is not going to change by much just by installing storm-resistant shutters, every little bit helps.

Even if your storm-resistant shutters do not do a perfect job of protecting your home, they will at least mitigate the amount of damage that can be caused by loose- flying debris.

As your independent agent here in Albertville, we would encourage you to have a visual audit done of your house to see if there are ways to make it safer. Give us a call and an independent agent will be happy to review your policy and see if they can find ways you can get some discounts of your home insurance premium.

As much as you love living in Albertville, Minnesota, you do have to accept the fact that winters can be extra cold and you will have to deal with the task of clearing snow from your premises. If you are in good shape and don’t mind doing some hard work, you might be okay getting a shovel and clearing the snow from your front path and driveway.

If you choose to hire someone to clear the snow and ice on your premises, that can run into quite a bit of money over a long winter with frequent snow storms. While it would be nice if your home insurance policy in Albertville, Minnesota covered the clearing of snow, the fact is, your home insurance policy does not cover such costs.

Snow clearing is considered routine maintenance, just like mowing your lawn or pressure washing your patio. If insurance companies were to offer a policy for snow clearing in a snow-prone state like Minnesota, the rates they would have to charge would be outrageous.

While your home insurance policy is not going to cover the costs of removing snow on your paths, patios and driveways, it will cover you if the weight of those snowflakes falling on your roof causes your roof to fail. You can file a claim to get that heavy wet stuff off of your roof and make any repairs that the forces of Mother Nature inflicted on your roof.

If you have been a resident of Minnesota for even one winter, you probably don’t need your independent agent telling you that heavy snow and ice can be dangerous. Even though your home insurance policy provides liability coverage for slip and fall accidents, you still have a duty to make sure your property is as safe as possible. As your independent agent, we would tell you, and every other homeowner in Minnesota, to keep snow off of your roof and walking paths..

If you live in the Albertville, Minnesota area and need to turn in a claim on your homeowner’s policy, think carefully before taking this action. You can call your independent agent in Albertville and discuss your risks. When you make claims on your home there are certain factors that are sure to increase your monthly premium and overall policy cost. Many homeowners do not make claims for fear of raising their homeowners insurance premiums. Speak with your independent agent first, we are here to help you.

Depending on how many claims you make on your home could flag your name in databases, such as CLUE and A-PLUS. Having your name in a database may make it more difficult for you to get homeowners insurance in the future or maintain your current homeowner’s coverage.

The purpose of having this policy is to give you, the homeowner, peace of mind. A homeowner’s policy is available for you to help you replace or rebuild property to its original state. The purpose for homeowner’s coverage is to help the homeowner fix a situation. The homeowner should never abuse their insurance by turning in unnecessary claims.

Claims that are sure to raise premiums and claims that may not be able to be neglected are dog bite incidents, water damages, and personal injury claims, such as slip and fall accidents. Every claim is different with varying details. These details will determine if your premium will increase and how much.

There are some claims that companies cannot charge you for, such as, claims that are considered being natural events. The weather is going to do what it does, and no one can prevent this type of damage. If you need help with your homeowners insurance in Albertville, Minnesota, give your independent agent a call today and we will help you sort out the pros and cons of turning in a claim on your home.

No homeowner ever wants to see unexpected damage, but sadly, it happens more often than you would like to think. Some of the hazards you may face in Albertville, Minnesota include tornadoes, heavy snowfall, thunderstorms, wind storms, and hail. Therefore, you definitely need a comprehensive home insurance policy. Keep the costs low with these tips.

1. Install safety and security features in your home. Insurance companies look at the age of your major systems, whether you have an alarm, the presence of dead bolts on your doors, and whether you have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in key areas. If you don’t have any of these, consider getting them to improve your home’s overall protection against disasters and save money on your insurance premiums.

2. Increase your deductible to the highest amount of money you’re comfortable paying. Most people don’t end up needing to use their home insurance policy, and you’re paying extra to keep a low deductible. Take a look at your savings account and figure out how much you could afford to pay if you needed to make a claim. Increasing your deductible to this amount will decrease your premiums in the meantime, and you can use this money in other areas of your budget or add it to your savings account.

3. Use an independent agent in Albertville, Minnesota to help you shop for the lowest cost policy. Not all home insurance companies calculate their rates the same way, and you can pay significantly different premiums on identical policies. Contact us today to have an independent agent gather comparative quotes for you. It never hurts to check whether your current insurance company is really the best one for your needs. You could save hundreds of dollars each year just by switching to another company.

Buying a good homeowner’s policy is never a chore, simply give your independent agent in Wayzata, Minnesota a call. We are here to make sure we have your future covered when purchasing your new home and will not let important insurance issues slip through the cracks.

Time is of the essence so be sure to have all the information ready for your insurance agent. When you are going through your possible home for purchase, these are the questions that you and your independent agent will need to know.

• How old is the home?
• How many square feet does the house have?
• How old is the plumbing and electrical systems?
• What kind of roof is on the house and how old is it?
• Where is the house located, and the address?
• Have there been insurance claims in the last five years?
• What kind of deductible can you afford?
• Does the home have an alarm system?

A higher deductible on your policy will bring the cost of your premium down. You must find out from your mortgage company what deductible limit they will allow you to purchase. If there is a lot of land to the house and you paid more because of the land, all the insurance company is going to insure is the house, so the value of your purchase may be considerably lower.

Have all information to the independent agent in Wayzata, Minnesota so he/she can consider all possible discounts to lower your premium cost. If you are a senior, over 50 years of age, a discount may apply. If you bundle other things, such as vehicles, a discount is available. Our agent may be able to offer other discounts, so be sure to inquire.

Purchasing a homeowner’s policy is no chore for your independent agent. It is important that you give us a call so that we can give you specific details for your circumstances. We are here to help you.