As the new year begins, you may be evaluating different home improvement opportunities around your home.  When reviewing your home for needed repairs, upgrades, and yearly maintenance; also take some time to speak to your agent about your current homeowners policy, the carriers underwriting guidelines, and how you can increase your peace of mind while, possibly, lowering your premium.  Sometimes things which seem fine to the homeowner may be considered potential hazards to insurance companies. Here are some items to consider:  Roof: If your roof is older it has experienced more wear and tear than newer roofs. Thus, older roofs are more likely to have leaks during a rainstorm. They might even blow off during powerful tornados or hurricanes. Consider replacing your roof after approximately 15 years if a shingle roof or 25 years if a tile roof, the general lifespan of roofs. Maintaining your roof in good condition may help avoid severe damage to your home should a covered loss ...

If you have ever wanted to find ways to lower your home insurance premium or find additional discounts to your premium, consider adding additional security to your home. All insurance policies are different so be sure to speak to your agent about the cost-effectiveness of installing one of these devices in your home. However, consider the following to potentially save money and protect yourself and your belongings. Smoke Alarm: Adding a device which can alert you of some potential dangers such as a fire or a dangerous gas, can keep you safe. This alarm will let you and all others in the house know when there is a risk and allow time for you and your family to evacuate safely. Security System: Burglaries can happen anywhere and at any time. By installing a monitored security system, you can add to your peace of mind. A monitored security system allows for the alarm to go off for a longer period of time while officers arrive at your home. Installing this may not only keep your family and p ...

It’s the start of the new year, which can bring about many changes. One way many try to change is by creating New Year’s resolutions as a way of improving themselves.  Should you be looking for a resolution this year, try out being more organized.  Mountains of paperwork, bills, receipts, and countless other documents, stay cluttered on our desks or in our bags. The experts at Good Housekeeping advise the best way to keep track of all your important documents is to sort and keep them easily accessible.    Start by grabbing your piles of papers and decide whether you should keep it, or if it can be destroyed. Typically, paperwork and credit card statements over one year old can be discarded. After you have your assortment of documents you do not need, be sure to shred them before you throw it away. Whether you have a shredder or are doing it manually, be sure your personal information is left on the document to prevent identity theft.   The next step is to ...