Personal Insurance

Early fall is the right time to get your yard and house in order because come winter, small problems can turn into expensive nightmares. Consumer Reports’ money-saving checklist covers everything from fallen leaves to your furnace. And many of these fall chores cost little more than time and effort.

Realizing your dream of homeownership is more possible than ever with prefab homes. Finding out which one is right for you is a matter of cost, location, and customization. In addition to determining what kind of home suits your lifestyle and goals best, there are other factors to consider, including hiring reliable contractors to build and maintain your property and finding the right homeowners insurance.

Generally speaking, a home warranty contract will cover most appliances that fail because of normal wear and tear. Typically, these will include kitchen appliances, water heaters, washers and dryers. If you own a home with older appliances, a home warranty can save you money in costly repairs. But there are a lot of things that a home warranty often won't cover

Water damage wreaks havoc on your home both structurally and financially. Worst of all, home water damage is very common, as claims related to water damage account for nearly half of homeowners’ claims. Fortunately, installing a user-friendly leak detection device is becoming a standard practice for homeowners, allowing you to prevent or mitigate water damage repair costs.

It’s difficult to imagine a world without the possibility of endless content to stream, download, share with your family members or send to your friends. The constant use of connected devices has opened the door to new entertainment, career opportunities and livelihoods. However, these same connected devices can also expose you to the threat of cyber attacks, hackers and security breaches.

For many of us, buying a home will be the single biggest financial milestone we hit. Owning a home can drastically improve your quality of life, and it can seem especially appealing now that many of us are working from home and expanding our families. But now, the world as we know it has drastically changed. The coronavirus pandemic is making a lot of dreams feel out of reach, but if you’re wondering if you should put your goal of buying a home on hold, here are some things to consider.

Ice, snow and wind can have devastating consequences to your home—and to your household budget. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to avoid the expense and inconvenience of winter damage—and even help you save on heating costs. Get started when the leaves begin to turn so your home is well prepared when the cold, harsh weather hits.

Few cold-weather maladies are more irritating than frozen pipes, but what exactly causes them? During the drop in temperature, water may freeze inside plastic pipes, which causes it to expand and pressurize. Not only can frozen pipes prevent water from flowing properly, but they can potentially burst and cause flooding to your home.

If disaster strikes, you'll want enough homeowners insurance to rebuild the structure of your home, to help replace your belongings, to defray costs if you're unable to live in your home and to protect your financial assets in the event of liability to others. Use these guidelines to help determine the coverage and amounts you need.

While spring is a common time for many homeowners to spend some extra attention on upkeep and maintenance, autumn is just as critical a season for preparing your home to withstand the potentially harsh winter weather and temperature conditions that may await you.

A common insurance claim in winter months is water damage caused by ice damming. These 'dams' are just that, they are blockages of ice that can form just about anywhere on your roof and they prevent water from flowing off your roof. This water then begins to go backwards up beneath your shingles.