Posts Tagged ‘Insurance’

Now that hurricane season is upon us it is important to remember, that a detailed list of all your belongings big or small, can be a lifesaver in the event that your home is ever lost or damaged by a hurricane, flood, fire, or any other natural disasters.

When homeowners lose everything in a disaster, they assume their home homeowners insurance will cover everything that has been lost, or damaged.  The truth is that without documenting all your belongings, you may never recover all of your losses. 

When it’s time to file an insurance claim, your claim is only as strong as your inventory list.  All homeowners should keep a list or video record of items in your home.  The record or inventory list should have everything from bed sheets to clothes and furniture.

Good record keeping is critical and does not have to be complicated.  A basic pen and paper list will work and can be stored in a safety deposit box or other secure locations.  With today’s technology online storage is also an effective way to keep track of your belongings, and there are plenty of websites that offer online storage for a small fee or sometimes even for free.  Your inventory list can be stored on remote servers, so you can keep track of your inventory and access your information from anywhere at any time.

Wind Insurance

If you live on Anna Maria Island and you have a home built prior to 2002 there is a good chance that you are paying way more than you need to on wind insurance. Due to Anna Maria Island being in a wind zone most builders used methods to lower the risk of wind damage when constructing homes. Just yesterday I visited a home built prior to 1965 and the home was eligible for at least a 25% reduction on their wind insurance.

Lets first discuss the details of what an Anna Maria Island, Sarasota, Longboat Key or Bradenton home owner should look for. First thing is to review the openings in your home. Have the windows and doors been updated since the home was constructed? If so, there is a good chance the wind rating on your openings are much improved compared to the rating the wind insurance company has used when calculating your wind insurance premium. There are a few more details that can help your wind insurance premium, is your under-layment for your roof plywood and secured with 8d nails? Do you have a newer roof with secondary underlayment and a hip or gable roof? If yes you are probably eligible for a insurance discount.

Lastly, the most important search of all. Go up to your home’s attic where you

Clips = Discount

can see the rafters. Review how your roof rafters are tied into the walls of your home. If you can see metal clips that are nailed into the rafter better tying the rafter to the exterior wall then you have a very high chance you are eligible for a wind insurance discount!  See diagram to the right.

Unfortunately you cannot just fill out a form and send it to your insurance agent and expect your discount. However, it is still pretty easy. Call a wind mitigation expert and they will come out and in a half an hour the wind construction expert will have everything they need to send in a report for your property. I have a great contact that will guarantee a discount on your wind insurance after their inspection or the $100 inspection fee will be waived. Just contact me for additional information.

So, climb up in your roof and check for tie straps. If you have tie straps contact me for a wind mitigation expert and lets get your wind insurance reduced. One other aid is the State of Florida wind survey that helps give you a guide of how much you could save on wind insurance.

The state of Florida is providing a FREE service to assist single family home owners with reducing your wind

Home Insurance

insurance. The impact can be found to be the most in coastal communities such as Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, etc…

It’s very easy, get your wind insurance policy handy and go to this web site to sign up for a free inspection. Inspection schedules are filling up fast so be sure to sign up sooner rather than later. An inspector will come out to your Single Family Floridian home for free and give you suggestions on improvements that will save money on your wind insurance. Sure…you might get lucky and find that your home is already eligible for reductions WITHOUT improvements.

My safe Florida can be reached toll free within Florida at 866 513-6734 or visit their web site where you can fill out an electronic request.