Home Insurance

3 Reasons Not to Share a Renters Policy with Your Roommate

Posted on by AgentInsure

Sharing a place to live with a roommate can be a great way to save money and resources. Many insurance carriers offer the ability to add two unrelated adults to a single renter’s insurance policy. However, sometimes this isn’t always the best option.

Here are three reasons not to share a renters insurance policy with your roommate.

Reason #1: Connected Together

Probably the most important reason to not share a renters insurance policy with your roommate is that is connects the two of you together. This means that if one person moves away, it could be extremely difficult to remove the other from the contract.

In addition, any claims checks that are received as part of a loss will have both of your names, making it extremely hard to cash if you aren’t speaking or one of you lives far away. By each of you having your own policies, you are treated as individuals and do not have to consult each other before any policy changes.

Reason #2: Personal Property Coverage

Another reason to have separate renter’s insurance policies is the difference in personal property coverage. If you have a lot of stuff and your roommate does not, it is probable that you would want a higher limit. Unfortunately, more personal property coverage means a higher premium. By having individual policies, the two of you can each cover your own items without having to include the other person’s belongings.

Reason #3: Liability Coverage

Another reason to have separate policies is liability. The liability coverage included on a renters insurance policy extends past what happens in your house or apartment. This means that if you share a policy and your roommate accidentally causes injury or damage to someone or their property while away, the claim would be on your record. If you have separate policies, the incident would only affect your roommate individually.

Learn more about renters insurance coverage today. Contact our team at the Advantage Insurance Network for details.

Winter Indoor Fun In Cincinnati, Ohio

Posted on by AgentInsure

When your kids are at home in the wintertime of Cincinnati, it’s important to know more about the indoor fun you can have. Knowing some of the activities that are fun can ensure no one gets bored and starts to complain. There are quite a few ways to have fun, even when cooped up indoors.

Create a Board Game

Forget about the same boring board games that the kids have been playing forever. Instead, let them create a new game to play – and they can borrow from some of the games you may already have.

Make Salt Dough

Whip up a batch of salt dough using salt, flour, water, and oil. It can be colored and formed so kids can create an array of statues, figurines, ornaments, and more. Most recipes even allow you to bake the goodies so they never have to go back into a baggie or can.

Write a Story

Let the kids run wild with their imaginations and write a story. Each kid can write their own or you can suggest that they collaborate on one. It can be a great way to keep them busy for hours, especially if you encourage them to illustrate the entire story as well. You may end up with a new holiday tradition at the end of this winter.

Have a Dance Party

Many times, kids get restless and therefore you need some way of making sure they get some exercise. A dance party kills two birds with one stone because they get their exercise and they have fun in the process. Invite some kids over, crank up the music, and let them go to it.

At Advantage Insurance Network we’re prepared to help you find homeowner’s insurance in Ohio. Call today and learn about the different coverage options, and more.

 

 

Cincinnati Car Care Tips For The Fall

Posted on by AgentInsure

When you live in Cincinnati, it is important to follow a variety of car care tips throughout the year. In the fall especially, there is colder weather and various things you may need to be concerned about. The weather may bring snow, ice, and various other issues on the road. Following a few tips can ensure that you and your car are able to proceed.

Check the Battery

The battery should be checked before the weather gets too cold. Your battery is not going to deal with the cold weather very well and therefore connections need to be tight, clean, and corrosion free.

Inspect the Tires

Inspect the tires for tread depth as well as tire pressure. This will have a significant impact on your ability to drive down the roads, especially as weather gets worse. A gauge should always be kept in your car so that you can check tire pressure on your own.

Schedule an HVAC Inspection

Schedule an HVAC inspection with a mechanic so that you can make sure that the heating system is working properly and that your defroster is capable of clearing the windows.

Make Some Replacements

Now is the perfect time to replace a few things within your car. You may want to replace the cabin air filter so that you are more comfortable. The wiper blade should be replaced so that they can clear away snow, ice, and anything else that may land on your windshield. If you experience a lot of snow and ice where you are driving, specialty tires may need to be placed on your car as well, allowing you to grip the roads better.

At Advantage Insurance Network, we’re here to help you find affordable auto insurance in Cincinnati. Call today and let one of our agents guide you through the process, answering any questions you may have along the way.

 

 

 

 

Think You Don’t Need Renters Insurance? Think Again!

Posted on by AgentInsure

Think you don’t need renters insurance? Think again! There are a variety of reasons why people don’t take out the coverage they need, but many of these ideas just aren’t true. Here are a few things to consider about renters insurance.

Your Landlord Isn’t Responsible for Your Belongings

When surveyed, most people who rent a home or apartment mistakenly believed that their landlord was responsible for their personal items in the event of a catastrophe. The truth is that the person (or company) that owns the building where you live is not responsible for your items. This means that you would have to personally pay to replace that flat screen television set you purchased last year and your grandmother’s fine china if there was a theft, fire, weather event, or some other loss scenario.

For many people, replacing every item owned would be a costly endeavor that they just could not afford to do. By having renters insurance, these items are able to be replaced much more easily and cost effectively. Furthermore, many policies even offer a provision that pays for temporary housing while your landlord fixes any damage to your dwelling that makes it impossible to live in.

Renters Insurance is Actually Quite Affordable

One of the biggest fallacies about renters insurance is that it is expensive. In fact, this is the number one reason why many tenants opt to skip this type of coverage. Most policy premiums are only a few dollars a month and many carriers offer additional discounts for pairing it with your auto policy. In fact, in some circumstances, it is actually cheaper to have auto insurance and a renters policy versus just car coverage alone.

To learn more or to receive a no-obligation quote, please contact our team at Advantage Insurance Network today.

Home Cleaning Tips To Help You In Cincinnati

Posted on by AgentInsure

Cleaning your home in Cincinnati doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task. There are a variety of tips that can save you time and money. As you implement these into your daily chores, you will find that it is easier than ever before to clean your home.

Dusting
Dusting may seem like it’s never ending. When you are dusting fan blades, use an old pillowcase over each blade. The dust will be wiped backwards into the pillowcase so that it doesn’t fall on anything else. When dusting lampshades and various other items, use a lint roller.

Cleaning Hard to Get Stains
When there are greasy prints on your walls, color them with white chalk. Allow them to sit for a few minutes and then wipe off the chalk marks. The grease will go with the chalk. When you have hard water stains on your faucets, fill a sandwich bag with distilled white vinegar and rubber band it onto the faucet. Allow to sit for a few hours and then rinse it off.

Other Tips
You can find plenty of other tips to benefit from as well. Wipe down your flat surface cooktop with car wax so that it’s easier to get grease off in the future. Use shower gel on your bathroom tile to clean up the grout. Use vinegar on your carpets to get stains out, and mist your mattresses with a combination of diluted water and essential oils to sanitize and improve the smell.

Whenever you can use cleaning tips, it will make it easier to keep your home looking great all the time.

Call us at the Advantage Insurance Network today to learn about how to get homeowner’s insurance you can rely on. We’re happy to get you quotes, answer questions, and more.

 

Does Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Cover Equipment Breakdown?

Posted on by Lewis Smith

Homeownership can be tough. Sometimes our most important – and most expensive! – household items can breakdown with no warning. Safeco Insurance offers a unique endorsement you can add to your Ohio homeowner’s insurance policy that can help. “Equipment Breakdown” coverage through Safeco Insurance covers your essential home systems and personal property in the event of an unexpected mechanical or electrical breakdown NOT caused by normal wear and tear or corrosion.

Example: Jane Smith’s home has an air conditioning unit that is five years old. She turns it on and it works fine for the first few weeks of summer. All of a sudden, it stops working. Jane calls a technician who says the unit has a bad compressor and it is going to cost $3000 to replace. Under Safeco’s Equipment Breakdown endorsement, since this is a sudden event and not the result of normal wear and tear, Jane will get the cost of the new unit covered (minus her $500 deductible that comes with this endorsement.) This is not the same deductible as your all peril on your homeowner’s policy and a claim on this endorsement does not count towards your policy.

At about $2 a month, it is a convenient way to make sure your belongings and your budget are covered. Typical household items covered under Safeco’s Equipment Breakdown Coverage are:

Washers and dryers

Computer equipment

Dishwashers

Refrigerators and freezers

Ovens and microwaves

Garbage disposals

Heat pumps

Heating and A/C systems

Electrical service panels

Home security systems

Water heaters

Well water pumps

Sump pumps

Surround sound systems

Swimming pool equipment

Televisions/Plasma/LCD

If you think this is a coverage you need to add to your homeowner’s insurance, call Advantage Insurance Network LLC and get a homeowner’s insurance quote with Safeco today!

Check Your Ohio Homeowners Insurance Deductible

Posted on by Lewis Smith

As spring storms make way for the sunshine of summer, some Cincinnati homeowners are finding damage that these storms have left behind. High winds and hailstorm damage is being found on homes across the area. Some homeowners are surprised to find out they have a homeowner’s insurance deductible that is higher than it was when they signed up for their insurance policy. How could that be?

Over the past several years, some home insurers in the state of Ohio rolled something called a wind/hail percentage deductible on their policy renewals. This means that a policy’s deductible on a wind/hail claim is no longer the $1,000 deductible you signed up with two years ago, but now it is 1% of your Coverage A (Dwelling) amount. Some insurers will allow you to buy back your lower deductible, but oftentimes homeowners do not realize it has been changed until it is too late.

For example: Joe signed a policy with Nationwide five years ago. His house is insured at $275,000 and his deductible at the time he signed up was a flat $1,000. Two years ago, at renewal, his deductible was raised to 1% for wind/hail. His roof sustained damage from a storm that came through this Spring. His wind/hail deductible is now $2,750.

Even worse – the largest writer of homeowners insurance in the state – State Farm has implemented a percentage deductible for all perils to many of their policyholders. Customers that have had $500 or $1,000 deductibles for many years are now finding they have a 1% or even 2% deductible of their Coverage A dwelling amount for any loss sustained.

It is always a good practice to review your insurance documents carefully at each renewal. If you have any questions or would like help finding a policy with a flat deductible, give us a call at Advantage Insurance Network.

Is A Sinking Foundation Something That Could Happen In Cincinnati?

Posted on by AgentInsure

Cincinnati, Ohio is a bustling metropolitan with a lot to offer. Homes can be located within the city or on the outskirts. While some of the homes are older, there has been some new construction as well. Residents can look forward to the ballet, theatre, and a variety of other entertainment options throughout the city.

When you are ready to buy homeowners insurance, you have to know what kind of coverage to be on the lookout for. The standard insurance will protect you against the most common things, such as fire, flood, and burglary.

However, there is the possibility of a sinking foundation. This is when the land around your home gives too much and your foundation starts to collapse. This can affect your porch, the structure of your home, and even create cracks along the walls.

The reason that a sinking foundation occurs varies. Most common reasons include:

– Poor site preparation

– Too much moisture on the land

– Lack of good drainage

Whatever the reason, it is possible to experience such a problem with your home in Cincinnati. This is why it’s recommended that you look for this kind of coverage on a homeowner’s insurance policy. If something like this does happen, you can call the insurance company and file a claim. They will have someone come out to identify what’s going on and get to work on fixing it. All you have to pay is the deductible attached to your policy.

You have to prepare for the unexpected and that’s why homeowner’s insurance is a necessity. You have options and we have agents that will guide you through the process. All you have to do is place the call and we will work to find you the needed coverage in Cincinnati.

Will Homeowner’s Insurance Protect Against Roof Damage?

Posted on by AgentInsure

When you live in Ohio, you’re considered a buckeye. There are many sports teams out of the state, including NFL, NBA, and MLB teams. In addition to sports, there’s a lot of theater, dance, and other forms of entertainment. Fairs and festivals take place year round. With so much to do, it’s no surprise that residents often choose to stay in the state for life.

Having homeowners insurance is a must. You want to protect your home and insurance allows you to do that more effectively. It’s required if you have a mortgage, but even if you own your home free and clear, an insurance policy makes a lot of sense.

If you experience roof damage because of a storm, you’re going to turn to your homeowner’s insurance to pay the claim. The last thing you want to hear is that they are rejecting it because you don’t have that kind of coverage.

Just because you have insurance does not mean they are going to cover everything. Every insurance company is different in terms of what they cover. That means it is up to you to add the coverage that is needed to protect your home to the fullest.

The best thing to do is work with an agent. You want storm protection so that if there’s roof damage, the insurance company pays. We will work to get you that kind of coverage – and get quotes from the multiple insurance companies that work within Ohio.

With multiple quotes comes the ability to see all of your options in a plain and simple way. You can find out who has the best prices and who is going to provide you with the highest level of coverage.

Call us today and let us make sure you have the storm coverage need on your policy in Ohio.

Important Considerations for your Next Homeowners Policy

Posted on by Lewis Smith

Whether you live in Cincinnati, Florence, or Lawrenceburg, there are many to factors to consider when purchasing a homeowners policy.   You need to understand what is covered, what is excluded, what endorsements are available, and how claims will be settled. An independent insurance agent can help navigate all the choices. Here are some important factors:

Replacement Cost versus Actual Cash Value Loss Settlement – Replacement cost and Actual Cash Value are the two main loss settlement options for your home and personal property. It is important to identify which option is included in your policy. Replacement cost coverage is the best option for most homeowners. This option will pay the cost to replace your damaged home or personal property up to your policy limits. The other option is actual cash value. Actual cash value is defined as replacement cost less depreciation.   For example, if your roof was damaged in a hail storm and you had an ACV policy, if the roof cost $5,000 to replace but your roof was 15 years old, then you may only get $2,500 less your deductible.   However, on a replacement cost policy in the same example, you would be paid $5,000 less your deductible.

Common Exclusions that can be Covered by Endorsement – Most homeowners insurance policies have three common exclusions that can be covered by endorsement for an additional premium. These exclusions are: water backup, flood and earthquake. Even though these coverages are typically excluded from your base policy, coverage can be added. You should discuss these options with your insurance agent.

Important Optional Coverages – In addition to your base policy, many companies offer additional coverages that can be purchased. Here are some of the options:

  • Identity Theft Coverage – With all of the data breaches occurring today with major companies like Target and Home Depot, it is important to consider having coverage in place to offer additional protection. Many homeowners insurance companies offer some form of identity theft protection.
  • Schedule Jewelry Coverage or other valuables –Many homeowners insurance policies limit the amount of coverage for valuable items. The best way to cover your valuables, such as wedding rings, is by specifically scheduling them on your homeowners insurance policy. Scheduling the items provided the broadest form of coverage available.
  • Equipment Breakdown Coverage – Some insurance companies offer equipment breakdown coverage for mechanical breakdown of major household items such as furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators, stoves, ranges, dish washers, and more. This is an affordable way to protect big ticket items in your home.

These factors should be discussed with your local insurance agent to be sure you have everything covered properly. The professional insurance agents at Advantage Insurance Network will ask you all of the relevant questions to help identify your needs and customize an insurance package to meet them.   Call us today to discuss your homeowners insurance or visit our website 24/7 at www.myadvantageinsurance.com.