Homeowners Insurance

Cue the ominous music. Tax season is almost here. While you can’t officially file your taxes with the IRS until January 27th, plenty of people are already getting their documents in order for tax season. Part of the challenge of each tax season is determining what you can write off and what you can’t. While we’re no substitute for advice from your financial planner or accountant, we do have one tip for the upcoming tax season to share with you. There are some circumstances where you can deduct homeowners insurance on your taxes. Let’s dig a little deeper into which circumstances and the questions you’ll want to ask your accountant for both this year and years to come.

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Another Thanksgiving holiday is here, but before you open that nice bottle of wine, let’s talk some safety. It’s certainly not the most exciting topic, but it’s one you’ll want to give some thought to this season. Kitchen and house fires skyrocket the day of Thanksgiving all over the country, and if you want to avoid an expensive claim, you should be practicing kitchen safety this Thanksgiving. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association notes that Thanksgiving is the peak day for cooking fires. This goes for cooking both indoors and outside. This time of the year always presents a stern reminder that cooking with a turkey fryer can be a dangerous venture. So let’s keep our friends and family safe around the dinner table and out of the emergency room with these safety tips for the season.

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We all know homeowners insurance is a big part of your insurance portfolio, be it your first home or your retirement home. Homeowners insurance protects potentially your biggest investment, and getting your coverage right can save you should the worst happen. On the other hand, getting your insurance coverage wrong can cost you – and we’re talking big time. The best way to protect yourself now and years to come is to identify your homeowners coverage gaps. Doing so before you actually need to file a claim is the only way to ensure you’re covered from the worst. Let’s learn more about homeowners coverage gaps and how to close the ones most important to you.

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So far this year in Colorado we’ve been generally lucky when it comes to the big spring hail storms we all fear. A few areas have been hit to be sure, but not with the devastation of previous years. Even so, we’re not out of the woods yet, and fingers crossed the big one isn’t around the corner. Even in the summer, Colorado can create some pretty nasty weather. When it comes to Colorado storms and homeowners insurance, there are several things you should know before the next storm ever hits. Let’s take a look at how to protect yourself and what to do if bad weather strikes in your area this year.

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Let’s say you’re new to Denver or the surrounding area. You finally find an affordable home in an area you like after an exhaustive search. Your next order of business – find the best home insurance for your new property. The search for home insurance can feel like it is just as difficult your recent foray into the real estate market. After all a quick web search usually uncovers hundreds of listings, all promising to find you the best price and best coverage options. So what do you do, pick the first option that sounds good and go with it? Of course not! Here are some tips to help you find the best home insurance for your individual needs.

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Your dwelling needs can change from year to year. Depending on your job, family, location, and more, your housing needs, and the insurance that accompanies it, can change, sometimes unexpectedly. Aside from the initial upheaval of moving and adjusting to new surroundings, you’ll need to adjust your homeowners insurance as well. In some cases, you may need to change to renters insurance, or even add condo insurance. Let’s take a closer look at upsizing or downsizing your insurance and how your homeowners needs change.

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Every winter, the holiday season prompts homeowners around the country to set out decorations. While Christmas lights and similar items are the most popular decorations you’ll see in your neighborhood, a close second is that of Halloween decorations. From ghostly white sheets hanging from trees to the ever-popular jack-o-lantern displays, there are a lot of options out there that help your house stand out from other displays on the block. While Halloween is a season filled with tricks and scares, one scare that you should never have to contend with is a homeowners insurance claim on Halloween. Before the popular holiday hits, let’s look at how to avoid claims on Halloween.

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If you’re a Colorado resident, hail damage has absolutely impacted you in the past couple years. Wait, you say you were lucky enough to avoid any damage or insurance claims as violent hail storms have hit the state? Unfortunately they have still impacted you, at least your auto and homeowners insurance rates. If you’re a Colorado resident, there is no denying that you have to grapple with the risk of hail storms every spring. We also have to come to grips with the fact that the costs of each hail season are soaring. Most estimates place damages around 10 billion each year for the last decade. Let’s dig deeper into why hail damage costs continue to rise and what homeowners can do about it.

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Homeowners insurance exists to cover a variety of claims. These include liability claims like dog bites or property loss claims like those sustained after a burglary. However the biggest claim any homeowner hopes they’ll never have to deal with is that of damage to their home after a disaster. This can come in many forms from fire to flood or other circumstance. Whatever the disaster, it’s important to always keep in mind that you can recover. Let’s look at how to recover after a disaster and key steps of the process.

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Insurance claims are an inevitable part of owning a home, and part of evaluating homeowners coverage is determining how often on average you can expect to file a claim. While we certainly don’t have a crystal ball when it comes to claim frequency, we do have the history of previous claims to draw upon. These estimates can give you a rough idea of how often you can expect potential claims to arise. This in turn can help you determine your ideal insurance deductible. It can also be helpful in long term financial planning and help you avoid future claims altogether. So if you haven’t already, it’s time to ask – how often are homeowners claims filed on average?
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