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The Gibbs Team

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September 28, 2022 By

4 Upgrades to Save on Renters Insurance

Renters insurance is relatively inexpensive, costing between $15 and $30 per month, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For less than $1 per day, renters can protect all of their possessions and not be held liable for an accident in their rental home.

Even themost miserly renters can save on renters insurance by adding safety features to the property they’re renting. Here are four upgrades insurers may offer discounts for:

Smoke Detectors
Landlords should already have smoke detectors installed in rental units. Most states require them by law, so if your rental doesn’t have them, ask your landlord to buy smoke detectors and install them. Smoke detectors alert you to a fire quicker, hopefully giving you time to get outside to a safer location, or to possibly put out the fire quickly and minimize property damage.

Three out of five home fire deaths are from fires in properties without working smoke alarms, and 37 percent are from fires where no smoke alarm was present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half when a smoke alarm is working.

Fire Extinguishers
Insurers may also offer discounts for having a fire extinguisher that’s working. One in a kitchen can keep a stovetop fire from spreading to your other possessions. They should be checked monthly to ensure they’re working, and the extinguisher should be easy to get to and not blocked in a closet by coats or anything else.

Deadbolts
If a burglar tries to pick the locks on your doors, a deadbolt can add an extra line of defense for a few dollars. The high volume of foot traffic in apartment complexes can increase the chances of a break-in. Add deadbolts to front, back and side doors.

Security System
A home security system can be as expensive as you want to make it. You can hire a professional alarm company to install a burglar alarm and other forms of surveillance, or you can install video cameras yourself. An around-the-clock security system can alert tenants and police to harm and can prevent the loss of your property.

Whatever upgrades you’re considering adding, first discuss them with your landlord and point out that not only will they save you money on renters insurance, but also likely save money on homeowners insurance for the property for having the extra safety measures.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

September 27, 2022 By

Determining Your Condo Insurance Needs

Buying a condominium can be a smart start to being a homebuyer, without many of the maintenance hassles of owning a detached home.

Insurance through the homeowner association, or HOA, covers some areas of the complex, though each homeowner must have their own insurance to cover certain parts of their property and their belongings.

Heres a breakdown of how condo insurance works:

Group insurance: Condo association insurance usually covers common areas, such as a pool, lawn and building exteriors.

This insurance is called the master policy and doesnt include whats inside your condo unit ” such as a break-in, water damage to your kitchen walls, or someone slipping on your wet bathroom floor.

Condo unit insurance: Everything inside the walls, such as the plumbing and electrical wiring, is covered by your individual insurance policy, though some master policies may cover from the paint on the inside of your unit to the outside walls.

An individual homeowners insurance policy will also cover your belongings that you keep inside your condo, along with any fixtures or improvements you make to your unit.

When valuing your possessions, consider the replacement cost in todays dollars for new items, not what they originally cost. Some policies only reimburse for actual cash value, which is the depreciated value, and not the total replacement costs.

Insurance coverage for personal belongings and the physical building typically range from $25,000 to $100,000, with premiums at $400 to $600 per year. Owning artwork or other collectibles could require additional coverage.

Liability coverage included in condo insurance will typically cost $20 a year for $300,000 in liability coverage.

Loss-assessment insurance: This covers insurance expenses not covered by the condo association, or in excess of the group coverage. You may need it if the condo association insurance doesnt cover a major repair and the HOA doesnt have enough money to pay for the repair. Instead of paying extra for the fixes, your loss-assessment coverage would cover you.

Loss of use: This type of insurance pays for a place for you to stay if your unit is totaled or severely damaged by a tornado or some other disaster. Coverage may be limited to a dollar value or your actual costs for a specified time.

When determining how much insurance you need for your condo, start with your condo associations master policy and then fill in the holes from there. This real estate information will help ensure your investment and your belongings are well protected.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

September 27, 2022 By

5 State-of-the-Art Features for a Secure Home

These cutting-edge security features will ensure your property is prepared for anything!

Biometric Keypad

With biometric keypads, all of your doors can be set to automatically lock and simply require your fingerprint to open.

Home Firewall

Installing a firewall provides an extra layer of protection to any online vulnerabilities.

Safe Room

A fortified safe room can serve as shelter from a natural disaster or extra defense in the event of a home intrusion.

Perimeter Surveillance Radars

Perimeter surveillance is worth considering for large estates in more remote settings.

Art Collection Protection

Installing sensors that monitor any activity within close proximity is a great way to keep your art safe.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

September 26, 2022 By

3 Home Products That Aren’t Worth the Money

Investing in your home and the items in it just makes sense. After all, you spend a lot of your time there and want to have the best experience possible in your space. However, once you start buying home items to make your life easier, its easy to go overboard. Save your money by avoiding these three home products that just arent worth the money.

One-Use Gadgets
Sure a cake pop maker or a quesadilla cooker may seem fun in the moment, but a clunky gadget taking up space on your kitchen counter or in your cupboards is a lot less fun. Save your money and opt for items that can achieve your desired goal and have other uses. For instance, a grill press with interchangeable plates can make that toasty quesadilla as well as grilled chicken, hamburgers and other delicious treats.

Expensive Organizing Solutions
The key to true organization is having less stuff. Try decluttering before spending all your hard-earned cash in the bins and totes section of your local office supply store. After youve culled your belongings, you can then look into the best organizing solution; its often a lot more simple than you think.

Top Dollar Tools
Power tools and handheld tool kits often get the job done no matter their price point. For the average homeowner who does an odd job here and there, youll have no need to spend hundreds on a professional-grade tool. In fact, even the avid hobby builder is unlikely to need more than the standard hardware-store option. Save funds by opting for the baseline tools and upgrade only if needed.

Some products in your home make sense to invest a lot in. The key to keeping your savings high and your home clutter-free is knowing what items are an easy pass.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

September 25, 2022 By

5 Tips for Designing a Welcoming Foyer

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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