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On a cool night, theres nothing more relaxing than curling up on the couch in front of a fireplace. While adults recognize the dangers of fire, children and pets often dont. That is why its essential to take precautions to keep them safe.

Tips to Prevent Burns and Accidents
Sparks and hot embers can fly out of a fireplace and burn anyone nearby. In addition, kids and pets are curious and may be tempted to stick a head, hand or paw too close to a fireplace, which could cause their hair, fur or clothing to catch fire. Glass doors can keep sparks and embers inside the fireplace and keep kids and animals out.

Fire-resistant glass doors can still get hot enough to burn a child or a pet. Putting a screen in front of the fireplace can keep anyone from touching hot glass. You can choose from a wide range of screen styles.

When thinking about fireplace safety, people often focus on the dangers of fire and neglect to consider other hazards. A hearth is a hard, raised surface that can cause injuries if a child should fall. Hearth padding, or fire-resistant foam that can be attached to a hearth, can prevent injuries. You can choose from a range of sizes. Keep the area around the hearth free of flammable objects. Dont put decorations that kids or pets might want to play with on the mantle.

The tools that you use to poke and move logs can seem like fun toys to children. Matches and lighters can be extremely dangerous in the hands of children and starter chips can be harmful if pets consume them. Keep tools and materials used to start a fire where your kids and pets cant get to them.

Whether you have kids and pets or not, get your fireplace inspected and cleaned before you use it. Soot can accumulate and birds and wild animals often build nests in fireplaces. Both are serious fire hazards. Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher, smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector.

Talk to your kids about fire safety as soon as theyre old enough. Use age-appropriate terms to explain the potential danger and reiterate important points often. Set clear rules that your kids can understand. Supervise children and pets to make sure they dont play near the fireplace.

Never leave a child or pet alone in a room where a fire is burning. It only takes a second for a tragic accident to occur. Depending on the layout of your home, you might be able to use child gates to keep your kids and pets away from the fireplace.

Help Your Family Enjoy a Fireplace Safely
A fireplace can be cozy, as well as dangerous. Since children and pets dont appreciate the danger, you need to take steps to keep them safe. The more layers of protection there are, the better.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Homeowners insurance can pay for repairs or replace damaged or stolen property, but that doesnt mean you should file a claim for every loss. The insurer could raise your rates or cancel your policy, even if it denied the claim, and you could have a hard time getting coverage from another company.

Would the Insurer Pay the Claim?
Before you file a claim, make sure it would be approved. Read through your policy, focusing on the exclusions and declarations. A homeowners insurance policy will pay to repair damage to your house caused by a covered peril, such as a storm, if the house was well maintained. If years of neglect made the structure weak before the storm hit, a claim would most likely be denied, but it would still be reported to the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE, which most carriers review when making coverage decisions and setting rates.

You can ask your agent if a claim would be covered and if it might affect your rates or coverage, but phrase it as a hypothetical question so the agent doesnt feel obligated to initiate a claim. You can also contact your state insurance regulators office or talk to someone you know who has worked in the insurance industry.

How Much Would You Receive?
A private adjuster can help you figure out how much repairs would cost and whether you should file a claim. Your homeowners insurance policy has a deductible, or an amount that you must pay out of pocket before the insurer will pay. If the amount of damaged, destroyed or stolen property is less than the deductible, it doesnt make sense to file a claim.

How Many Claims Have You Already Filed?
Even if the amount of the loss exceeds your deductible, you shouldnt necessarily file a claim. In most states, an insurance company can penalize a policyholder who submits too many claims in a short period of time. If you filed two claims in three years, the company would most likely raise your rates and might even cancel your policy. If your current company canceled your coverage because of too many claims, another insurance company could see that information in CLUE and hold it against you. The other company could charge you higher rates or deny coverage altogether.

Is Filing a Claim a Good Idea?
Many homeowners think that since they pay for insurance, they should be able to use it whenever they suffer a loss, but insurers dont see things the same way. Before you file a claim, confirm that the company would cover the loss, find out how much repairs would cost, think about how many other claims you have filed, and ask yourself whether it would be worthwhile to submit a claim or whether you would be better off paying the bill yourself.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

When searching for a new home, there are certain features that we all covet and are easy to spot, such as a spa-like bathroom or a gourmet kitchen. However, its just as important to keep an eye out for the little details. While they might not be as noticeable at first glance, certain architectural touches can contribute to a distinguished look that speaks to the quality of the home. If youre currently searching for a luxury property, here are a few details to take note of when viewing a home.

Wainscoting
These wall panels come in a variety of styles, such as raised or board and batten, and are often considered a mark of craftsmanship that creates a refined aesthetic. In addition to giving the walls a sense of texture, wainscoting can also be incorporated into a rooms color scheme if you want to give it a two-toned look. Its quite common to see wainscoting stained or painted white and the rest of the wall painted a different color.

Built-in Bookshelves
While the world may be going digital, built-in bookshelves still hold their appeal. Whether youre putting your literary collection on display or using it as a space for small objects and artwork, theres no denying that they lend a sophisticated ambience to practically any room.

Tall, Detailed Ceilings
Everyone loves tall ceilings. They create a grand sense of space and typically come hand-in-hand with oversized windows that allow natural light to pour in. While youre looking up, there are plenty more architectural details to keep an eye out for, like wood beams or voluminous barrel vaulted ceilings.

Crown Molding
The visual barrier between wall and ceiling, crown molding can range from a simple piece of trim to an ornate display of artistry. This coveted detail can help to make the walls feel taller and if you want to get creative with a splashy ceiling color, crown molding will help to frame it and create separation from the rest of the room.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

You probably want to keep your home neat and organized, but its easy to let things slide because youre busy or distracted and later find yourself overwhelmed with clutter. Changing your habits will take some work, but the payoff is worth it.

Get Rid of Things You Dont Need and Organize the Things You Do
Go through your closets and pare down your wardrobe to pieces that fit and that you wear on a regular basis. Do the same with your kids clothes and toys and items in your garage, basement, attic and shed. Have a yard sale or donate unneeded items to charity. Repeat the process at least once a year.

Homes often get cluttered because items dont have a designated place where they belong. Choose a logical and convenient storage space for everything you decide to keep. Buy shelves, storage containers or wall hooks, if necessary. Make a habit of putting everything in its place when it isnt being used, and stay on top of family members until they also get in the habit.

Even with an excellent organizational system, youll still have some odds and ends that dont clearly belong in any particular area. Designate one drawer as a junk drawer to store those items, and figure out a way to keep it relatively organized. Dont put things in the junk drawer simply because you dont feel like taking the time to put them in their proper places.

Dont Create New Clutter
Its easy to accumulate a lot of stuff if you like to browse in stores and online and buy things because theyre on sale or because you might use them someday. Work on resisting the urge to make impulse purchases. Before you buy anything, ask yourself if you really need it and if you have space for it. If the answer to either question is no, dont buy it. Only purchase things that you know you need, will use and have room for.

Mail is a common source of clutter. Its easy to get overwhelmed by junk mail, advertisements, credit card offers, newspapers, and bills and wind up with a pile of papers and envelopes. Deal with mail as quickly as possible. Discard or shred anything you dont need, and create a system to organize and manage necessary items. Consider scanning important documents to eliminate boxes or filing cabinets filled with paper.

Tackle Clutter and Keep It From Reappearing
Clutter has a way of creeping up on you, and its easy to overlook it until it becomes overwhelming. If your home is cluttered, figure out what you do and dont need. Then create a system to organize important belongings and documents, and make sure you and your family stick to it so you dont create more clutter.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you’re thinking of becoming a homeowner, you’ve likely spent time budgeting for additional expenses – property taxes, lawn care, a big-screen TV to fill up that extra space…you get the idea. But have you factored in protection for your new home?

While you’re crunching numbers, remember to include homeowners insurance. A standard policy will cover exterior and interior damage from incidents like vandalism, fire, wind and lightning. It also covers loss of use expenses, damage to structures like sheds or gazebos, and liability and medical costs if someone is injured on your property. Personal property is covered, too ” good news if you really do have your eye on that big-screen TV.

Still, standard policies arent comprehensive. To help you estimate how much youll spend on insurance, keep these points in mind:

Standard policy coverage can be for the cash value of your home and possessions (which may depreciate over time), repair or rebuilding costs based on the original value of the home, or replacement costs that exceed your limit if necessary. Coverage does notequal the sale price of your home.
Projects like building a porch or another bathroom can add significant value, so you may need to adjust your policy if youre planning to renovate your new home. Upgrades (like a new roof) can lead to discounts if they mitigate risks, but potentially hazardous features (like a pool) may require up to $500,000 in coverage.
90% of natural disasters result in some form of flooding ” thats a risk insurers just dont want to take. Even if your home isnt in a flood area, you may want coverage anyway if you have a finished basement. You can obtain a separate flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). And don’t delay – it takes 30 days for new policies to go into effect.
Residents in earthquake-prone areas might also want to supplement their standard policy, which doesnt cover damage directly resulting from seismic activity. However, if a quake leads to further damage, such as a burst gas line causing a fire, your standard policy will cover it.

It may seem costly, but protecting whats likely the largest investment youll make in your lifetime is worth it ” and peace of mind is priceless.

Published with permission from RISMedia.