Home Insurance Companies:
Most people take great care of their homes. You put a lot of time and money into them. So, you want to make sure they are insured properly. The likely hood that you will ever have a total loss on a home is pretty small. But, your insurance companies base all of your rates off of this scenario. But, that isn't to say that you may not have a smaller claim along the way. Two important things to remember, make sure your home is insured properly just in case you ever do have a total loss on the home and second make sure you know what your deductible is and why you carry it. You really want to use your home insurance only if you have a large claim. Most companies will surcharge you for filing a claim, that means they will raise your rates. And, if you have a lot of claims the company could non renew you and then you might have a hard time finding a new company to cover the house.
You can customize your home policy with endorsements. You can add coverage for an engagement ring, or cover artwork. Most companies do need certified appraisals so just keep that in mind. Call today for a home quote. 951-395-0754
The big two: Earthquake and Flood. They are not covered under your home insurance. So, if that is a concern for you make sure you ask about them when you get your quotes.
Home Insurance Terminology:
Dwelling Coverage: This is your insurance companies estimate for how much it would cost to rebuild your home from the ground up. If something is attached to the home, like a patio cover, garage or a porch they are covered under your dwelling.
Other Structures: Those are things on your property that are not attached to your house. A fence is an other structure, a tool shed in the backyard is an other structure.
Personal Property: That's all your crap in the house. Clothing, microwave, tools, big screen tv, that kind of stuff.
Guest Medical: That is if someone gets injured on your property. It covers their ambulance ride, stitches or cast. It won't cover your or your family, just in case you were wondering.
Liability: This covers the big injuries. Your neighbor falls down your stairs and can't work for six months, liability is going to cover that stuff.
Loss of Use: If you can't live in the home it gives you money to live elsewhere while it is being fixed.
Most people take great care of their homes. You put a lot of time and money into them. So, you want to make sure they are insured properly. The likely hood that you will ever have a total loss on a home is pretty small. But, your insurance companies base all of your rates off of this scenario. But, that isn't to say that you may not have a smaller claim along the way. Two important things to remember, make sure your home is insured properly just in case you ever do have a total loss on the home and second make sure you know what your deductible is and why you carry it. You really want to use your home insurance only if you have a large claim. Most companies will surcharge you for filing a claim, that means they will raise your rates. And, if you have a lot of claims the company could non renew you and then you might have a hard time finding a new company to cover the house.
You can customize your home policy with endorsements. You can add coverage for an engagement ring, or cover artwork. Most companies do need certified appraisals so just keep that in mind. Call today for a home quote. 951-395-0754
The big two: Earthquake and Flood. They are not covered under your home insurance. So, if that is a concern for you make sure you ask about them when you get your quotes.
Home Insurance Terminology:
Dwelling Coverage: This is your insurance companies estimate for how much it would cost to rebuild your home from the ground up. If something is attached to the home, like a patio cover, garage or a porch they are covered under your dwelling.
Other Structures: Those are things on your property that are not attached to your house. A fence is an other structure, a tool shed in the backyard is an other structure.
Personal Property: That's all your crap in the house. Clothing, microwave, tools, big screen tv, that kind of stuff.
Guest Medical: That is if someone gets injured on your property. It covers their ambulance ride, stitches or cast. It won't cover your or your family, just in case you were wondering.
Liability: This covers the big injuries. Your neighbor falls down your stairs and can't work for six months, liability is going to cover that stuff.
Loss of Use: If you can't live in the home it gives you money to live elsewhere while it is being fixed.
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We Cover Breaking Home Insurance News!
On Monday in the neighboring town of Murrieta there was a tragic natural gas explosion at a residential home. According to news reports it appears that a solar company was at the scene installing new panels. Somehow a gas line got ruptured. After the gas line rupture the fire department and SoCal Gas responded to the scene. While the utility workers were trying to turn the gas off something ignited the gas and a huge explosion occurred. Debris from the explosion damaged multiple home and sadly killed one utility worker. He was later identified as Wade Kilpatrick, he was 31.
Here are some important things to remember to help avoid injuries and damage. If you smell gas get out of the house and don’t return until it is deemed safe. The homeowner apparently returned to the home to grab a few items and she was in the house when the explosion happened. She and her kids are unbelievably fortunate to have escaped with their lives. How they didn’t suffer major injuries is a bit of a miracle. Never return to the home unless it has been cleared by the fire department or the utility company.
Additionally, as I was driving in I heard on the radio a reminder from the gas company to always call them if you plan on digging. They will come out and mark the gas lines so that you can safely dig. Contractors are required to do this before they start a job. In this case the solar company did not call they were supposed to.
This house which was purchased on June 3. When you buy a home you are required to provide insurance before your loan closes. Usually, the first year of insurance is paid in full when the escrow closes. So, I’d imagine this family will have coverage for the home. It will probably take a long time before the home is rebuilt. It will also be interesting to see who is held responsible for the damage done to the neighboring homes. Now, the home insurance companies will probably pay out to fix these homes. Usually, explosion is a standard coverage on home insurance. Each homeowner would file a claim through their company. They could then try to recoup their deductible from the person that caused the explosion. The insurance companies will also pay out loss of use for all the people that have been evacuated. It appears that multiple homes have been red tagged which means they are deemed unsafe to live in. There must be major structural damage to the homes if they have been tagged. That just goes to show the power that this explosion had.
The properties will get rebuilt. The neighborhood will return to normal in time. The sad part of the story is the Gas worker that went to do his job and lost his life. Especially, when it sounds like this was an avoidable incident.
It’s also a good reminder to make sure your home limits are up to current standards. The policy on this home would have been a brand new home insurance policy. The agent should have made sure that the home is covered as it stood. Normally, I usually look at the photos of the home online to match up my insurance replacement calculator. You never plan on having a total loss on a home. But, you do want to make sure your home gets rebuilt the way it is.
Here are some important things to remember to help avoid injuries and damage. If you smell gas get out of the house and don’t return until it is deemed safe. The homeowner apparently returned to the home to grab a few items and she was in the house when the explosion happened. She and her kids are unbelievably fortunate to have escaped with their lives. How they didn’t suffer major injuries is a bit of a miracle. Never return to the home unless it has been cleared by the fire department or the utility company.
Additionally, as I was driving in I heard on the radio a reminder from the gas company to always call them if you plan on digging. They will come out and mark the gas lines so that you can safely dig. Contractors are required to do this before they start a job. In this case the solar company did not call they were supposed to.
This house which was purchased on June 3. When you buy a home you are required to provide insurance before your loan closes. Usually, the first year of insurance is paid in full when the escrow closes. So, I’d imagine this family will have coverage for the home. It will probably take a long time before the home is rebuilt. It will also be interesting to see who is held responsible for the damage done to the neighboring homes. Now, the home insurance companies will probably pay out to fix these homes. Usually, explosion is a standard coverage on home insurance. Each homeowner would file a claim through their company. They could then try to recoup their deductible from the person that caused the explosion. The insurance companies will also pay out loss of use for all the people that have been evacuated. It appears that multiple homes have been red tagged which means they are deemed unsafe to live in. There must be major structural damage to the homes if they have been tagged. That just goes to show the power that this explosion had.
The properties will get rebuilt. The neighborhood will return to normal in time. The sad part of the story is the Gas worker that went to do his job and lost his life. Especially, when it sounds like this was an avoidable incident.
It’s also a good reminder to make sure your home limits are up to current standards. The policy on this home would have been a brand new home insurance policy. The agent should have made sure that the home is covered as it stood. Normally, I usually look at the photos of the home online to match up my insurance replacement calculator. You never plan on having a total loss on a home. But, you do want to make sure your home gets rebuilt the way it is.
We Give Advise on How To Keep Your Home Insurance Claim Free!
It’s summer and it’s time to have people come over to the house to play Jarts Lawn Darts! Do any of you remember the worlds most deadly lawn game? This game consisted of two small plastic hoops that you would put 20 feet away from each other. Then teams would take these heavily weighted over sized darts and throw them towards the small hoop. If you landed in the hoop with the Jart you got a point. Well, apparently more than a few people tossed these Jarts into the air only to hit people standing on the other side in the head. Uhm, metal thrown at head from above even with a dull tip was not a good combination. Jarts even in liberal carefree, seatbelt free 70's stopped getting sold. What kind of homeowner's insurance do you need to make sure you are safe from a Jart incident?
My Daughter had a sweet sixteen birthday party over the weekend. It took a full day to set everything up. As I was getting ready for the party I started thinking about all the home insurance issues that may come up along the way.
This was a pretty straight forward event. Just a bunch of teenage kids showing up at the house to sing and dance for three long hours! We set up a dance floor, we had a photo booth, she wanted to play laser tag so I had a company set that up, we got a bunch of sugary snacks and we set up some games for the kids to play. Jarts was not one of them. But corn hole is a nice substitute.
It’s amazing how much time it takes to clean up and get everything out. Hanging those decorations, cleaning all the crap that gets stacked on the corner of the counter is exhausting.
What are some things to consider when you are having people over. The first thing is tripping hazards. Tripping hazards are one of the big things that lead to liability claims. I knew the kids would be inside and out so we went around making sure the hoses were nicely rolled up and put away. When the laser tag people came we made sure their wires were tucked away. The company I used had a nice channel that they could lay all the wires in so that they wouldn’t grab anyone’s foot. I also trimmed some low hanging branches so that no one would get poked in the eye.
Another thing to consider is who's on the guest list. You know your friends and you know who gets crazy. So, maybe you leave a few people off the list in order to make sure everyone has fun. You also don’t need to invite everyone. Keep the size of the party smaller so that people have room to safely move around.
Limit your party to one level. The more stairs people climb the better chance that someone could fall. So, set your party up in one area where there aren’t a ton of stairs to climb. The less they climb carrying drinks or food the better off you are.
Make sure you have good liability and medical limits on your insurance. Things do happen even when you are being careful. Just make sure if something were to happen you have the coverage in place.
At my daughters party I was the only one drinking, but know your laws in your state. Some states hold the homeowner responsible if their guests drink too much. Keep an eye on your friends and make sure if people are drinking they have a way to get home safely.
If you are renting an area away from your home consider getting “Special Event Insurance”. That is a policy that will protect you away from your home for any liability claims that could happen at your party. They are inexpensive and will cover a specific day and location. You can buy a policy if you are serving alcohol or if you aren’t.
Basic common sense will go a long way in reducing your risk. If something seems dangerous then don't do it. And, if you don’t have any homeowners insurance you better get some before you open your doors. That applies to renters too. A huge and valuable part of renters insurance is that liability coverage that will protect you if someone gets injured while visiting you. Call me if you need insurance or want to compare what coverage you do have with my companies. 951-395-0754 Party Safely People!
My Daughter had a sweet sixteen birthday party over the weekend. It took a full day to set everything up. As I was getting ready for the party I started thinking about all the home insurance issues that may come up along the way.
This was a pretty straight forward event. Just a bunch of teenage kids showing up at the house to sing and dance for three long hours! We set up a dance floor, we had a photo booth, she wanted to play laser tag so I had a company set that up, we got a bunch of sugary snacks and we set up some games for the kids to play. Jarts was not one of them. But corn hole is a nice substitute.
It’s amazing how much time it takes to clean up and get everything out. Hanging those decorations, cleaning all the crap that gets stacked on the corner of the counter is exhausting.
What are some things to consider when you are having people over. The first thing is tripping hazards. Tripping hazards are one of the big things that lead to liability claims. I knew the kids would be inside and out so we went around making sure the hoses were nicely rolled up and put away. When the laser tag people came we made sure their wires were tucked away. The company I used had a nice channel that they could lay all the wires in so that they wouldn’t grab anyone’s foot. I also trimmed some low hanging branches so that no one would get poked in the eye.
Another thing to consider is who's on the guest list. You know your friends and you know who gets crazy. So, maybe you leave a few people off the list in order to make sure everyone has fun. You also don’t need to invite everyone. Keep the size of the party smaller so that people have room to safely move around.
Limit your party to one level. The more stairs people climb the better chance that someone could fall. So, set your party up in one area where there aren’t a ton of stairs to climb. The less they climb carrying drinks or food the better off you are.
Make sure you have good liability and medical limits on your insurance. Things do happen even when you are being careful. Just make sure if something were to happen you have the coverage in place.
At my daughters party I was the only one drinking, but know your laws in your state. Some states hold the homeowner responsible if their guests drink too much. Keep an eye on your friends and make sure if people are drinking they have a way to get home safely.
If you are renting an area away from your home consider getting “Special Event Insurance”. That is a policy that will protect you away from your home for any liability claims that could happen at your party. They are inexpensive and will cover a specific day and location. You can buy a policy if you are serving alcohol or if you aren’t.
Basic common sense will go a long way in reducing your risk. If something seems dangerous then don't do it. And, if you don’t have any homeowners insurance you better get some before you open your doors. That applies to renters too. A huge and valuable part of renters insurance is that liability coverage that will protect you if someone gets injured while visiting you. Call me if you need insurance or want to compare what coverage you do have with my companies. 951-395-0754 Party Safely People!
We Cover Important Home Insurance Issues
I recently wrote a post about how we are in the heart of wildfire season. Wildfire season is always a scary time because one day everything is fine and the next we could be dealing with a major blaze. Even when the winds are low and the weather is mild there is still a risk for a fire to spread quickly through brush that has been dried from the summer heat.
A few weeks ago Corelogic released an extensive survey of areas at risk for wildfire. After reading through the report I can see both good and bad things related to the report. The bad is that pretty much all of southern California is in a high risk zone for wildfire. In fact Corelogic rates LA, Riverside and San Diego counties as the highest risk regions in the entire country. Scrolling through their data they use historical fire history, existing fuel aka native growing vegetation, the slope where said vegetation is growing and the direction the slope faces to determine properties at risk. They took all these factors and calculated it out over the areas where people were living. They then rated four categories, Extreme risk, High risk, Medium and Low. After all that was done they rated the counties with the most homes in the high risk areas. Yay! LA wins. Riverside took second and San Diego third.
What makes a high risk zone according to Corelogic. The biggest risk is your proximity to native growing materials. Yes, slope and direction impact the rating but realistically it is all about how much distance you have between your home and the hillsides where the brush is growing.
So, how will this information be used by home insurance companies moving forward. The good aspect of reports like this are that it does show that most homes are at low risk. If insurance companies use this data they will be able to be more specific about what constitutes high or low risk. Rather than just excluding whole cities they can now begin to take on some risk in areas they now consider too high a risk. If insurance companies delve even further into the report they might also look at which direction the brush is located from the home. Is the brush on a slight downslope facing north? If that is the case it might be a lower risk home than a house on top of a hill with a steep slope with brush to the south.
Rings of fire. That’s what I’m going to call the rating system for Corelogic. Basically imagine native brush as your most at risk area to start a fire, that’s the internal ring and where you are at extreme danger. Next is the edge where the native brush comes up to open areas or developed areas. That is your high risk area for homes. The next level away from the brush is moderate risk and then it leads low risk. The further you get from the native materials the safer it is. Good news, most of us live in low risk areas!
At the end of the day wildfires seem to be increasing with regularity. That isn’t a good thing for people who live in Southern California. The more fires we have the harder it will be to find a company to cover the home and we will all end up paying more for the insurance.
If you’d like to read the Corelogic report you can click here. https://www.corelogic.com/insights/wildfire-risk-report.aspx?WT.mc_id=crlg_190905_XhT4I
It is really interesting to see how they draw a comparison to hurricanes on the east cost to fires out west. The basic comparison goes like this, just like hurricanes build strength over warm open water wildfires do the same over native growing brush. The larger the fire gets the more intense and more damage they do. Is more data better or worse for the insurance business? We will see! Give me a call if you’d like to take a look at your current home insurance. 951-395-0754
A few weeks ago Corelogic released an extensive survey of areas at risk for wildfire. After reading through the report I can see both good and bad things related to the report. The bad is that pretty much all of southern California is in a high risk zone for wildfire. In fact Corelogic rates LA, Riverside and San Diego counties as the highest risk regions in the entire country. Scrolling through their data they use historical fire history, existing fuel aka native growing vegetation, the slope where said vegetation is growing and the direction the slope faces to determine properties at risk. They took all these factors and calculated it out over the areas where people were living. They then rated four categories, Extreme risk, High risk, Medium and Low. After all that was done they rated the counties with the most homes in the high risk areas. Yay! LA wins. Riverside took second and San Diego third.
What makes a high risk zone according to Corelogic. The biggest risk is your proximity to native growing materials. Yes, slope and direction impact the rating but realistically it is all about how much distance you have between your home and the hillsides where the brush is growing.
So, how will this information be used by home insurance companies moving forward. The good aspect of reports like this are that it does show that most homes are at low risk. If insurance companies use this data they will be able to be more specific about what constitutes high or low risk. Rather than just excluding whole cities they can now begin to take on some risk in areas they now consider too high a risk. If insurance companies delve even further into the report they might also look at which direction the brush is located from the home. Is the brush on a slight downslope facing north? If that is the case it might be a lower risk home than a house on top of a hill with a steep slope with brush to the south.
Rings of fire. That’s what I’m going to call the rating system for Corelogic. Basically imagine native brush as your most at risk area to start a fire, that’s the internal ring and where you are at extreme danger. Next is the edge where the native brush comes up to open areas or developed areas. That is your high risk area for homes. The next level away from the brush is moderate risk and then it leads low risk. The further you get from the native materials the safer it is. Good news, most of us live in low risk areas!
At the end of the day wildfires seem to be increasing with regularity. That isn’t a good thing for people who live in Southern California. The more fires we have the harder it will be to find a company to cover the home and we will all end up paying more for the insurance.
If you’d like to read the Corelogic report you can click here. https://www.corelogic.com/insights/wildfire-risk-report.aspx?WT.mc_id=crlg_190905_XhT4I
It is really interesting to see how they draw a comparison to hurricanes on the east cost to fires out west. The basic comparison goes like this, just like hurricanes build strength over warm open water wildfires do the same over native growing brush. The larger the fire gets the more intense and more damage they do. Is more data better or worse for the insurance business? We will see! Give me a call if you’d like to take a look at your current home insurance. 951-395-0754
Breaking Wildfire News and Their Home Insurance Implications
Google Map of where the Sandlewood fire started.
Lately we have started to analyze how fires have started and lessons learned from each incident. We also cover the home insurance implications of the fires. In the beginning of October 2019 we had our first casualty due to a wildfire in Southern California. Here's what we wrote.
The first major wildfire event happened in my area last week. The fire was named Sandalwood. It was named after one of the cross streets where the fire started. The other was 7th St. So, I'm assuming naming it 7th wasn't as appealing. From the reports and videos I've seen online it appears that a trash truck was hauling a load of trash when the driver realized the truck was smoking. I'm sure he has been trained to find an open area and dump the trash so that the truck doesn't catch on fire. Those trucks are pretty darn expensive. In this case it was a tragic lapse in judgement, On a day when it was extremely dangerous to unload his truck that's exactly what happened with deadly results.
I watched the video of a motorist that was following the truck and I located the area where it pulled over by comparing google maps with the video. On the map above you can see a small outcropping next to the road. I marked it with a red star. That is where the truck pulled over and then dumped his burning load of trash. The mobile home park was due west of this location. The winds easily blew the flames across the dry grassy area below the mobile home park. The flames then went directly into the park. Out of roughly 100 structures in the mobile home park 76 were lost. Even more tragic two people lost their lives. It just shows the speed and ferocity of the flames that burned through the area.
The park was in a very isolated area and if the trash was dumped in a different location this fire may have been averted. There is only one entrance in and I'm assuming that's how everyone got out. Looking at the map it is very fortunate that more people didn't get stuck in the park. If the flames had burned a little more towards the north the entrance could have been blocked, and the residents would have had to drive through the flames to get out.
I never considered what would happen if a trash truck caught on fire. How often does something like this actually happen? Why don't these trucks have some sort of fire suppression system on board? Why isn't there an alarm that notifies the driver sooner? Shouldn't they call the fire department before dumping? I'm sure all the things that went wrong that day will be reviewed and changes and policies for dumping trash will be changed.
For now the residents Villa Calimesa mobile home park will have to start over. Hopefully, the residents have mobile home insurance. I imagine that almost all of them do because I'm sure the park requires home insurance.
Mobile home insurance works slightly different from a homeowners policy. The dwelling coverage on a mobile home is based not on rebuilding but replacement. Some policies can insure a mobile to a actual cash value. That means an older home would get less money because as mobiles age they lose value. A better policy has replacement cost coverage. The replacement cost gives them money to buy a new home, not replace it with an old used model. The policies also cover loss of use. So, while they can't live in the park they would get money to rent a place while their home is being replaced. It also covers personal property. That means they can go out and start replacing their clothing and their belongings that were lost. Once again you want to have replacement cost, because that gives you new stuff for your old stuff. Not yard sale prices for your lost belongings.
Fire season is always a little scary. You never know when or how a fire will start. You just need to be prepared in case you need to evacuate. If you are told to get out don't hesitate. Call your insurance company and if you need money to cover hotels or meals many policies will pay those expenses for you.
The first major wildfire event happened in my area last week. The fire was named Sandalwood. It was named after one of the cross streets where the fire started. The other was 7th St. So, I'm assuming naming it 7th wasn't as appealing. From the reports and videos I've seen online it appears that a trash truck was hauling a load of trash when the driver realized the truck was smoking. I'm sure he has been trained to find an open area and dump the trash so that the truck doesn't catch on fire. Those trucks are pretty darn expensive. In this case it was a tragic lapse in judgement, On a day when it was extremely dangerous to unload his truck that's exactly what happened with deadly results.
I watched the video of a motorist that was following the truck and I located the area where it pulled over by comparing google maps with the video. On the map above you can see a small outcropping next to the road. I marked it with a red star. That is where the truck pulled over and then dumped his burning load of trash. The mobile home park was due west of this location. The winds easily blew the flames across the dry grassy area below the mobile home park. The flames then went directly into the park. Out of roughly 100 structures in the mobile home park 76 were lost. Even more tragic two people lost their lives. It just shows the speed and ferocity of the flames that burned through the area.
The park was in a very isolated area and if the trash was dumped in a different location this fire may have been averted. There is only one entrance in and I'm assuming that's how everyone got out. Looking at the map it is very fortunate that more people didn't get stuck in the park. If the flames had burned a little more towards the north the entrance could have been blocked, and the residents would have had to drive through the flames to get out.
I never considered what would happen if a trash truck caught on fire. How often does something like this actually happen? Why don't these trucks have some sort of fire suppression system on board? Why isn't there an alarm that notifies the driver sooner? Shouldn't they call the fire department before dumping? I'm sure all the things that went wrong that day will be reviewed and changes and policies for dumping trash will be changed.
For now the residents Villa Calimesa mobile home park will have to start over. Hopefully, the residents have mobile home insurance. I imagine that almost all of them do because I'm sure the park requires home insurance.
Mobile home insurance works slightly different from a homeowners policy. The dwelling coverage on a mobile home is based not on rebuilding but replacement. Some policies can insure a mobile to a actual cash value. That means an older home would get less money because as mobiles age they lose value. A better policy has replacement cost coverage. The replacement cost gives them money to buy a new home, not replace it with an old used model. The policies also cover loss of use. So, while they can't live in the park they would get money to rent a place while their home is being replaced. It also covers personal property. That means they can go out and start replacing their clothing and their belongings that were lost. Once again you want to have replacement cost, because that gives you new stuff for your old stuff. Not yard sale prices for your lost belongings.
Fire season is always a little scary. You never know when or how a fire will start. You just need to be prepared in case you need to evacuate. If you are told to get out don't hesitate. Call your insurance company and if you need money to cover hotels or meals many policies will pay those expenses for you.
