Finding A Properly Qualified Insurance Professional

It's no secret that keeping your finances in order is one of the greatest challenges you'll face. But with the right tools, it's not as daunting as it seems. One way to do this is by getting in touch with a properly qualified insurance professional who can help you with tricky questions like how to calculate your rates and policy limits for homeowners' insurance.

At Nationwide, we understand that insurance is only part of a larger financial puzzle that you're trying to piece together — but as far as homes go, we're here to make sure your home stays protected.

Homeowners Insurance 101

 Policies, schedules and treatments — that's what home insurance is all about. We at Nationwide are here to help you cover your most important items with the coverage you require. And just like everything else, we want to help you get started with a better understanding of what home insurance is all about:

Risk – The more risk you expose your home to, the more expensive it will be. It's up to homeowners' insurance companies to find a balance between protecting your house against certain risks and being as efficient as possible. High value items may cost more than less-valuable ones, if a high value item is stolen or damaged, for example.

Low value – If your home has items with very low value, such as second-hand furniture or old electronics, these items may not be covered for replacement by your insurance company. You may want to store them in a storage space to avoid losing them if they are stolen and so on.

Theft – Insurance companies will usually cover the replacement cost of any item that is stolen at the time of a claim. So if you have expensive items that can't be replaced easily, things like jewellery and electronics should probably be stored somewhere safe outside your home until the claim is settled, in order to preserve their original value and avoid having them replaced with poorly priced replicas.

Fire and Natural Hazards – This is when your insurance policy will pay a certain amount for loss of property if an insured event (a fire or hurricane, for example) happens.

Every household is different, so what may be important to you may not be important to other people. That's why it's important that you understand how home insurance works and get in touch with the right professional to start building up your coverages.

So how do you find the right person? Well, we'll provide some pointers, but it's ultimately up to you to decide who can handle the details of your home. Ask around at work — friends, family and co-workers are good sources for safety tips and so on. If you have friends who have had claims, find out who their insurance agent is and see what they think of them.

The Most Popular Questions Asked by Homeowners

While every home is different, here are some of the most common questions we hear from homeowners about home insurance:

How much do I need to insure my home? The amount can vary wildly based on where you live and the age of your home. Geographic location, in particular, can determine the amount of money you should be putting in for coverage — high-risk areas should have higher insurance values. It's up to you to decide how much you want to spend on coverage and what risks associated with living in your area are acceptable or not.

What should I be using to protect my home? Insurance companies vary on when they'll cover the repair of a broken window or a fire that occurred in the middle of the night. If you have older appliances, chances are you'll be liable for any issues that could lead to parts breaking and so on. Alternatively, newer appliances and windows may not be covered by your insurance company — it's up to you to find out if your insurance works with newer appliances.

How can I make sure that my home is fully protected against theft? Being careful about where you keep your valuables is important — they're worth everything but are still easily accessible to people who might want them or sell them on the black market. It's never a good idea to keep your most valuable belongings on display, whether it's in the house or outside of it.

And remember — if you're worried about security, you should probably take these precautions: - Keep valuables out of plain sight - Register high-value items with your local police department or authorities (keep the receipt with you) - Use alarm systems for valuables and equipment that is kept inside.

With our tips, we hope that you'll be able to get started on figuring out how much home insurance to include in your budget and which policies will be best for your situation. Just remember — all insurance is not the same, so make sure that you shop around before you make a decision. Good luck!

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Title: Making Sure You Can Get Home Insurance and Pay Your Bills on Time

April 14th, 2018 by Alyssa James, Insurance in America Team Member  No matter where you live, home is supposed to be a place of peace. It's a place where you can unwind after work or school with your family and friends. Unfortunately, in today's financial climate many people have found themselves in difficult situations where they are one step away from losing everything — including their home. No matter what the situation, if you can't afford to keep your home protected and pay your bills on time, it's time to take action. Impact of Losing a Home on Your Monthly Bills It's not easy to lose your home — this is true. Leaving your house doesn't just mean that you have to stop living there; it means that you have to start paying rent for somewhere else. If you're forced into foreclosure and lose your home, then you will likely have a higher payment on top of your mortgage payment every month. This is true regardless of which lender you use or whether or not they offer hardship programs and rent vouchers.

With rent, you're also looking at higher bills for utilities such as electricity, gas and water. Again, this will vary depending on where you live; however, it's important to note that if you're used to paying utility bills at home through a certain company and then choose to move somewhere else, they may not accept your utility bill payment history. That means that you'll have no choice but to pay your landlords' lease and the utilities fees for the property.

But what about storage? Large items like furniture can often be hard to store in a tiny apartment or rental unit. This is especially true for families who need to store everything to relocate — unpack and pack everything you own, including your furniture, bedding, clothing and even electronics into a storage unit or other suitable space.

When you're ready to do this, it's important that you make sure there is an agreement in place with the company that will store your belongings. This way, if something isn't properly stored or damaged during the move, then you won't be responsible for paying for it. Whether or not they accept your bill payment history should also be a consideration.

Conclusion The situation that you're in may never become better, at least not quickly enough for you to save your home. It's a sad reality, but often when people are unable to pay their bills and keep up with their mortgage payments, it's inevitable that they will end up losing everything they worked so hard to have. If you can't afford your rent or mortgage payment this month, try working with your creditors and find out if there's an option that will help you keep your home and get back on track with payments for both your home and the bills associated with it.

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