Category: Home Insurance

Insuring a historical house can be a complex process, as such homes are often either excluded from or denied home insurance coverage, mainly due to their age. Aged properties are notoriously prone to structural issues and require more comprehensive protection. If you’re a proud owner of a historic home in Chesterland, OH, and need insurance, you might want to consider a specialized policy. Our M & M Insurance Group experts recognize the deep-rooted sentiment connected to older homes and are here to assist you.

Step 1: Secure an Appraisal

The first step in insuring a historic property is to obtain a precise appraisal. Someone specializing in historic buildings must do the appraisal to ensure your home is insured for the right amount. The appraisal should cover both the house itself and the accompanying land. Historic homes often feature unique landscaping and outbuildings, and a home insurance policy should also cover these elements.

Step 2: Document Everything

Once you’ve ascertained the home’s worth, it’s time to begin the documentation process. Despite being time-consuming, documentation is a critical step in ensuring your property is adequately insured. Photos, written records, receipts, and more can all serve as valuable documentation tools. Your documentation should provide a detailed record of improvements, repairs, and renovations.

Step 3: Seek Out Specialized Coverage

Rather than limiting yourself to standard home insurance, you can explore policies explicitly designed for historic homes. Once you find a suitable policy, ensure it meets all of your home’s needs by covering the full cost of its restoration and maintaining adequate limits.

Contact M & M Insurance Group in Ohio!

Owning a historic home can be a rewarding experience, but it comes with unique challenges. Specialized historic home insurance is a must to maintain the property optimally. If you’re ready to discuss this further, the team at M & M Insurance Group’s Chesterland, OH office is eager to help. One of our representatives can assist you in finding the proper coverage.

Home insurance involves making several decisions to ensure you have the best coverage for your needs. It’s easy to breathe a sigh of relief once you’ve finalized these choices. However, at M & M Insurance Group, we believe it’s essential for Chesterland, OH residents to review their home policy each year. Life is continuously changing, which can significantly impact your coverage needs.

A year—despite seemingly flying by—is made up of 365 days, and several changes could occur within this period, including:

• Birth or adoption of a child
• Marriage or divorce
• A family member passing away
• Kitchen or bathroom renovations
• Adding a room or other structure
• Starting a home-based business
• Decreasing your home loan or refinancing
• Retiring
• Installing an alarm system
• Upgrading the electrical system
• Purchasing new furniture, artwork, or other valuables

Reviewing your policy annually ensures that these changes are factored into your coverage. It offers several benefits, such as:

• Increasing coverage: If you’re upgrading your home, starting a business, or acquiring new assets, you will likely need additional coverage.
• Decreasing coverage: Some changes, such as refinancing for a lower cost, may decrease necessary coverage.

While an annual review doesn’t always imply changes to your home policy, it ensures that your policy remains suitable to your current situation. If you’re in Chesterland, OH, let our M & M Insurance Group team help you evaluate your coverage. Get in touch with us via a call or visit our office.

Surprisingly, more than 6 million American homeowners currently don’t have home insurance policies. If you’re one of them, consider shopping for home insurance through M & M Insurance Group for your Chesterland, OH house. Just be sure not to make any crucial mistakes while doing it. Check out several common mistakes you should avoid below.

Shopping for Home Insurance on Your Own

You can technically shop for home insurance independently and find an excellent policy if you know what to look for. But why take this approach when you can have a professional from M & M Insurance Group on your side? They’ll help you work your way through the process of picking the right home insurance policy for your Chesterland, OH, home.

Selecting the Wrong Home Insurance Policy

The home insurance policy you choose should be based on everything from the value of your home to the personal possessions you keep inside it. The last thing you want to do is settle on a policy that won’t provide enough coverage. It’s another reason you should enlist a professional’s services to assist you in your search.

Failing to Shop for Home Insurance Often Enough

Your home insurance needs will likely change annually as your home will grow in value over time. For this reason, you should aim to shop around for home insurance yearly to ensure you have enough coverage for your house and everything in it.

Want to steer clear of making the mistakes listed here as you shop for home insurance in Chesterland, OH? M & M Insurance Group can lend a hand and leave you with the right policy in the end. Contact us today.

Smart Strategies to Tackle House Fires

House fires can occur at any moment, caused by anything from electrical shorts to accidental mishaps. Our team at M & M Insurance Group in Chesterland, OH, has conjured some key tips on measures to take before and after a fire incident.

Before the Fire

The initial step towards safety is having operational smoke detectors in crucial areas around your house. A well-rehearsed emergency escape plan, practiced bi-annually, would ensure a safer exit from a fire scene.

Post Fire Management

After a fire catastrophe, certain steps can be pivotal for damage control and post-tragedy management.

Secure Your Property

Securing your property is crucial Once the fire is extinguished. Boarding up windows and doors can prevent intrusions, and covering a destroyed roof can be necessary.

Insurance Advance

If you require an advance on your insurance claim for essential items like clothes, toiletries, and other basics, your insurance plan may provide an advance. Remember to keep all the purchase receipts.

Quickly File Your Claim

Procrastinating your claim submission might delay the insurance process. Ensure that you report your damages to your insurance provider immediately and supply an itemized list of the damaged possessions with their values.

Get Insured With Us

Secure your home against unforeseen perils today by contacting M & M Insurance Group in Chesterland, OH. We deliver honest quotes quickly, issue policies immediately, and are committed to protecting your home.

First-time homeowners understand the importance of having quality insurance that protects them against financial losses caused by a natural disaster or unexpected house accident. M & M Insurance Group in Chesterland, OH can offer smart tips that provide the best possible home insurance for your house.

Check Limits on Personal Property Coverage

A standard home insurance policy will cover all personal property (clothing, furniture, electronic devices, and jewelry). However, it is the owner’s responsibility to set a limit that is enough to replace all items damaged or stolen from the home. 

And if you have more expensive personal property (fine artwork, sculptures, and rare sports memorabilia), it may need additional coverage on your standard home insurance. Check the wording of your policy to confirm the items in question are fully covered. 

Add Personal Liability Coverage to Your Home Insurance

All home insurance policies should include some form of personal liability coverage. It will protect a homeowner from being ruled liable if an individual gets injured inside their house. Too often, the injured party files a personal injury lawsuit after sustaining bodily injury or property damage done to their possession following a home accident. Being the policyholder, you have control over the amount of liability covered. The goal is to protect your assets with the coverage provided. 

Do Not Under-Insure Your Home

The biggest mistake by first-time owners is under-insuring their homes. Too often, they stay with the coverage offered in a standard home insurance policy. It is perfect for the short-term but not the right coverage for the storm season. If your home is in a flood zone, add flood insurance to your policy. If not, the repair costs will come out of your pocket.

The best approach to gaining your home insurance needs is speaking with M & M Insurance Group in Chesterland, OH. Our staff will review your paperwork and create an insurance policy that protects your home. Please call and set up an appointment today. 

The trustworthy and knowledgeable insurance agents at the M & M Insurance Group serving the Chesterland, OH area know how important your home is to you and your family. While Ohio does not require home insurance, these experienced agents express the importance of having a home insurance policy in place. Also, if you still owe a mortgage on your home, you must have a home insurance policy.

What Does Home Insurance Cover?

A home insurance policy will cover the structure of your house and its contents. Some policies will also cover other structures on your property, such as privacy fences, decks, garages, sheds, and more. The contents that a home insurance policy will generally cover include your clothing, other personal belongings, furniture, and appliances.

Home insurance is created to help you repair or replace your home if it is damaged. For example, if you suffer a fire at your home and your house is destroyed, your home insurance policy will help you rebuild it. If your home is the victim of a tornado or some other natural disaster, your home insurance policy will help you repair it. This also applies if your home is vandalized or even burglarized.

If you want your house to be protected with flood or earthquake insurance, those policies are separate from your home insurance policy. Still, your trusted insurance agent can include them as an amendment.

Contact M & M Insurance Group

For all your home insurance and other insurance needs, contact the experienced agents at the M & M Insurance Group serving the Chesterland, OH area today to get your policy started!