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Home Insurance – Protecting The Dalles
Your home is the center of your daily life, and likely your most valuable asset. When your home is damaged or destroyed, you need your claim settled by an insurance company that understands this simple fact. We can help you find the insurance that will best meet your needs and provide the most valuable combination of tailored coverage, quality service and fair pricing.
Insurance for All Kinds of Homes
Depending on where you live – a house, apartment, or condominium – the right home insurance policy can provide you peace of mind as well as the money you need to repair or replace your home and/or belongings. Contact us for more information today!
Oregon and Washington – What you need to know about homeowners insurance
Whether you own or rent, insuring the place you call home can help protect you financially if you suffer a loss due to fire, theft, vandalism, or other covered events. Depending on where you live – a house, apartment, or condominium – the right home insurance policy can provide you peace of mind as well as the money you need to repair or replace your home and/or belongings. It will also cover you in the event someone is injured while on your property and wins a legal judgment against you.
Homeowners policies differ by which losses are covered, which coverages you choose, and what type of residence you own. You choose which policy is best for you, whether it’s a comprehensive policy that cover losses such as fire, hail, smoke, falling objects, vandalism and theft of personal property, or whether it’s a policy that covers only specified losses.
Types of homeowners’ coverage
- Structural – Covers damage to your home or dwelling.
- Personal Belongings – Covers damage to items in or on your home or dwelling.
- Liability Protection – Covers your legal responsibility for injuries or damage to other people or property.
- Additional Living Expenses – Covers costs for temporary housing, meals, etc., while your home is being restored or rebuilt.
Protect the Things that Matter to You
Make an inventory of your home and personal belongings. If possible, make a list as well as take photos or video – using two inventory methods can help expedite the claim resolution process. Keep this list somewhere other than your home. Keep in mind that your policy doesn’t cover damages caused by poor or deferred maintenance on your part.Every home is unique – talk to us today to find out how to get the best price and value on homeowners insurance for you.
Renters Insurance
You have a lot of things that are important to you – from your clothes and furniture to your sound system, sports gear, and computer. And you want to feel confident that everything you’ve worked for is not at risk. Let us help you find coverage options that protect you, your family, and your personal property.Oregon and Washington – What you need to know about renters insurance
You can choose to include personal property protection in your policy, which can travel with you wherever you are in the world. Some policies will even pay the full replacement cost of your things that were damaged or stolen without deduction for depreciation, up to the limits and deductibles you select.Protect Yourself and Your Guests
Your renter’s insurance policy can protect you and your family against bodily injury, property damage claims, and litigation up to the limits you select. And if a visitor is injured in your residence, or by you or a household member, a policy can pay covered medical expenses, up to the limits you select.Get the Right Amount of Coverage at the Best Price
Whether you’re starting out, between homes or downsizing, we will help you pick the renters insurance coverage that best fits your needs. Ask about discounts for burglar alarms, and for having multiple policies, like your renters and auto insurance both with Safeco.Extra Coverage Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot
We can also recommend other coverage that you may want to add to your renters insurance policy. Many people supplement their renters insurance with personal umbrella liability insurance for broader protection. And if you have special possessions such as jewelry, art, antiques, or collectibles, ask about scheduled personal property coverage that comes with no deductible when you experience a covered loss.Talk with us today to identify the best combination of coverage, value, and price for you. We can help make sure your renters insurance continually meets your needs.
Condo Insurance
Condominium insurance is unique. The condo insurance you buy covers your personal property, liability, and those parts of the unit that are your responsibility. It may also be written to protect you from certain assessments levied by the condo association. And you’re covered for costs you incur over normal living expenses if you have to vacate your home.Oregon and Washington – What you need to know about condo insurance
Your home is filled with things that are important to you. Condo Insurance can include personal property protection in your condo insurance policy, which can travel with you wherever you happen to be in the world. Should you choose this protection, and the policy will pay the full replacement cost without deduction for depreciation, up to the limits you select.Protect Yourself and Your Guests
Condominium insurance protects you and your family against bodily injury, property damage claims, and litigation up to the limits you select. And if a visitor is injured on your property, or by you or a household member, the policy will pay covered medical expenses, up to the limits you select.Get the Right Amount of Coverage at the Best Price
The more information you provide your agent, the better we can assist you in creating a condo policy that’s right for you. Ask about discounts for burglar alarms and for having multiple insurance policies with Safeco.Extra Coverage Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot
Many people supplement their condo insurance coverage with personal umbrella liability insurance for broader protection. And if you have special possessions such as jewelry, art, antiques, or collectibles – ask about scheduled personal property coverage.Find unique insurance that is right for your condo – Talk with us today to identify the best combination of coverage, value, and price for you. We can help make sure your renters insurance continually meets your needs.
How Much Home Insurance is Enough
The cost to rebuild your home is its replacement value. This can be very different from the estimated market value or actual purchase price. In most cases, it costs more to rebuild the home you own than to buy a new one. This is an important insight into why your Dwelling (Coverage A) limit is so important.Oregon and Washington – How much home insurance is right for you?
Based in The Dalles, our team understands the home insurance needs of our customers. We’ll work with you to estimate the replacement cost for your home and to adjust your policy limits from time to time as needed.It is critical that you provide us with accurate, updated information about your home and contents. If your dwelling limit accurately reflects your home’s true replacement cost, some companies will pay more than the limit if a covered loss is greater than the limit on your policy. Ask us if Home Replacement Guarantee or Extended Dwelling Coverage, is available in your state.
Once a review of your home and possessions indicates you are properly insured, it’s a good idea to reexamine your coverages and limits from time to time, especially whenever you make additions or improvements.
Be Sure You Have Enough Insurance
Here are some steps you can take to reduce the danger of being seriously underinsured: Call us. If you have questions or concerns about the limits in your policy, ask us to show you how those amounts were calculated. This will also give you an opportunity to make us aware of any overlooked information.Read your policy. Certain property, such as jewelry, and certain perils, such as earthquake or flood, is better insured separately. Knowing what is covered and for how much will help you insure properly. If there is anything in your policy you don’t understand, contact your agent and ask for an explanation.
Review. At each annual renewal of your policy, you receive a new Policy Declarations page showing limits of coverage and optional coverages. Review this information. If you do any significant remodeling or add a family room, extra bedroom or bathroom, etc., tell us about these changes so your coverage limits can be adjusted to cover the improvement.
Consider carefully whether your policy provides all the protection you need. Does it provide coverage for extra costs resulting from building code changes? Does it automatically increase coverage limits annually to keep pace with inflation? Does it provide additional funds if the cost of rebuilding your home exceeds the policy limits?
- Make sure you know:
- Will your insurance company will stand behind agreed upon repairs after a claim? Some companies are willing to put this guarantee in writing.
- Does your policy include replacement cost coverage for contents (clothing, furniture, appliances, and other personal property inside your home)? If not, you can add it by endorsement. The cost is small, the protection valuable. Replacement Cost Coverage pays for losses to your possessions at the cost of brand new items. Without this option, a covered loss to your personal possessions would be depreciated by their age and condition, reducing the size of your claim settlement.
Consider whether you should have more coverage for personal property (contents) than your policy provides. Personal property coverage is usually 70% of the coverage limit for the structure. Your limit may be lower than 70%. Supplemental protection is available for a small additional premium.
Inventory your home.Prepare an inventory of personal property items, update it periodically, and keep it in a safe place outside your home, such as a safe deposit box at your bank. It will save you hours of time trying to list everything damaged or destroyed if you need to make a claim. It will also help ensure you don’t forget some items. We can advise you on ways to simplify the job of preparing a personal property inventory such as videotaping each room with descriptive information on the sound track.
Personal Liability
Besides making sure you have enough protection to cover possible damage to your own home and contents, you should also evaluate your exposure to liability risks. These result from damage to the property of another, or injury to a person, not a member of your household, for which you can be responsible. In recent years it’s become common for homeowners to be sued for injuries or damages to others, even when there is no evidence of negligence by the homeowner. The reality today is if you have any appreciable assets, you are exposed to the risk of being sued. Even if you ultimately prevail in court, your legal fees and the months or years of worry and uncertainty can be a terrible burden on you and your family.The Personal Liability coverage provided by your Homeowners Policy usually provides a limit of $100,000 or $300,000. We recommend increasing this protection with a personal umbrella policy. Not only will it increase your personal liability, but also your auto liability. Limits are available from $1 million to $10 million and beyond. The cost of this coverage is usually very reasonable.
Keep in mind that Oregon and Washington can require certain minimum levels of coverage. The right coverage for you is unique – talk to us today to find out how to get the best price and value on home insurance for you.