New Bedford Home Insurance: Maximize Protection This Winter
A homeowner needs to be ready to protect their home from the elements year-round. Your MA homeowners insurance can cover you from certain types of damage experienced during specific kinds of events. However, homeowners need to provide maintenance, repairs, and preventive services to keep their homes safe and prepared for certain conditions. Borden Insurance Agency in New Bedford likes to provide our clients with all of the safety tips and seasonal ideas that they can use to safeguard their home throughout the year. Home insurance in New Bedford is more than picking out the right policy; it’s about protecting your investment and those you share your life with in your home.
The Best Insurance for New Bedford homes
When is the last time you reviewed your policy? Things change throughout the year, so making a point of meeting with your insurance agency in New Bedford can help you make sure you have the right amount of coverage. Children are born, head off to college, and move out on their own. Additions, kitchens, bathrooms, roofs, furnaces, electrical panels and exterior areas get upgraded, remodeled, and renovated. New appliances get put in, solar panels, expensive electronics get purchased, and other items get added to the house over the years. All of these changes may seem ordinary or insignificant when it comes to your home insurance in New Bedford, but they should all be recorded to ensure that your policy is adequate in a covered claim.
One example of this would be home remodeling. If your current policy for MA homeowners insurance states that you have porcelain countertops, 12-year-old appliances, vinyl flooring, and wood paneling on the walls, but you now have granite countertops, brand new state-of-the-art appliances, bamboo wood flooring, and glass backsplash in the kitchen, that makes a big difference. You want to be compensated for the features, fixtures, and materials that are used in your home, not a decade’s old design that no longer exists. If you aren’t sure if the upgrades and changes you are making to your home will impact or require alterations to be made to your New Bedford home insurance policy, pick up the phone and call one of our agents. We are happy to answer any questions you might have and offer sound advice.
Exterior Winterizing Tips in New Bedford
New England winters are nothing to joke about, especially when it comes to prevention and home maintenance. Start by cleaning your gutters to ensure that water drainage and ice build-up won’t be an issue. This helps to protect your roof and other areas of your home from snow, ice, rain, and other elements. Prepare all of your shovels, snowblowers, and other snow-removal tools, so you’re ready when the first snow hits the region. You don’t want to be caught off-guard searching for ice scrapers and salt on a dark and cold morning. Winterize everything from outdoor faucets to irrigation and sprinkler systems before the first freeze. Store hoses and sprinklers in the garage or a shed to prevent damage.
Bring outdoor furniture in or invest in quality furniture covers to protect them from the elements. Install storm doors and windows to provide an extra layer of insulation to older homes and consider having your home checked for leaks, drafts, and other common issues to improve thermal control indoors. Bring indoors any potted plants that are not designed to last through the cold temperatures. Consider storing your barbecue grills and any other outdoor living furniture that might be damaged under a blanket of snow and ice. Contact a professional tree trimmer to inspect trees and remove any branches that pose a risk to structures, including fences, neighboring properties, and your home.
Interior Winterizing Tips for Massachusetts
Similar to the tips provided for MA homeowners insurance and home protection of the exterior property, start by checking for air leaks. Not only will a draft increase your utility bills for heating in the fall and winter, but it will also cause a strain on your HVAC equipment. Not only would you save fuel expenses but you can increase the life of your heating system by merely eliminating leaks and performing regular maintenance. Make sure that your pipes are appropriately winterized, as well. If you aren’t sure what needs to be done to protect you from costly frozen and burst pipes, call a professional. Sometimes knowing who to call and which services need to be provided is the best home insurance in New Bedford and the surrounding area.
Have your fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned before use each year. Animals can nest on, and inside the chimney, drafts can cause the home to get colder when the vent is open for use, and other issues can make using a fireplace counterproductive and unsafe. On the same thread, make sure to check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, view the expiration dates on fire extinguishers, and create a fire drill plan of action for you and your family. The more ways that you can find to reduce potential risks, the less likely you will be to suffer damage. Your local insurance agency in New Bedford shares your goal of wanting to create a safer home environment for you and your family. Keep reading our blog for more tips and ideas that you can use to enhance your New Bedford home insurance.
Want a FREE Insurance Quote? Give Borden Insurance a call at 508-999-3636. We can answer any questions you might have, offer a FREE quote for MA homeowners insurance, and provide you with details about coverage options at our insurance agency in New Bedford.