New Bedford Homeowners Insurance: Protect Your Home in Winter

protect winter home in MassachusettsEven if spring may feel like it’s a million weeks away, it’s a good idea to start mid-winter checks to make sure your house is holding up well. A lot of cold weather, rain, and wind might be expected for weeks at a time, even in years when New England doesn’t get a lot of snow and ice. The New Bedford insurance firm would want to stress the need of taking precautions to ensure that minor problems do not escalate into major ones and necessitate a claim. To save money on your Massachusetts homeowner’s insurance, prevention is vital. Make an appointment with your New Bedford, MA, home insurance agent at Borden Insurance to review your MA homeowner’s policy and update it as needed.

Water damage is common throughout the winter due to melting snow and ice, plumbing leaks, frozen pipes, and other causes of water accumulation. If you have any reason to suspect that there may be a leak or other problem with your plumbing, it is a good idea to do an inspection of the system from both the inside and outside. A puddle in the basement, leaks at entry points, or water that is not being transported away from your property effectively are all signs that expert assistance is needed. If you want to keep your house safe as the weather warms up, you’ll need to set up proper drainage. Imagine how much more water may be there and even leak into your house if you see it approaching the foundation during the mid-winter stage.

Quality Home Insurance in MA

It’s not enough to just examine the plumbing and external drainage to make sure they’re in good operating order; there are plenty of other systems to monitor as well. One common source of fire is the utilization of electrical outlets and the appliances we connect into them. All plugs, cables, and covers should be inspected to make sure no outlets are overused. To make sure your home’s smoke and CO detectors are functioning properly, you should examine them often. The colder months are a good time to inspect your home’s windows and doors for drafts. A good seal may save energy costs by a significant amount. Sealing and caulking the appropriate areas may solve numerous problems. Make sure there is no lint buildup in your dryer’s filter by swapping it out and checking your HVAC system’s air filter.

You should also pay close attention to the outside of your Massachusetts house, as damage to the roofing, siding, and other aspects is a common reason for insurance claims. Examine your gutters and downspouts when it’s not too dangerous to do so, and clean up any debris you find. Now is also a good time to inspect your property for any damage that may have been caused by the accumulation of snow and ice throughout the winter. It’s important to prevent an ice dam from forming if there’s still snow on the roof, since this might cause expensive repairs. Notify your New Bedford house insurance agent of any changes you’ve made to your roof, gutters, downspouts, insulation, or ventilation in the attic. This includes installing a new roof, repairing your existing roof extensively, installing gutter guards, and replacing your gutters and downspouts.

Dependable Insurance Agency in New Bedford

As the old adage goes, “if you take care of it, it will take care of you,” and this is true for many things, including your house, automobile, and even your health and fitness. The better your experience as a homeowner, the more you should check, maintain, and conduct preventative maintenance on your property. Obtaining sound coverage from a dependable New Bedford insurance broker is a great beginning, but it must not be allowed to take precedence over other duties. Homeowners may extend the life of their homes by investing in contracted services, such as yearly inspections of all key systems, biannual cleanings of HVAC equipment and other vital systems, and so on. As a homeowner, you can perform some of the work yourself, but it’s best to hire a certified, insured, and recognized expert to handle the majority of the services you’ll need.

Working with a reliable New Bedford insurance agent to get MA homeowners insurance is yet another sound strategy for protecting your home and family. Review your current Massachusetts house insurance policy at least once a year and inform your New Bedford home insurance agent of any big changes, such as the installation of a new addition or the purchase of a new piece of expensive furniture. For house and car insurance in the SouthCoast region, call 508-999-3636 to talk with an agent or receive a FREE QUOTE from Borden Insurance.