Homeowners insurance in California, is a necessity when it comes to buying a house. In fact, most mortgage companies will not finance a real estate transaction unless you provide proof that you have the proper coverage for most if not all of the property you intend to purchase.
Over the next few weeks, Scurich Insurance Services would like to give you a few tips when it comes to purchasing homeowners insurance as well as some cost saving ideas that can actually help reduce your insurance costs.
This week we will be taking a look into the different types of discounts you can receive when it comes to your homeowners insurance policy.
You’re probably familiar with the basic discounts that most insurance companies offer on Homeowners coverage, such as bundling Home and Auto insurance, loyalty rewards, and installing smoke detectors and/or home security systems.
However, a growing number of companies offer significant premium discounts on Homeowners insurance to policy holders who are:
- Senior citizens. If you’re 60 or older, you could lower your premium by as much as 15%.
- Non-smokers. If you’ve given up the habit — or have never picked up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe — you might qualify for a discount.
- Married couples or widows/widowers. Could be eligible for discounts of up to 5%.
- New buyers who have closed a home purchase within 60 days.
- Willing to increase coverage to reflect a rise in inflation.
- Ready to buy coverage for the full value of a home.
- Prepared to buy from a new carrier before the policy with your current insurance company expires.
- New policy holders with the company (the “welcome” discount) and purchasing coverage for the entire value of your home.
You might also be eligible for a discount if you don’t have a Property damage claim for a specified period, such as three years.
Bear in mind that many insurance companies might not offer some (or any) of these discounts.
To see if you’re eligible for any of these policies simply check with the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California. We might be able to save you some big dollars.
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A season long influenza outbreak has swept through California and across the nation, hospitalizing hundreds and leaving thousands of people infected. We at Scurich Insurance Services would like to offer tips and tricks to help you stay healthy, the remainder of the flu season. The following information is taken from Flu.gov.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from the flu. There are additional steps you can take to keep yourself and your family healthy this flu season.
- Everyone 6 months of age and older should get vaccinated against the flu.
- Take everyday precautions, like washing your hands, to protect your health.
- If you are exposed to or caring for someone with the flu, talk to your doctor about preventive antiviral medications.
Everyone 6 months of age or older should get the flu vaccine as soon as it is available in your area.
What everyday steps can I take to stop the spread of germs?
There are steps you can take in your daily life to help protect you from getting the flu.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Practice good health habits. Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthy food.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
Are there medications I can take to prevent getting the flu?
If you are healthy but exposed to a person with the flu, antiviral drugs can prevent you from getting sick. The sooner you are treated with an antiviral, the more likely it will prevent the flu. Antiviral drugs are 70% to 90% effective at preventing the flu. Talk to your health care provider if you think you need antiviral drugs.”
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So don’t forget to get vaccinated, if you haven’t yet taken advantage of the flu vaccine there is still time. Flu shots can be obtained through your doctor’s office, health clinics and most drugstores. If you would like more information about our current Health Insurance programs, or to obtain a new insurance policy, simply contact the health insurance professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California today at 800-320-3666!
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If you wanted to, you could build a panic room for protection from robbers or kidnappers. But what about protecting your belongings when you’re not home? Perhaps you really don’t want to install an alarm system — or maybe you do. Either way, here are some no-cost and low-cost tricks to make your protection more complete, and help keep your belongings away from thieves.
Outside Areas:
Begin with the landscaping, which is the first thing a burglar sees and the first thing he will assess. To make it harder for a burglar to hide and gain entry:
- Prune lower limbs from any big trees.
- Trim bushes so a person could not use one for cover.
- Move any decorative trellises away from windows or porch roofs so they cannot be climbed for second-floor access.
- Consider planting thorny bushes below first-floor windows, and be sure they are close enough to the house so that an adult could not wedge behind one to jimmy a window without getting scratched.
- Remove any trees or bushes beside exterior doors. They can hide a burglar from passing cars and they can also hide intruders from your sight when you answer the door.
- Make sure all ladders and tools are secure inside the house, not inside a garden shed.
- If your yard is dim at night, install the biggest, brightest lights you can afford for all entries to your house. Use them. Turn them on when you leave the house at night; set up motion detectors to turn them on when you are away.
Inside the Home:
Windows generally provide easier access for criminals than doors. Here are some window tactics:
- Buy special window locks at your hardware store for all first-floor windows and any second-floor windows accessible from a porch or garage roof. DO NOT hang the keys on clever little hooks or nails beside the window. Crooks know that one and will simply break a pane and reach around until they find the key (but be sure the whole family knows where the keys are in case of emergency).
- Don’t demonstrate the easiest window to enter by climbing in it. If a family member regularly forgets his or her key, consider leaving keys with a trustworthy neighbor for emergency use. DON’T CLIMB IN THE WINDOW EVER. Even amateur burglars can figure that one out, especially if they’ve seen you do it and figure the neighbors won’t notice.
- For sliding windows, use the same techniques as for sliding doors, below.
Some burglars like to enter like a guest, through the door. Here are some ways to discourage that sort of burglar:
- Make every entry door solid core wood or metal; hollow-core doors are easily kicked in. The door should fit the frame snugly, with no more than 1/8 inch between door and jamb. If the gap is larger, replace the door, or install a heavy-gauge metal strip available at the hardware store.
- Replace doors with decorative glass windows or panels. If that’s too expensive, install break-resistant plastic panes, or install a decorative grille over the glass.
- It’s unlikely, but if an entry door has hinges on the outside, rehang it with hinges inside. If that’s impossible, re-install it with pin-less hinges. Burglars can pop pins and take off the door to enter.
- Make sure locks on all sliding glass doors are sturdy. Then use a solid stick of wood or broom handle in the track of the closed door.
If you would like to obtain a new Homeowners insurance quote simply contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California today at 800-320-3666, or fill out the form below!
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Taken from: About.com
By Charles Montaldo
“Shopping during the holiday season can present unique danger. Taking a few prevention measures can help keep your holiday season joyous.
The holiday season is a time when busy people can become careless and vulnerable to theft and other holiday crime. The following tips from the Los Angeles Police
Department Crime Prevention Section can help you be more careful, prepared and aware during the holiday season.
- Shop during daylight hours whenever possible. If you must shop at night, go with a friend or family member.
- Dress casually and comfortably.
- Avoid wearing expensive jewelry.
- Do not carry a purse or wallet, if possible.
- Always carry your driver’s license or identification along with necessary cash, checks and/or a credit card you expect to use.
- Even though you are rushed and thinking about a thousand things, stay alert to your surroundings.
- Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
- Pay for purchases with a check or credit card when possible.
- Keep cash in your front pocket.
- Notify the credit card issuer immediately if your credit card is lost, stolen or misused.
- Keep a record of all of your credit card numbers in a safe place at home.
- Be extra careful if you do carry a wallet or purse. They are the prime targets of criminals in crowded shopping areas, transportation terminals, bus stops, on buses and other rapid transit.
- Avoid overloading yourself with packages. It is important to have clear visibility and freedom of motion to avoid mishaps.
- Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. At this time of year, con-artists may try various methods of distracting you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.”
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For a free insurance quote contact Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California today at 800-320-3666, or fill out one of our quote request forms located on our Products and Services page.
Scurich Insurance Services did not originally write this content
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