Are there Insurance Companies that Specialize Policies for Older Homes in West Hartford, CT?

Are you someone who loves historical artifacts? Do you have the pleasure of living in an older home in West Hartford, Connecticut, complete with all of the history, style, and ambience of bygone days? If so, you might be worried about finding affordable homeowners insurance for your treasure, but there are insurance companies that specialize in policies for older homes.

Your home’s unique insurance needs

You may need a specialized insurance policy because your home has unique insurance needs. Homeowner’s insurance is meant to cover you in the event of a disaster that would require repair or replacement of your existing home. The right insurance policy would restore you to your previous living conditions, but this is more difficult when you have an older home. Why? Simply put, your home was built with materials and with care and craftsmanship that today’s homes aren’t.

Take a look around your older home. Those solid oak wood flooring planks or beautifully carved baseboards are things of the past. They aren’t done in most of today’s homes. Therefore, you need an insurance policy that’s going to restore your solid oak flooring and your beautifully carved baseboards to as close to "original condition" as possible if disaster should strike. That won’t happen with an insurance policy for a modern home. In order to re-create the beauty of your home with materials that are as closely matched as possible to those used decades or even a century or more ago, you need a specialized policy.

Other things to consider

  • There may be special provisions with your older home

Your insurance company may only be willing to insure your older home with restrictions if, for example, your home uses outdated electrical fixtures or other utility features that could be a fire risk. For example, if your home’s plumbing, wiring, heating, or electrical systems have not been updated to meet current codes, your insurance company may offer to write your policy – but will exclude coverage for any damage done as a result of these outdated systems’ malfunction. So, for example, if there’s a fire and it started because of faulty wiring, your policy may not cover the damage done by that fire. Your independent agent can explain more about this when you ask about your policy.

What Are the Benefits of Having Workers Compensation Insurance in West Hartford, Connecticut?

As a business owner in West Hartford, Connecticut, you have many assets to protect to keep your company prospering, and for many companies, commercial auto insurance is a vital component in protecting the business.

Your independent agent will confirm for you the various benefits of obtaining commercial auto insurance. For one, your insurance company will specialize in commercial vehicle coverage, and will have specialists on hand to help you decide the proper level of coverage. This will save you money upfront as well as over the entire period you keep each vehicle in your company’s fleet.

If something goes wrong with your vehicle, commercial insurance companies typically can provide independent inspection services to give you the peace of mind that the repairs are done properly.

The insurer may also offer you access to its network of approved mechanics and repair shops, which have workers who are experienced in dealing with the wear and tear that commercial vehicles are subject to. They also understand the importance of getting your vehicle up and running again as soon as possible, so your workers can get back to business with minimal delay.

Another benefit of commercial auto insurance in Connecticut is the ability to extend coverage to hired and non-owned auto liability. You’ll be able let your employees use their personal cars to conduct company business, while making sure they are covered as if they were driving the company car. This flexibility is essential for companies that need to maximize their resources. If no fleet cars are available, your employees can still get their jobs done under this coverage.

A final thought: Depending on the type of business you run and the insurance company you use for coverage, you may be eligible for occupational discounts, which can only help to improve your bottom line.

New Connecticut Home Buyers: What You Need to Know About Homeowners Insurance

Connecticut residents who are purchasing their first homes should not overlook the need to obtain homeowners insurance. To select the best coverage for their new places, they need to consider the amount of coverage required and be aware of what is covered as there may be exclusions that need to be addressed.

Homeowners’ coverage varies between providers and policies. How much coverage homeowners needs depends on a variety of factors. If they have a mortgage, then their mortgage lender can require them to have hazard coverage that covers the entire amount of the house in case of destruction. This coverage can protect both the lender and homeowner against loss. If homeowners’ coverage is not dictated by their lenders, it is up to each homeowner to decide how much coverage they want, taking into consideration the amount of loss they could afford.

Homes can be damaged or destroyed by vandalism, fire, storms and many other means. However, homeowner insurance policies may exclude certain events from their coverage. In this case, it’s up to homeowners to recognize gaps and get additional coverage as needed. If a homeowner’s policy excludes flooding for instance, he should consider whether or not his particular Connecticut location is at risk for flooding and purchase flood coverage if it is. Although hazard coverage plus supplemental coverage for specific perils can cover the cost of a home, the package may only cover the building itself and not property or persons. Homeowners may want to add personal property coverage to include the home’s contents and personal liability coverage to protect the homeowner financially in case anyone gets injured on their property.

New Connecticut home buyers should take homeowners insurance and its coverage into consideration as they make the decision to buy a new home. An independent insurance agent can help streamline the process of discovering, evaluating, and purchasing insurance packages.

Am I Able to Switch Insurance Agents and Keep the Same Carrier in West Hartford, Connecticut?

If you live in West Hartford, Connecticut and you love your insurance carrier but you don’t like your agent, not to worry. You can safely switch agents without having to drop your company, too.

Why should you change agents WITHOUT changing the insurance company you use?

You may like the coverage you get, because your premiums aren’t overly high, you get a lot of coverage for the premium price, the deductible is reasonable, and so forth. If that’s true, you probably don’t want to switch insurance companies – and you don’t have to. You can stay with the same one.

Why should you switch agents?

  • He she is simply a wrong fit

Sometimes, you may have a personality clash with the agent you’re first assigned to. You just need another agent that is a better fit for you.

  • He or she discourages you from filing claims for significant losses

The purpose of insurance is to protect you in the event of loss; it’s true that it’s not always wise to file claims for very small losses, since doing so could drive up your premiums unnecessariliy. However, If your insurance agent is discouraging you from filing a claim for a significant loss, such as flooding in the kitchen that damaged flooring, appliances, furniture, etc., and they’ll need replacement (in addition to mold reparation if necessary), you need to find another agent.

He or she is simply not knowledgeable

If your agent can’t sit down with you and discuss your needs and current situation and come up with the perfect policy for you – without unnecessary coverage that you don’t need, or missing coverage that you do need – you should find another agent. Call your insurance company, give them your policy number, and ask to be assigned to another agent. That agent will carefully look over your policy and recommend changes as needed.