Steps You Should Take in the Summer or Fall Months to Prevent Frozen Pipes

Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, serving the greater Laurel, MD area, can help you obtain the home insurance you need. In some cases, home insurance may cover damage from pipes that unexpectedly burst. However, the insurance company can deny coverage if they deem you did not properly care for or maintain your pipes. Here are a few steps you should consider taking in the summer or fall months to properly maintain your pipes and minimize the chances of your pipes freezing. 

Get Your Pipes Cleaned

One of the most critical steps you should take in the summer or fall months to prevent frozen pipes is to have your lines. When you have your pipes cleaned, also known as hydro blasting pipes, a professional can remove small blockages or narrowing of the pipes that may slow down the flow of water. When water flow is slowed, the water in your pipes is more likely to freeze in freezing temperatures. 

Insulate Outdoor Pipes

Another step you can take in the summer or fall months to help prevent frozen pipes is insulating your outdoor pipes. Insulating the pipes helps to keep them a little warmer, which may be the difference between the pipes freezing or not freezing. 

Consider Adding a Water Alarm

The last step that you can take to possibly help prevent frozen pipes is adding a water alarm. A water alarm will tell you if there are any cracks in your pipes, which could be an early indication that the pipes are freezing and starting to burst. This allows you to shut off the water before the pipes burst completely, helping to prevent significant water damage. 

The Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial team, serving the greater Laurel, MD area, can help you with your home insurance needs. Whether you are looking to obtain a new home insurance policy for your first home or you are looking to change policies on your existing home, we are here to assist you. Call us now to get started.

Benefits of Home Insurance

One of the places we feel safe is in our homes. That is why people go over and beyond to make their homes comfortable. It can be through upgrading features, buying fancy furniture and appliances, installing security systems, and other things. While these are necessary, another responsibility to consider is insuring your home. As advised by Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, you stand to benefit in many ways from home insurance. Here are some of the advantages that Laurel, MD residents can enjoy.

Provides Liability Coverage

It will cost you a lot if someone gets injured in your home, and you are held liable. This is one of the main reasons why you need to get home insurance. Besides injuries, if someone’s property gets damaged in your home and you are at fault, you are responsible for replacing or repairing the damaged item. Home insurance ensures you do not make a financial loss by covering these damages.

Protect Your Homes Contents

Home insurance helps protect your property, including appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, clothing, etc. That is why one needs to take an inventory of one’s belongings when buying home insurance. If you are exposed to a covered risk like fire, theft, or natural disaster, your policy helps repair or replace these items.

Offers Loss of Use Coverage

If your home is exposed to a covered loss like a fire, you may have to move out as it undergoes repairs temporarily. Home insurance can help cover the additional expenses you will incur, like travel, hotel, and food. This is another advantage of home insurance where you are not left stranded, covering hotel expenses.

Peace of Mind

Buying home insurance gives you peace of mind. Living your life knowing that if anything happens to your property, you will not go on with a huge financial loss is comforting.

Home insurance with Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial ensures you enjoy these benefits and so much more. If you reside in Laurel, MD, and are looking to insure your home, then look no further. We are ready to help you pick the right coverage for your home.

Does everyone in Laurel need home insurance?

The choice and process of purchasing a home is one of the most significant decisions that people in the Laurel, MD area will ever make. There are a lot of advantages that can come with property ownership over the long run, but there are risks to be considered as well. A great way that you can mitigate risks is by getting home insurance. There are various reasons why everyone in this area of Maryland should get home insurance.

Protect Assets

A top reason to always have insurance for your home is that it is an ideal way to protect your assets. A home insurance plan gives the coverage you need to repair your home if it does incur significant damage during a fire, bad weather, vandalism, or other covered risks. Your plan can also offer a provision for your personal assets up to limits set in your policy. 

Reduce Liability Risk

You also should consider getting home insurance here a necessity as it is a great way to reduce your personal liability risk. As a property owner, you are always going to take on some personal liability risk. If there is an accident in your home that causes injury or damage to another person’s property, you could be liable for damages. With liability insurance in your home coverage plan, you can offset this concern. 

People in the Laurel, MD area should always consider home insurance a top necessity and priority. If you are looking for a plan, it would be wise to call Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial. With the amount of options and choices to make, support from Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial will be helpful as they can give the guidance you need to build a quality plan that will cover your home and meet your requirements. 

Maryland Home Insurance: Don’t Hire a Contractor Without Checking Your Liability Coverage

When you are performing home renovations, one of the biggest stresses on your mind will be the safety risks, and liability risks. That is what liability insurance is for.

At Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we help Laurel, MD homeowners get the coverage they need for every liability when they are renovating.

Learn more about how to do that right here.

Check Your Home Insurance Liability Policy

One thing you want to do before you hire a contractor or begin any renovations is check your liability coverage. This will protect you in the event of financial loss if an accident or problem occurs for which you are at fault.

When the layout of your home is altered, or you have many people coming and going from your property, you are increasing your liability risks. With contractors comes the risk of broken structures, exposed nails, or danger with construction.

You will want to check your home insurance for your liability coverage limits, to make sure that you have enough to cover you for every risk. Your insurance company can help you to increase your limits.

Liabilities for Home Renovation

When you are undergoing a home renovation, you could incur liabilities. There could be an accident or injury, or a problem could happen for which you are at fault. 

Your home insurance company will want to know what changes you are making to your home, and that you are covered for every potential risk.

Get a Quote

When you are launching home renovations, be prepared before you start. Before you even hire a contractor, check the liability coverage on your home insurance policy. At Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we want Laurel, MD homeowners to have enough liability coverage when they are renovating. Call us for a quote today.

Stay Protected With Home Insurance

Home insurance is a must if you own a home. It offers many different types of coverage all in one policy. When you have a home policy, you are protected against a wide range of accidents and disasters. If you don’t have home insurance yet, it’s time to get a policy to protect yourself and your future. Give us a call today at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD.

Your House

Your house itself needs protection, and it gets it from a home insurance policy. This coverage protects the house if it is damaged or destroyed by an incident that is covered by the policy. When the worst happens and whether there are repairs or rebuilding needed, the policy will pay for it. Trying to pay for significant damage done to a home without home insurance is simply too expensive for most people, making this coverage vital for protecting your future. 

Your Possessions

Another type of coverage included in home insurance is coverage for your belongings in the home. If there is a serious incident and items are broken or destroyed, your home policy can pay for those damages. Imagine trying to replace everything in a home without having this insurance. It would be impossible for most people to do. This coverage is a much-needed way to stay protected. 

Your Liability

When you have a third party in your home and that person becomes injured, you can be held responsible for the medical bills and other costs, including lost wages. When you have a home policy, it includes coverage for liability. This can be extremely helpful in the event that someone is injured. When you have this policy, the injured party doesn’t have to sue you to get their medical bills paid. 

Get Your Home Insurance

To get started with a home insurance policy, contact us at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD.

Stay Protected With Home Insurance

There is a lot to take care of when you own a home, and one of these is to find a good home insurance policy and to keep it in place for as long as you own the home. If you need a home policy, give us a call at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD.

Your House

The house itself needs to be insured, and it is covered with a home policy. The policy covers specific types of damage to the house itself and may extend to outdoor structures like sheds and fences. This coverage helps you to repair the home after it has suffered damage from a covered accident, calamity or other incidents. Repairs can quickly go into the thousands of dollars, even if the damage isn’t extensive. Without this coverage, it may be extremely difficult to get repairs made. 

Your Possessions

Like the protection that you have for your dwelling, you also need that protection for your belongings. With your home policy, your possessions are covered against them being damaged, ruined or destroyed. It’s common for all of the belongings in a house to be just as valuable as the house itself if not more so. This is important coverage that every homeowner needs. 

Liability Protection

Just like your house and your possessions, your liability needs to be covered as well to leave you fully protected. This coverage pays for the medical bills of those who fall ill or get injured while in your home or on your property. Without this coverage, it would be up to you to pay them all. 

Get Your Home Coverage

If you don’t have home insurance, it’s time to remedy that problem. Contact us at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD to find out more from an insurance agent. 

Things your home insurance won’t cover

When you buy home insurance you are determined to make sure every possible eventuality is covered. That isn’t ever really possible since all home insurance policies have exclusions. You need to read the exclusions section of your policy carefully to determine if you can live with the risk. If not, most of them have ways that you can include the needed coverage. In Laurel, MD, Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial has been serving the needs of residents since 2005. We are family-owned and operated and strive to develop a relationship with our customers to help us provide the right information and coverage. 

Floods

Probably the most shocking item that isn’t covered is flooding. Floods are one of the most damaging natural disasters, and they can strike without warning across the country.  Rivers, creeks, and even streams can come charging over their banks. Hurricanes can churn up the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. No one is safe. If you find the risk too high, and you want to get coverage, the NFIP offers flood insurance to residents of a participating community. 

Earth Movement

This category covers several types of earth movement. California is the most active place for earthquakes, but it is far from the only place in the country to experience them.  Mudslides and sinkholes are also types of earth movement. Sinkholes have become bigger, more frequent, and in locations that are unexpected. You can add an endorsement to your policy or get a separate policy. 

Owner neglect

As the owner of your home, it is your responsibility to maintain that home. This means replacing a roof before it is so bad that it allows your home to be damaged. It means making sure that you get pest treatment so that termites don’t damage your home. 

Contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD for all your home insurance needs. 

Common Myths About Home Insurance

You worked so hard to get your dream home for you and your loved ones, and because of that, it will behoove you to ensure you have the right home insurance policy for you. Having said that, it is critical to consult a reputable insurance agent, and it is vital that you know the common myths about home insurance to ensure you are properly covered. Thus, the following includes many of the common myths about home insurance: 

  • Standard homeowners insurance covers flood damage. 

Home insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. A separate flood insurance policy must be purchased in addition to your standard policy in order to be covered.

  • It covers my medical expenses in case of an injury. 

These policies typically cover someone outside your family who gets injured on your property. 

  • It is not necessary to make an inventory list. 

You must have an inventory list to show ownership especially when it comes to filing a claim. 

  • Your premium will get higher each time you file a claim. 

This usually occurs if you file multiple claims. 

  • Home insurance covers all expensive items, including furs and jewelry.

Home insurance usually has limitations when it comes to valuables, and some high-end items may be more expensive than the limit. So, in this case, you will need to buy more coverage for those items.

  • Only those living in flood zones can get flood insurance. 

Standard home insurance policies don’t cover floods, so you must get flood insurance. Also, floods can occur anywhere besides the flood zone. 

Conclusion

These are just a handful of common myths about home insurance. For more information about home insurance, contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial today. Located in Laurel, MD, Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial has been providing top-notch insurance products for people in Laurel MD, and surrounding areas for over 15 years. Contact them today!

Making your home as safe as possible

Home is the place where the heart is, for most people it is your safe zone. While it may be emotionally safe, you want to make sure it is physically safe as well. As a homeowner, you are responsible for updates and renovations. Sometimes things can get overlooked that really needed to be fixed. If that is the case, don’t let it go any longer, your insurance company expects you to maintain your home. In Laurel, MD, Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial is here to look out for your interests and help you to find the perfect insurance for your lifestyle. 

Check door and windows

All exterior doors and windows to your home should have locks. Make sure the locks are doing their job. If you don’t have deadbolts on your doors, consider having them installed. For a sliding glass door, you should use a safety bar that keeps them from opening. Windows, especially those on the ground or basement level should have a lock and should be kept locked. 

Motion lights

Having motion-activated exterior lights can discourage anyone who is trying to get close to your home undetected.  Place the lights on all sides of your home. 

Camera doorbell

Having a camera on your doorbell is a great safety measure. It allows you to see who is ringing your doorbell. Most of these work from an app on your phone so you can see who is on your porch even if you are not at home. 

Home security system

Lots of home security systems are available. Some are DYI and are simple to install. They can include cameras and sensors. If you want a more sophisticated system many are installed and maintained by monitoring companies. 

In Laurel, MD, Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial is your local independent agency. We are dedicated to providing the finest products and services to our customers. Give us a call for a no-obligation quote. 

Three things you can do to make your home insurance policy more convenient

Finding the right insurance policy in Laurel, MD is an important task area homeowners need to take care of. At Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we offer insurance policies to meet your needs.

If you want to make things easier for yourself regarding home insurance, you can do the following things to make home insurance more convenient.

Buy a policy with online account management features

Many insurance providers offer online account access features. These features allow you to view information about your account and make payments online.

Online account management features make things more convenient by allowing you to conveniently access information about your account whenever you need it.

Set up automatic payments

A lot of providers also offer automatic payment features. This means you won’t have to remember to make payments on your account. Your payments will be automatically charged to your bank account or credit card. 

With automatic payments, your premium payments are taken care of automatically. You minimize the chances that you will overlook a payment. This is important because your insurance policy can be canceled if you overlook a premium payment. 

Make sure your provider offers good customer service

It’s important to realize how important good customer service is when you’re buying insurance. Unfortunately, homeowners sometimes underestimate the importance of good customer service when they purchase home insurance.

Whenever you have a question about home insurance or need to submit a claim, customer service is important. With good customer service, you know that your needs will be addressed by your insurance provider promptly and completely. 

Do you have questions or inquiries about home insurance policies in Laurel, MD? We can help at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial. Contact us to learn more.