New York Home Insurance

Each year, on average, about 250,000 families have their homes ruined each year because of frozen pipes. The damages to the carpet, flooring, furniture, and furnishings can be catastrophic and if you don’t have proper home insurance very expensive. The problem can not just be fixed by calling in a plumber either; water pipes that freeze will crack and sometimes burst. A 3 millimeter crack in a pipe will gush 250 gallons of water in just one day. By the time you get home from work your home may be destroyed and you will be calling not just the plumber but a painter, contractor, carpet-layer and your insurance agent.

Below are a few steps that you can take to prevent you pipes from cracking and breaking.

1. Insulate the pipes. Look in your homes attic, garage and crawl spaces for exposed pipes and cover them with insulation. The more insulation that you use the more protected your pipes will be. Insulating the pipes prevents condensation as well it will save you on your energy bill (insulating will raise the water temperature 2-4 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Heat Cables or Heat Tape can be used to wrap your pipes. Heat Cables or Tape is an electric heating element that should be wrapped around the full length of a pipe to raise the temperature of the pipe. Insulation is used to reduce the rate of heat loss, but heat cables can be used to actually replace the heat that has been lost. Most Heat Cables will have a thermostat on them which can used to control a set temperature. Pipes will not freeze as long as they are kept above 0°C, but it is recommended to set the thermostat to between 3 to 5°C to keep the water from crystallizing.
3. Caulk around the pipes where they enter the house and at the foundation. Cold air coming in with the pipes may cause them to freeze.
4. If you have a separate shut-off valve for outside faucets turn off all outside water flow, then go outside and turn off all outside faucets and drain out the pipes leading to the faucets. Also shut off and drain your outside sprinkler system.
5. During extreme cold temperatures, if you can, have one indoor tap slowly dripping cold water. Try to use the tap that is farthest from the front door but do not leave it running if no one is home.
6. Set your thermostat in your home to no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit day or night, even if you are away.

Finally, don’t take any chances. If you suspect your pipes may have frozen or burst, turn off the main water supply to your house and call a plumber immediately.

New York Auto Insurance

1) A lot of accidents end up being a “he-said- she-said” situation with a battle for the insurance companies and police to determine who was at fault. One good way to avoid that is to purchase disposable camera and keep in the glove box of your car. Make sure that after the accident and before the cars are moved, you take multiple pictures of both cars from different angles. If the other motorist is claiming something different, you will be able to provide the insurance company with pictures.

2) Check immediately for an injuries and make sure that you seek medical treatment right away if anyone is hurt. Some insurance regulations put a time limit on how long you have to claim for personal injuries, so it is best to get medical attention, if needed, as soon as possible.

3) Try to take pictures of the plates of any cars that may have witnessed the accident and try to get any witnesses to stay to give a report to the police.

4) Always make sure you call the police to take an accident report and do not move your car until the police have arrived. It will take about 7 business days for you to get the report, but if you want to get the information to your insurance company faster you can get some of the information yourself. You will need:

The other cars owners name, address, and phone number

 The license plate and VIN number of the other car

 The driver’s (if different from the owner) name, address, phone number and drivers license number

The insurance company, policy number and the insurance agents name (if possible) of the other driver

The names and phone numbers of any witnesses; and finally the badge number and name of the police officer that is taking your accident report.

5) Never admit that you are at fault or give your opinion of the accident while you are at the accident site.

Some insurance companies will provide you with an “accident report guide”. It will walk you through everything you should do after an accident to help them process your claim quickly. Ask your insurance company for a copy and keep it in the glove box of your car, it should walk you through all the steps above.

Teen Auto Insurance

FINALLY!!!!!!

After two years of saving, you are finally going to buy your first car! So it’s a little old (Dave’s grandmothers giving you a great deal), and a little rusty, and you are pretty sure its not supposed to make that odd popping sound every time you stop, but it’s FINALLY yours next month. The only hurdle left to jump is getting car insurance.

By now you have probably called around to a few places and got a few quotes, but they all seem a little high. Well I have good news for you, there are four things a teen driver can do to lower their insurance rates.

1. Drivers Education Classes- Driver education classes focus on learning driving skills in a class with other teen drivers. They have both practical and hands on lessons. Usually the student is required to have several classes learning the rules and law of driving and then given a certain amount of hours on the road with an instructor. Most insurance companies will give you a 10-15% discount on your insurance if you have taken one of these courses so make sure you mention it when you are getting your quote.
2. Defensive Driving Class- The defensive driving class is about 5-6 hours long and can be done online or in a school setting. Its purpose to extend the knowledge that you already learned in Drivers Ed for safe driving. Usually you will be given a 10% discount on your premium for taking this course.
3. Good Student Discount- If you have grades above 80% in school you may qualify for a discount on your car insurance. Insurance companies vary in the discounts but you should get between 10-15% off your premium.
4. Company Specific Home Study Discounts- Some of the major insurance companies have a home study course you can take on safe driving. If your insurance company does offer one, make sure you take it. They will give you another 10-20%.

I don’t know if you have been doing the math on this, but if you add up the discounts for having all four of these tips you can save 40-60% on your insurance premium this year! That is a significant amount to save, and maybe, just maybe you will be able to get that new spoiler for the car earlier that you thought.

New York Flood Insurance

I recently had a friend go on their honeymoon to Mexico for two weeks.  While they were away the apartment above them had a leak in their bathroom plumbing.  Unfortunately by the time they found the problem, the water had gone through the floor, and through their ceiling, and done a significant amount of damage to their furniture as well as the new hardwood floors they had just put in.

Although I had advised them on several occasions that they need to purchase renters insurance, they never had. They found out they were not covered for any of the damages, not even the flooring.  Your landlord’s policy does not provide coverage for any of your personal belongings.

Think about this; the average renter in New York City has about $35,000 in personal property, to replace all that would take most of us years!  Renters insurance is generally less than the cost of a pizza each month, and if you add it on with your auto insurance policy you will get a huge discount.  With my policy it was actually less expensive for me to have renters insurance and auto insurance together than if I just had an auto policy.  Basically my renters insurance cost less than the discount I was receiving on my car insurance!
The other thing to consider is where you are going to stay while you condo is being repaired or rebuilt.  My friend had to live with her in-laws for almost two months while they were having her apartment repaired.  I don’t know about you, but that certainly wouldn’t be the best situation for me!

Make sure you have peace of mind and get your personal belongings insured today!

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