Nothing in life is certain. Sometimes we experience major life changes, and when life events happen you might need to re-evaluate your insurance situation and needs. It’s important to make sure that you have the coverage you need to be protected from all the risks you face every day. You definitely don’t want to end up underinsured, whether it’s with your home insurance or your auto insurance. So, we’ll go over some life situations that could mean you need to give your agent a call.
1. Buying a house.
Of course, buying a home means that you’re going to need to get home insurance. Buying a house is a big investment, and it’s important that you take steps to protect your new home against things like fire and theft. You also need to make sure that you have enough home insurance. You need enough insurance to rebuild your home from the ground up like you would have to if it were destroyed by a fire, and that means insuring your home for its replacement cost. Then you need to have enough insurance to cover your belongings. Anyways, the point is that when you buy a house you need home insurance, and you need to make sure you have enough coverage.
2. Doing home renovations.
Home renovations can have an impact on your insurance. If you do significant home renovations, you may end up increasing the value of your house. And that means you may need to increase your level of home insurance. As we mentioned before, you need enough coverage to rebuild your home if it were destroyed. So, if you completely remodel your kitchen, for example, and your home is worth more now than it was before, you will probably need to raise your limits of coverage. Generally, it’s a good idea to keep your agent informed about any major changes you make to your home. Again, it’s all in the interest of making sure that you have enough coverage to protect your home.
3. Having a teenager get their license.
When your teenager gets their driver’s license, you need to make sure that they’re insured. Getting insurance for a teen driver can be pricey, so it’s usually a good idea to add your teenager to your policy instead of getting them their own policy. Anyways, if you have a teenager who’s ready to start driving, it’s time to call your agent and get your teen the coverage they need.
4. Getting married.
When you get married, you’re combining households and even vehicles. It’s worth letting your agent know about your nuptials because you could qualify for a discount on your auto insurance – some companies offer multi-vehicle discounts for policyholders who insure more than one car with them. So, it’s worth investigating what discounts are available and what it would take to switch your auto coverage over so that you and your spouse are on the same policy.
5. Buying a car.
Naturally, if you buy a new car you’re going to want to protect it, right? It’s your new baby. So, you’ll want to make sure that you get the right insurance for the new vehicle and that you let your agent know about your new-car plans ASAP.
6. Gaining valuable jewelry or art.
Whether you buy valuable jewelry or art or you inherit it, it’s essential to make sure that they’re properly insured. So, you may need to add coverage to your policy. The thing is that home insurance usually has a limit for how much coverage you have for jewelry and valuables, and that limit may not be enough to fully cover them. If you end up with some expensive, fancy jewels or art in your possession, make sure to let your agent know about your new wealth so they can help you figure out how to insure your jewelry and valuables.
7. Retirement.
You might be able to get a discount on your home insurance – you never know!
8. Deciding to bundle your home and auto.
If you want to bundle your home and auto insurance, you can call your agent to see if they can help. (Basically that means you’re getting home and auto insurance from the same company.) The reason this could be helpful is that many carriers offer a discount if you bundle.
As you can see, life changes can have a significant effect on your insurance needs. Buying a house, getting married, doing home renovations, and having a teen get their driver’s license are all occasions to give your agent a call to let them know about the new situation. The important thing is making sure that you have the coverage you need to completely protect your home, your car, and your assets.
If you’re looking to save some money on your home insurance, we can help. We can help you shop for the best possible insurance rate. All you have to get home insurance quotes is fill out our online form or give us a call today.