How to Safeguard your Home before Traveling

Posted on October 13, 2016January 3, 2017 by agentinsure

Before traveling for the holidays, take time to safeguard your property. By taking precautions, you can avert problems with theft or damage to your property during your absence. Here are a few tips on how to keep your home safe while on holiday.

Mail/Lawn

Have a neighbor pick up your mail daily or request that your post office hold it during your absence to avoid having an overflow of letters in your mailbox. If you have a newspaper subscription, put it on hold during your travels.

For extended holidays, have someone mow the lawn or shovel snow from your driveway, depending on the season, to give the impression that someone is home.

Timers

Invest in timers to turn on lights, radio or TV during the evening so no one will suspect that you’re not home. Thieves are less likely to target a home that looks like it’s occupied. Unplug all appliances not on timers to minimize the risk of power surges causing an electrical fire.

Holiday Plans

Don’t advertise your travels to the public as you never know who’s listening. Share holiday plans with family, close friends or a trusted neighbor in private who can keep an eye on your property while you’re gone. Leave spare keys with someone you trust in case they need to get in the house due to an emergency during your absence.

Valuables

Lock up costly jewelry, important documents and other valuables in a safety deposit box or safe as an extra precaution against theft.

Home Insurance

Make sure you have adequate home insurance coverage to protect your property. Contact Curtis Miller Insurance, Parkersburg, WV, before traveling to discuss home insurance options. With the right insurance policy from Curtis Miller Insurance, you can travel in peace knowing your home in Parkersburg, WV, is well protected against any eventuality.

How Much Commercial Insurance Coverage Do I Really Need?

Posted on August 17, 2016October 25, 2016 by agentinsure

When you begin to explore commercial insurance in Parkersburg, WV, there’s always the inevitable question of how much you actually need. How much is enough and how much is too much? This is going to vary for every business owner.

Identify Your Needs

The first thing you need to do is identify the basic needs of your business. What you have going on may be very different from other businesses throughout West Virginia. This means you have to look at such things as:

–           Property
–           Value of inventory
–           Number of employees
–           Industry you are in
–           Commercial vehicles owned

All of these are going to play into what kind of commercial insurance coverage you need and how much you need. The more time you take in order to identify the needs of your business, the easier it will be to obtain a commercial insurance policy that you can count on throughout the year. As your business grows and evolves, your policy is likely going to evolve as well. This will ensure that you are always able to file claims.

Get Expert Assistance

One wrong move when it comes to purchasing commercial insurance and you may not have the coverage that you need when you need it the most. It can be extremely difficult to calculate coverage in terms of how much liability you should have, and what types of coverage should be in place. This is why it is advantageous to work with an independent insurance agent. You can learn more about what is needed for the type of business that you have, and obtain quotes from different insurance companies so that you can learn about the true cost of a good policy.

How to pack your bathrooms

Posted on April 28, 2016May 2, 2016 by agentinsure

No matter if you hire a moving company or decide to do everything yourself, when you move it’s practically guaranteed that you’ll pack your bathrooms yourself. Most moving companies won’t want to touch anything liquid, making it next to impossible to get them to take most of what is in a typical bathroom. Fortunately, this isn’t a hard room to pack, if you follow these steps.

Use big boxes for your linens. These are relatively light, so it makes sense to use a big box and pack these items quickly. Only put cloth items into these boxes.
Separate your liquid items from everything else. Make one pile of lotions, shampoos, etc. and another of “dry” personal items such as make-up power and toothbrushes.
Pack the dry items in small cardboard boxes. These items tend to be relatively heavy, and their small size makes a large box of these items overwhelming to sort through later. Small boxes will be easier to unpack and deal with.
Pack wet items in plastic tubs. These items will most likely be getting to your new place in your personal vehicle, so make sure their box can’t leak if something breaks open and spills. Plastic totes are also easy to wash out later if something spills. Pack everything upright, and avoid making multiple layers, even if it means a lot of wasted space at the top of the box.
Leave a few essentials. A box of tissues and a roll of toilet paper can be used up to the last minute while you’re still in the house. Any left over will be greatly appreciated by the new residents, who will be struggling to look for toilet paper for a few days while they unpack.

As you’re packing, remember to give the agents at Curtis Miller Insurance a call. They’ll be able to help you save money on your new homeowner’s policy.