{"id":6992,"date":"2023-02-27T16:53:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T16:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/?p=6992"},"modified":"2023-02-27T22:12:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T22:12:28","slug":"california-homeowners-insurance-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/california-homeowners-insurance-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Your California Homeowners Insurance Review Part of Your Spring Cleaning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You know you have homeowners insurance<\/a> because, well, you own a California home. So \u2026 you have to have a policy. Right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason you might be a little shaky on the details is likely because your homeowners coverage is probably tied in with your mortgage. You make one monthly house payment and let your mortgage company distribute your insurance premium when and where it\u2019s due. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably have the actual policy \u2026 somewhere. Have you read it lately? Do you understand what your home insurance policy covers \u2013 and what it doesn\u2019t<\/a>? Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re not trying to guilt trip you. Most of us have very little knowledge of what\u2019s actually in that policy. After all, it\u2019s not likely to be the most fascinating reading you\u2019ll ever do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it\u2019s important simply because lives and situations (and even California houses) change over time. That\u2019s why we recommend adding a homeowners policy review to all those other tasks you\u2019ll take on as part of spring cleaning this year and every year. You might find that it\u2019s at least as interesting as vacuuming the drapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what you should look for in a good policy review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changes to Your California Property Since Your Last Review <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Changes to your property can take on a number of forms.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you brought in construction teams to build a swimming pool, tool shed, gazebo, deck, or other outbuilding or exterior feature that might have added value<\/a> to your property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you renovated the kitchen or turned your dungeon of a basement into a beautiful rec room and workout center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is, there\u2019s a lot you can do to the interior or exterior of your property that makes your place more valuable. This is a good thing when it comes to appraising your home and putting it on the market, but it can be a very bad thing if your home burns to the ground in a California wildfire<\/a> or from an electrical system malfunction and your insurance claim only pays a fraction of what it\u2019s now worth. And yet, you can\u2019t blame your carrier if you didn’t tell anyone what you\u2019ve made in improvements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricey Possessions Have Accumulated Over Time <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you gone to an art sale in trendy Carmel-by-the-Sea and bought something expensive? Maybe you picked up an antique or two at Stars Antique Market in Hermosa Beach. Have you added some jewelry or pricey electronics over the years? If you did so gradually, you might not have even noticed how much you\u2019ve added to your personal wealth \u2014 until you have to make a homeowners claim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your standard home policy<\/a> puts limits on the value of your possessions and what your insurer will pay out in the event of loss or damage. How much? That\u2019s what you\u2019ll find out in reading your policy or consulting with your homeowners insurance broker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an important conversation to have. You might find that an inexpensive policy add-on can offer you a sense of financial security you didn\u2019t even know you needed until conducting your \u201cspring cleaning review.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Should Your California Home Insurance Policy Have Replacement Cost or Actual Cost Value? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Which do you have? Just like renters insurance<\/a>, standard homeowners insurance policies typically offer actual cost value. This is the amount that your household goods are now worth if they must be replaced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The replacement cost value is what it would cost you to replace the item with an equivalent new item. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference? Let\u2019s look at a four-year-old laptop computer that gets stolen. If you have an actual cost value policy, you\u2019ll get paid what that used computer is worth on today\u2019s market. In other words, you\u2019ll be reimbursed so you can buy another four-year-old computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a replacement cost value policy, you\u2019ll be reimbursed for what you\u2019d have to pay for a new version of that make and model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let your insurance agent crunch the numbers, but you\u2019ll likely see that upgrading to a replacement cost value policy costs very little in additional premiums to gain a whole lot more in claims protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Sure You Get \u2018Paid\u2019 for Your Home\u2019s Safety Improvements <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you made it less likely that your California home can be looted or suffer fire or smoke damage? Make sure your home insurance agent knows about it if you have made such changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smart home features like burglar alarms, smoke detectors, and camera surveillance systems can make your home safer \u2014 and less likely to be subject to claims. You deserve credit for that. Just like with auto insurance<\/a>, you can receive discounts for making it less likely you\u2019ll be filing a claim. Bundling<\/a> your auto and home insurance policies can lead to an even greater discount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get discounts from many homeowners insurance companies. Just call your agent and discuss the safety improvements you\u2019ve made. You might be pleased to find that the changes not only made your family feel more secure but also resulted in lower homeowners insurance premiums. That would certainly be good news! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom Line: Read That Policy and Talk With Your California Agent <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A good homeowners insurance agent works hard to keep your business. Your agent can keep you happy and secure by sharing several ways you can earn lower rates and\/or more significant coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a new policy<\/a>, you can gain a valuable advantage by working with an independent insurance agent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An agent who works for one insurance company can only offer you policies from that insurer. An independent agent, on the other hand, has contracted with several major carriers and can go shopping for competitive rates and policy features that work best for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your agent can make the language and buzzwords in your policy<\/a> make sense, and answer all your questions. So make your policy review and a meetup with your independent homeowners insurance agent a standard component of your spring cleaning. You might find all kinds of ways to save or extend your family\u2019s financial security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find Affordable Home Insurance in California Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Put a chat with an independent Cost-U-Less Insurance agent on your spring cleaning checklist. Call us at (800) 390-4071<\/a> or get a quick quote<\/a> online. You\u2019ll also find a California Cost-U-Less location near you<\/a> for a sit-down with an agent.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You know you have homeowners insurance because, well, you own a California home. So \u2026 you have to have a policy. Right?  The reason you might be a little shaky on the details is likely because your homeowners coverage is probably tied in with your mortgage. You make one monthly house payment and let your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[720,703],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6992"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6998,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992\/revisions\/6998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}