Important exclusions under a home insurance policy

As a homeowner in the Wixom, MI area, it is essential for you to understand possible exclusions under your homeowners’ insurance policy and make sure you have any additional coverages in place as needed. The specialists at America’s Choice Insurance Partners have compiled a list of exclusions all homeowners should know under their policy. 

Flood Insurance 

Too many homeowners do not know that flooding is not covered under a homeowners policy. Most insurance policies will cover water damage. However, water damage caused by a flood is excluded. In addition, just because your home is not in a flood zone does not mean you are not prone to flooding damage. Speak with your agent at America’s Choice Insurance Partners today about options for flood insurance in the area. 

Mold 

Coverage for mold is also likely excluded from your homeowners’ policy. Mold is considered by insurance companies a preventative issue. It is critical for homeowners to properly remediate any water damage after a leak occurs to avoid mold growth in the home. 

Dog Bites 

If you have a dog, it is imperative to understand whether you will have coverage if it bites someone. Most insurance carriers will exclude this coverage, especially if you have an aggressive dog. However, dog bite claims tend to be very expensive, so if you have a dog, cover it. 

Pools 

If you have a pool, you will want to check with your agent to ensure you are covered. The risk of claims is typically high regarding pools so you will purchase this coverage as an add-on to your policy. 

If you have questions about your homeowners’ policy coverage, contact an America’s Choice Insurance Partners agent today. We proudly serve the Wixom, MI area. 

What Does Home Content Insurance Cover in Michigan?

Have you ever wondered how you would replace your new TV or favorite jewelry if you lost them in a home invasion or fire? Content insurance is also called personal property insurance. It covers items you lose after a fire, theft, or other insured events at your home. Examples include personal belongings, such as expensive jewelry, electronics, and anything not fixed in the house. If you want to review or increase your current content coverage, reach out to a dedicated America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI.

Are Family Members Covered?

Content insurance covers anyone on your home insurance policy, including children and dependents. If your spouse is on your policy, they are also insured for contents lost in a covered event. If you aren’t sure who is on your current policy, contact your agent to check.

Depending on your home insurance policy, this type of coverage can also cover personal property belonging to living employees or guests. However, it does not cover long-term tenants not related to you.

What’s Included in Content Insurance?

Since these policies vary significantly from one insurance company to another, it’s essential to know if your most precious belongings are covered. If your property is already insured under another policy, such as a car, it isn’t included in content insurance.

If you have content insurance, it may cover jewelry and precious metals, cell phones, and other electronics. However, content insurance does not cover animals, carpeting, fixtures, HVAC systems, or the property of non-family members staying at your home.

Other parts of your home insurance probably cover items fixed to the home, such as HVAC systems, carpeting, and appliances. However, if you rent out your property, you’ll need landlord insurance, and your tenants will need renter’s insurance to cover their belongings.

Contact America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI, today to review or improve your content or home insurance!

What is Other Structures Coverage?

Whether you’re buying your first home or adding to your property for the first time, it’s essential to understand other structures coverage. America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI guides homeowners through insurance and other coverage daily. Here’s what you need to know. 

What is other structures coverage?

Like fire, hurricanes, and tornados, most covered perils don’t limit their destruction to your home. They might damage all of the structures on your property on their way through – like your fence, detached garage, gazebo, or in-ground swimming pool. 

Other structures coverage protects the structures on your property that aren’t attached to your home from covered perils. 

Like your homeowner’s policy, it’s important to note that whether your losses are covered depends on your policy. Other structures coverage is never available for renters since they don’t own the structures on the property they rent.

Do I have enough other structures coverage?

Any time you buy a home or modify your property, it’s important to meet with your insurance agent to review your coverage and ensure it meets your needs. Ask your insurance agent how much other structures coverage you have, so you can compare that to the value of your detached structures and purchase additional coverage if needed.  

It’s helpful to know in advance the value of your outbuildings, specifically how much it cost to build them or how much it would cost to replace them today. It’s common for homeowners with multiple outbuildings to need additional coverage, and your insurance agent can walk you through the process. 

Ready to get started? America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI is ready to help! 

Ways Wixom, MI Residents Can Improve Safety at Home

Nothing instils one more peace of mind than knowing that your family and loved ones are protected while they are in your house. Your home at Wixom, MI is vulnerable to impending potential hazards. Still, if you are conversant with dangerous areas and unsafe habits to keep away from, you are likely to avert any inevitable harm. Statistics reveal that one home is burglarized every 23 seconds, and thousands of people die annually from accidental home injuries. With these pronounced unsafe episodes, it’s prudent to speak to our agents at America’s Choice Insurance Partners to educate you on safety tips to make your home safe, including:

Getting an alarm system

You dwelling in Wixom, MI, should possess more than one alarm system. Though it’s challenging to determine exactly how many probable thieves are put off by alarm systems, it’s vital to install one, especially the one that alerts after even being disabled. Any burglar prefers intruding into a home that is alarm-free to minimize the chances of being caught. The market today provides a versatile variety of alarm systems. Choose the one that meets your needs.

Lock your doors and windows

Entering a house with doors and windows not closed can be super easy for an intruder. Ensure that every time your doors and windows are locked, even if you reside in a small sleepy neighborhood.

Lights up the dark areas

Installing porch lights is a vital way of lighting your backyard to keep intruders at bay. Ensure that all your potential entrances to your home are well lit to keep off intruders from sneaking around.

Always remember home fire safety.

Home fires can cause devastating damage effects if not life-threatening. Ensure that high-risk home items are secluded from potential risk. Never abandon cooking unattended and maintain stoves and declutter counter surfaces and take care of flammable objects like bug spray or hairspray.

Install surveillance cameras

CCTV cameras are a prudent idea to monitor movements outside windows and doors. Small hidden cameras are an option in addition to digital recording systems. Ensure that the cameras produce outstanding quality and are installed close to the doors and windows to record mugshots of investable burglars effectively.

Do you want to procure sufficient home coverage for your home in Wixom, MI? Don’t look beyond America’s Choice Insurance Partners to design for you coverage that protects your home and your loved ones. Call or visit us today!

Is a Michigan home insurance plan a necessity?

In the Wixom, MI area, there are a lot of advantages that will come to property owners. If you are going to buy your home here, you will enjoy having a stable place to call home as well as the price appreciation that happens over time. If you buy a home in this area of Michigan, it is important that you get the right insurance for it. You can do this with a home insurance plan. This insurance should be considered a necessity for a few reasons.

Insurance is Required by Lenders

A key reason to get a home insurance plan here is that it is required by mortgage lenders. Taking out a mortgage can be a good way to drastically improve your buying power. If you would like to own property when in this area and you do take out a loan, your lender will want to know that your home is protected. They will require you to take out an insurance plan and keep it active until they are paid off. 

Insurance Covers Asset

Even those that do not have lender insurance requirements to meet should get insurance for their home. There will likely never be a more valuable asset that you own than your home. Because of the importance of this asset, having the right insurance coverage in place is a necessity. If you get this insurance, it will provide the protection needed to repair your home following a hazard. 

Wixom, MI property owners need to ensure that they have the right insurance. The team with America’s Choice Insurance Partners can make this much easier for you. Those that contact America’s Choice Insurance Partners will learn a lot about the different insurance options that they have. This coverage will keep you properly protected at all times. 

Three things that influence the amount of home insurance coverage you need

It’s important to purchase adequate home insurance coverage to protect the investment you make in your home. At America’s Choice Insurance Partners, we offer many different home insurance options for homeowners in Wixom, MI.

The following are three things that influence the amount of home insurance coverage you need on your property.

The requirements of your mortgage lender

If you borrowed money from a lender to purchase your home, your lender is probably going to require that you have home insurance. They’re also going to have requirements for what minimum coverage is required of you.

You have more freedom to choose between different home insurance options if you own your home outright. It’s important to discuss your home insurance with your mortgage lender to make sure that your policy meets their requirements. 

The value of possessions within your home

The more valuable the possessions you want to cover, the more coverage you need. If you have a lot of valuable possessions in your home like jewelry or electronics, you should invest in some added insurance coverage to protect them. 

The existence of any possible safety risks in your home

There are certain scenarios in your home that could create additional safety risks. This could include owning certain breeds of dogs or owning an older home. By making repairs or changes in your home, you could minimize these safety risks and thereby decrease your coverage needs. You can discuss safety risks and possible improvements with your home insurance provider before you purchase a policy. 

If you have questions about our insurance policy options at America’s Choice Insurance Partners, feel free to get in touch with us. Visit us online or give us a call if you have questions about home insurance in Wixom, MI. 

What home insurance riders should I consider

Buying a home is one of the biggest investments that most people make. Protecting that investment is important for your peace of mind. Choosing a great home insurance policy can go a long way in helping. With more than 35 years in business, the team at America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI is uniquely qualified to help you make sure that you have all the home insurance that you need. As an independent insurance agency, they are able to offer a variety of products from multiple carriers. 

When looking for home insurance you may think that a typical home insurance policy will cover everything that could possibly happen to your home. You would be wrong. Many things are excluded from your home policy or have very specific limits that may not be adequate for your needs. That is where a rider or endorsement comes in, it gives you the coverage that your basic policy does not. 

  • Scheduled personal property rider – Your home insurance has set limits for personal property. Within that coverage, it may have limits for things like jewelry and electronics. You can add additional coverage to protect your property that has a value above the standard rate on your policy. 
  • Sewer back up coverage – Sewer backup is almost never covered on a typical policy.  It can cause thousands of dollars in damage and is a rider that is well worth adding to your policy, 
  • Earthquake rider/sinkhole – Any earth movement is not covered on a typical home insurance policy. If you live in an area where this is a serious possibility this rider is vital. 

These are just a sample of the types of riders that you may want to consider adding to your home insurance policy. Give the office of America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI a call or stop by to make an appointment to discuss your home insurance needs. 

Why should I create a home inventory

Many things can happen to your home that might damage it and all of your possessions that are inside of it. America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI has friendly agents who will be happy to help you to understand the benefit to you of creating a home inventory.

What is a home inventory?

A home inventory is a listing of all of your possessions. It should be as detailed as possible. It is not okay to write 10 books. You need to list the books by title and whether they are hardcover or paperback. When it comes to things like TVs and other electronics, you should record the brand name, the model number, and the serial number. The size of TVs should also be noted.

In addition to the written listing, room by room, taking photographs or videotaping your home can also be very helpful. Pay special attention to your higher value items and if they are particularly valuable, having an official appraisal can help you to recoup the actual value of your items.

Where to keep your inventory

First, make more than one copy. Store one of them offsite so that it can’t be destroyed by the same event that destroys or damages your home. Having a safety deposit box to hold your valuables is a good idea but if not, have a friend or family member keep one copy. A waterproof and fire-resistant box can help to preserve this important document at home.

Your home inventory can be one of the most important documents you have when it comes to replacing your possessions after a covered event. In Wixom, MI, America’s Choice Insurance Partners has experienced agents who can help you to understand just how important a home inventory is and how it benefits you. Stop by their office or give them a call. 

Does motor home insurance cover appliances?

Some choose to forgo motor home insurance in Wixom, MI because they do not believe that having such an insurance policy is necessary. Your RV, after all, is partially covered by your homeowner’s insurance plan if it remains parked on your property throughout the year. Homeowner’s insurance policies do not, however, pay for all damages related to motor homes.

You cannot file a claim if your RV’s built-in stove or refrigerator is destroyed if you only depend on homeowner’s insurance to pay for incidents. A motor home insurance plan, however, does have the capacity to cover appliances inside of your RV.

The agents at America’s Choice Insurance Partners can help you find the motor home insurance policy that is right for your lifestyle. Read on to learn more about RV insurance coverage.

What does RV insurance cover?

Motor home insurance can cover everything from appliances inside of the vehicle to accidents on the road. The best RV insurance plans come with special coverage for your stove and auto insurance perks. Those policies in the top-tier also cover electrical problems that may lead to fires.

How much does a good motor home insurance plan cost?

The price of motor home insurance heavily depends on how much coverage you want. You may find yourself paying the minimum amount for coverage if you do not drive your RV throughout the year. The monthly premium amount may rise slightly if your RV is your semi-permanent home and a source of transportation in Wixom, MI.

Call America’s Choice Insurance Partners

We have been in the business of insurance policies for many years. Our agents will work with you to find the plan that works best for your situation. Call America’s Choice Insurance Partners today to get started with a quote!

How to Make a Home Insurance Claim

If a grilling accident in your house leaves a guest injured, a storm damages your home, or a burglar breaks in, the biggest worry is always about whether or not you’ll recover from the loss. Each time an unfortunate event occurs in your Florida or Michigan home, you may be forced to file a claim with an insurance company. But, a claim against a homeowner’s policy comes with various regulations and procedures that you and the insurer must follow. Even though it’s advisable to contact a reliable agency like America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI, it’s still essential for you to understand the claim procedure. Here are the steps to get you started.

Contact the police

If your house has been burglarized or you are a victim of theft, report the case to the police. Be sure to get a police report, including the names of the officers you speak with since you will need to offer these details to your insurer.

Report the incident to your insurance provider

Your insurance provider should be able to inform you if the incident is covered, the duration of filing a claim, and if the request exceeds your deductible. They will let you know the period it’ll take to process the claim and if you’ll need to get estimations of the structural damage.

Fill out claim forms promptly

Once you establish that you can make a claim, your insurer will send the necessary claim forms within a specified time as required by law. Fill them out promptly to avoid delays.

Create a list of damaged or lost items

Since you need to substantiate your loss, create a list of damaged or destroyed items. Ensure you have a copy for your adjuster. Additionally, supply them with available copies of receipts for the damaged or stolen items.

Making a home insurance claim doesn’t have to be complicated provided you take the time to gather information and ask the right questions. Luckily Michigan and Florida residents can rely on America’s Choice Insurance Partners in Wixom, MI for help. Contact us today for more information.