Protecting Your Home's Value with Homeowners Insurance

The summer months are the time of year when people spend the most time enjoying patios, decks, yards and pools, and the time when friends, relatives and children are most likely to be around. As welcome as that is, the more people you have traipsing through your home, the more likely the chances are of damage or injury.

Protect Your Assets With Homeowners Insurance

As a homeowner, your assets need protection - for you, your family, your future and your security. And to guard against the uncertainty that is a fact of life, you need coverage to take care of dependents and loved ones. Homeowners can guard against financial disaster by carrying homeowners, mortgage, and term life insurance policies - all of which ensure your home is paid off in the event that something happens to you or your ability to pay your mortgage.

In addition to adequate homeowners insurance coverage, homeowners can take steps to protect themselves by doing a walk-through of their entire home and property with a notepad, pen, and one question on their minds: What could possibly happen here?

If You Have a Pool: Adjust your Homeowners

Thoroughly inspect it before high use season. Make sure steps, edges, ladders, railings, drains, diving boards and any toys and equipment are safe and haven't rusted or deteriorated since last season. If your pool is surrounded by slippery concrete, consider looking into textured surfaces made to cut down on slippage that can be added to the perimeter.

Examine patio furniture too. Check for rust, decay, sharp edges that can cut or frayed material that could give way.

If Living Areas are Above the Ground Floor and Home Insurance

In warm weather, windows are open, which puts children and pets at risk. Very small children can even injure themselves by falling out of ground floor windows. Nail or bolt screens shut high up. If you have no screens, collapsible versions are available at hardware stores, but they're not the safest or sturdiest.

If windows are very old, check hardware to make sure wood hasn't decayed to the point that locks can be pulled right out. Remember that pets can slip through very small window openings. Collapsible screens can help guard against that, but close the window tightly over them to clamp them in.

If something seems like a potential problem, it probably will be. Fork out the money to have fences, gates or other property protectors put up before something happens. It will almost certainly be less expensive than reparations or insurance costs if something happened.

Pets and Home Insurance

Make sure they've had their shots. If they are confined in your yard, regularly check the condition of gates and fences for weak spots. If your dog bites someone, it could have serious implications on your homeowners insurance.

Some homeowners insurance companies will not insure people whose dogs have bite histories. If your dog exhibits any aggressive behavior, consider training or obedience school. As a last resort, consider putting your pet up for adoption or asking animal control authorities for help. And if you know of any animals you believe to be dangerous, report them to animal control.

Shopping around to compare quotes can help you get the right homeowners insurance coverage you need. Using InsWeb.com's online quote form, you can compare multiple homeowners insurance policies in a matter of minutes.