Homeowner’s Academy
This is your guide to interesting facts, tips and general homeowner information. We hope you find the information useful – and feel free to share with friends!

7 Questions to Ask When Buying Florida Home Insurance

Spring cleaning often comes with a fresh coat of paint. Painting can be a great way to change the feel of a room or give your home some great curb appeal. Painting also plays a role in home repair by protecting the wood of your home against the elements, essential here in Florida.

If you decide to try your hand at painting this spring, People’s Trust has some tips that can keep the experience enjoyable and safe for everyone in your family.

Try Some Eco-friendly Paint

Spring conjures up the sniffles for many people in the great outdoors, but paint may do the same thing inside of your home. Household paints have previously contained up to 300 toxic chemicals, including the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release particles into the air for years after you paint.

Try a low-VOC paint, which tends to be water-based, for any home interior painting. These have taken off in recent years and come in every shade and finish imaginable. Some brands also create no-VOC paints by replacing chemicals with more natural ingredients. These no-VOC paints are often pet-safe, but always check the label and never leave your pet unattended in a room where paint cans are open.

Home Repair Supervision

If you have children, never let them be in a room with open paint cans by themselves. If children are under the age of 10, they should never be in a room with any open painting materials. Even eco-friendly paints are extremely dangerous if ingested. If you believe your child has ingested any paint, immediately call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.

Try Cloth Catchers for Indoor and Outdoor Painting

You can pick up plastic sheets to protect your floors and lawn, but these often move and tear as you walk around painting. Turn to cloth or canvas drop cloths that will stay in place easier and can be weighed down with objects without the risk of tearing.

For painting the outside of your home, try a tarp with tie-holes. These can be staked into the ground to provide a steadier surface for a ladder.

Ventilate: Make Room to Breathe

If you’re painting inside, open the doors and windows. If your room has a fan, turn it on. You want proper ventilation for any space you’re painting to help air out the room and not breathe in paint fumes. If you can’t ventilate where you’re working, get a respirator and only paint in short stints.

Ventilation is essential to most common home repair improvements.

Stick to the Shade

If painting outside, you know that you need to take a break in the shade, but what about your materials? Paint, paint thinner and lacquer all need to stay in the shade as much as possible when painting outdoors.

Not only can heat and sun alter some of these items when they’re sitting in the can, but heat can also be a big problem for these flammable items. The city of Las Vegas actually warns its citizens to be careful when painting their homes or canvases outside because paint thinner has been ignited by the sun and started home fires.

Clean Up after Home Repairs

When you finish painting for the day, clean up the entire space. This will prevent spills and any accidental exposure.

Latex paints can typically be cleaned from surfaces and your skin with soap and water. Oil-based paints will have specific cleaning instructions located on the paint can itself. Take a look at your can before you start painting and write down what it says, because paint often spills on the outside of the can during the painting process.

Gasoline was once used to clean paint off of brushes, but this should never be used. Gasoline is extremely dangerous and should never be used as a cleaner for any object.

It’s always a smart practice to clean up and watch your space clearly when doing any home repair project.

Imagine this: You just signed up with a new Florida home insurance company. Shortly after, a heavy storm sweeps through your neighborhood. To your dismay, you come home to find a gaping hole in the middle of your roof with a large tree branch protruding through it.

You frantically contact your insurance provider to file a claim, only to find out that the damage isn’t covered under your policy. Not only are you left bearing the hefty repair bill, but you also have to find a company to come and fix your roof. What a nightmare!

When it comes to finding the right home insurance company for your needs, there are several factors to take into consideration before you make a final decision. Here are seven important questions to ask yourself when selecting your next home insurance company.

1. What is my home’s value?

Your home is one of your largest investments, so you want to be confident that it’s properly insured. Before you begin researching home insurance companies, you need to determine the value of your home. Online appraisal tools are useful for estimating home values, but they are not 100% accurate. For a precise calculation, you should contact a certified appraiser to evaluate your home’s value.

Your insurance coverage should be large enough to cover the cost of rebuilding your home if it’s destroyed. Some Florida home insurance companies offer flexible insurance options to meet a variety of your home ownership needs, with different policy options designed to fit a range of budgetary and protection needs.

2. What is the value of the assets in my home?

How much is the “stuff” in your home worth? The best way to record the value of your assets is to conduct a home inventory. This step will also help you identify any valuables that require additional coverage or equipment that could impact your coverage. Here are some tips on photographing your home’s valuables.

3. Am I paying for coverage I don’t need?

When was the last time you reviewed your homeowner’s insurance policy? If you have made improvements to your home, built new structures on your property or completed any other major renovations, then the value of your home may have changed.

If you are in this situation, you will want to either increase coverage under your current policy or shop around for a new policy with coverage that meets your needs.

4. How available is my insurance company if I have questions?

Providing quality service is not only about responding when disaster strikes. It’s equally important that your insurance company is there for you whenever you need them, no matter how big or small the problem.

Is it easy to get in touch with a customer service representative? Is your insurance company active on social media? If so, how quickly do they respond to your questions? These are all important indicators of how available your insurance company is when it comes to answering policyholders’ questions.

Check your insurance company’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating – which provides customers with a simple and straightforward rating based on a company’s adherence to the BBB’s Standards for Trust, a comprehensive set of best practices for how businesses should treat the public in a fair and honest manner.

5. How quickly will they respond if I have a claim?

When disaster strikes, time is of the essence. Can your insurance company provide rapid recovery after a loss? Do they have the resources available to make emergency repairs and restore policyholders to pre-loss condition 24/7?

From simplified claims and priority repair service to quality workmanship and materials, you should be able to count on your insurance company to save you time, hassle and money in the event of a loss.

6. What will my insurance company do after a hurricane?

Is your home insurance company prepared if a hurricane hits Florida? After a major storm, a shortage of available construction materials can stifle the recovery process, resulting in price surges and leaving homeowners stranded.

Make sure your insurance company has the physical and fiscal resources ready to respond to extensive loss and help restore a sense of normalcy and peace of mind. They should invest in preparedness by stocking millions of dollars worth of quality recovery supplies, including plywood, tarps, tools, generators and other items that are in demand after a storm.

7. How financially stable is my insurance provider?

You deserve the peace of mind knowing that your home insurance company is financially stable enough to protect your home and belongings when a widespread disaster strikes.

Verify that your insurance company maintains a strong balance sheet, sizable surplus, and solid reinsurance program. These are signs that, in the event of a big 100-year storm, they will be capable of restoring policyholders to pre-loss condition.