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The Two Most Effective Steps When You File A Claim

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Your Insurance is in place to protect you from risks that may affect your wealth and your health.  When an incident occurs, you’ll want to file your claim in order to receive payment for your loss as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

Luckily, there are two easy steps to ensure a smooth claim process.  Best news of all, you can manage these two easy suggestions in a short time, maybe even while you’re binge watching whatever is the latest and greatest on Netflix. 

#1: Paperwork

Gather your insurance policies to an easy-to-find (and easy to remember) location.  You might want to consider scanning your policies to PDFs and saving those on your Smartphone, home computer, or Cloud Storage. 

If you’re saving paper or scanning to PDF, be mindful with how you label each document.  Using the Insurance Carrier’s name along with the purpose of the policy is helpful.  For example, “ABC INSURANCE Homeowners Policy.” 

Use different color post-it notes strategically placed on each paper document to easily flip through multiple policies. If you’re storing PDFs on a computer or Cloud drive, create different folders for each policy and be sure to “rename” each PDF for easy search.  In a pinch you’ll want to quickly locate “XYZ MUTUAL INSURANCE 2017 PONTIAC.”

#2: Photos

Smartphones make it easy to snap photos of your belongings around your home or to grab a quick photo of damage to your vehicle after an incident. Be sure to have the date stamp feature enabled.

In your home, while running your vacuum around or changing the bed linens, snap photos in each room where you have valuable belongings.  Take a photo of the entire room, too, with different angles. Capture clear, up close photos of individual valuables. 

Upload your photos and save to your home computer or Cloud Storage. Or both.

We’d be honored to spend a few minutes with you to discuss how to organize your files, review to see if your valuables are insured properly or to prepare the step-by-step of the “what to do” and “what not to do” after a claim.

When you’re organized in advance, your claim can be processed efficiently. This gets you paid faster in order to begin the repairs.

You can call us now for a free educational moment or to review your existing insurance policies to be sure you’re covered for every eventuality. Call now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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4 Things Your Homeowner Policy Should Include

Posted on by cvargas

Shopping for Homeowners Insurance is often rushed and daunting.  And exhausting.  In the flurry of activity leading up to a Home purchase closing, the harried home buyer may speed through the insurance process with the goal of quick and cheap. Let’s slow down ever so slightly! 

Take your time and ask your insurance agent if the quoted policy includes the following 4 vital coverage parts. Your standard Homeowners Insurance Policy covers you in the event of damage from fire, lightning, hail, and explosions.   However, these 4 items are not automatically included.

#1: Higher Liability Coverage.  The dollar value of an insurance payout in the event of a claim is often the number one most overlooked and undervalued part of a quickly-quoted insurance policy.  We like to explain liability coverage to our customers like this: imagine if someone fell on the pathway leading up to your front door.  Imagine that person suffered a serious injury, such as broken bones.  Now imagine that person, whether friend, family, or otherwise, hires an aggressive Personal Injury Attorney to receive compensation for pain, suffering, and medical bills.   Do you think that $300,000 liability coverage is sufficient payout in such a dire event to protect your other cash assets (your bank accounts, your retirement accounts, your children’s college fund)?   Whether it is or is not sufficient, do you want to gamble your wealth away with insufficient liability coverage?   Consider increasing your Liability Coverage to at least $1,000,000.

#2: Storm Damage.  Severe weather over the past dozen years or so has cost Homeowners considerable sums of money.  These Homeowners lived in contentment with their homeowners insurance policies thinking they were covered for all kinds of occurrences.  When the severe weather hit—storm surges from oceans, rivers, and creeks; high-wind conditions; flooding inside basements from ground water saturation due to heavier than normal rains—too many Homeowners discovered to their dismay the lack of coverage for damage sustained due to severe weather.   Discuss flood insurance with your insurance agent.

#3: Power Outages.  Should your home lose power for a sustained period of time you could experience loss of foodstuffs due to your refrigerator not functioning.  Adding this extra coverage to your policy protects your money…and your food.

#4: Additional Coverage for “earth-movement”.  Have an in-ground pool in your backyard? If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, landslides, or sinkholes, you’ll want to add additional coverage to your standard policy to protect your assets and your home against these risks.

We’re happy to spend the time necessary to educate you on the best comprehensive insurance for your Home.  Call us today!

Call now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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3 Things Your Homeowners Insurance Doesn’t Cover. Number 3 is a DOOZY!

Posted on by cvargas

We encourage people to conduct an annual review of their insurance policies.  Too often, when consumers purchase insurance, they approach the transaction with an eye towards prompt resolution and a focus on price.  This formula of speed+money is a formula for failure in the event of a future claim.

The reason is simple.  A carelessly prepared insurance policy, one prepared in the heat of the customer’s desire for a quick resolution and demand for lowest price could result in a “skeleton” policy that may not properly cover the consumer for a catastrophic eventuality. 

The quality insurance agent, interested in protecting the consumer with the best possible risk coverages, and in protecting their own professional reputation, will take the time to educate the consumer and provide a comprehensive insurance policy.

You may be surprised to discover that there are 3 items, indicated below, that may not be covered by your current Homeowners Insurance Policy.  Spoiler alert, #3 may surprise you!  We’re happy to assist you with a comprehensive, careful, review of all of your insurance needs.  And, education is a key element to how we’ll proceed with assisting you to fully understand risks you can protect for with the right insurance.

#1: Sewer Backup.  Whether your home is connected to a public sewer or you have a septic system, a backup due to a blockage, storm-surge, or other calamity, can damage electrical systems, furniture, floors, and precious possessions. Standard homeowners insurance policies may not cover you at all for such damage or may only provide very limited coverage.  You can upgrade to more comprehensive insurance to include special coverage for sewer backup.

#2: Precious Collectibles.  Basic insurance policies may not cover your stellar baseball card or antique cookie jar collections.  If the policy does cover your collection, the limit of coverage may be far below the actual value of your collection.  When you review your insurance, be sure to mention your collection and an assessment of its value.  To be sure, consider obtaining an independent appraisal of your collection to include that with your upgraded, comprehensive Homeowners Insurance policy. 

#3: Termite infestation and damage.  Not covered by a standard, basic policy. Period.  Depending on where you live, especially in the Northeast of the United States, termites and the damage they cause are a real and impending menace.  Homeowners often realize there’s an infestation long after the termite colony has ensconced itself within the wooden borders and interior of your home.  The cost of treating and removing the infestation, along with the costs of repairing the damage, can easily escalate.  Be sure to address these concerns in your annual review.  Consider also contracting with a local exterminating company to inspect your home annually for these nasty pests.

Insurance involves assessing a future, unknown risk.  That risk could affect your health and/or your wealth.  A carefully prepared insurance policy protects you for a comprehensive array of possible risks.  But in the rush to purchase the insurance, the consumer shops without the appropriate due diligence.  And, in the interest of making the sale, an insurance agent may simply provide the basics of a policy to appease the consumer’s request for speed and low price. 

Call us today for your free annual insurance review.  We’re thrilled to spend the time with you to find you the best policy that comprehensively protects your health and your wealth at an affordable price!

Call now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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What Happens When the Main Condo Furnace Fails and There is Damage To Your Unit

Posted on by cvargas

If your Condominium unit gets its heat from a main furnace controlled and maintained by the Condominium Management, but it’s not part of your unit for which you are responsible, you may have some interesting insurance challenges should the furnace fail during the cold winter months; and you experience damage inside your unit.

When you own a Condo you are covered by two different Insurance policies.  The “Master Policy” for the Condo Building, generally covers all the common areas of the Condo.  It does not cover the inside of your Condo unit.

You insure the interior of your unit with your own insurance policy, typically called a HO-6 policy.  This insurance very much resembles renters’ insurance for apartment-dwellers. The premiums for an HO-6 policy are typically reasonably affordable.  These policies insure you for any claims you may have inside your Condominium unit.

But what happens when the main condo furnace goes out and you have damage in your unit?

We recommend the following as your logical course of action:

1.       Immediately contact the Managing Agent and inquire about filing a claim against the Master Insurance Policy for the Condo.  You should expect that you’ll run into some resistance here from the Insurance carrier for that Master Policy. They’ll attempt to direct you to your own HO-6 Insurance policy since the damage is inside your unit.

Remember, that damage was caused by the main furnace failing.  Stand your ground.

2.       Assuming you are successful in filing a claim against the Master Policy, you still may need to file a claim against your HO-6 policy for the finer points of items that would not covered at all, or not covered to the full extent of value for your precious belongings inside your Condo.

Review your current insurance policy now to be 100% sure you have all the appropriate coverages before it’s too late.

We’re happy to provide a free consultation to review your existing Master Policy and your HO-6 policy.  We want you to know the extent of your existing coverages for your protection and to help assure you of any additional coverages you may need.

The review is free of charge. Call us now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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What Happens In The Event of a Water Leak in Your Condo?

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If you own a Condominium (Condo), you may have equipment both inside and outside your unit for which you are responsible. In a closet inside your unit would be your water tank. There is also an HVAC unit that may be just outside your unit, to heat and cool your home.  Most of the time, you ignore these two quiet workhorses that keep you in comfort all year round.

Shockingly, every once in a while, and sometimes suddenly, the equipment may fail and need repair.  Most often and most inconveniently, the HVAC will fail when the temperatures outside are the hottest or coldest, depending on the time of the year. Thus, only your comfort is compromised.

However, every once in a while, these machines break down and leak.  With water. Lots of water.

If your HVAC unit is outside your Condo, this may not be as terrible of an event, unless you own a Townhouse and the unit is in the basement and there’s a danger of the water seeping into your basement.

But it can be really bad if you’re on an upper floor and one or several of your Condo neighbors lives below you.  Water loves to follow the powerful attraction of gravity: downward. Downward towards your neighbors’ Condo unit!

Yes, your first step is to call the emergency number for your equipment repair tech. If you’re not sure, call the property manager so they can dispatch someone immediately to mitigate the damage. If the property manager is not available, call your local insurance agent who will have access to reputable Restoration Services companies. They all have emergency lines so you’re covered seven days a week.

In the event of a leak which could lead to a potential claim, mitigating the loss is critical and required under your insurance contract. You’ll want the restoration company onsite as quickly as possible to dry out all the water and repair the water damage.  Do not forget to take photos of the damage before the restoration company arrives. It’s key that you document the extent of the damage at the time of the event. This also mitigates any confusion or misunderstanding of the extent of the loss when the claim is settled. The key word here is “mitigate”.  

You don’t want to be caught by surprise when a leak happens all over your downstairs neighbors’ precious Star Wars toy collection.  Review your current insurance policy now to be 100% sure you have all the appropriate coverages before it’s too late. The review is free of charge. Call us now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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Review Condominium Financials Before You Purchase

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Condominium (Condo) Buyers should obtain and review the financial statement of the Condo as part of your purchase process.  Have the statement reviewed by a professional such as an Attorney or CPA.  The financial health of the Condo can affect you in the future as you settle into ownership of your Condo unit.  The financial statements can also give you a good indication of the competence of the Condo Board and Managing Agent.

Condo Complexes on the smaller size may be exempt from having their financials audited. The ByLaws will identify if an audit is required.  Audited financials means the CPA firm has verified the numbers presented in the statement rather than compiling from information provided by the Condominium Board Members and/or Managing Agent.

The financial statement should cover the previous two years (three is preferable) and often a Year-to-Date statement.  A Financial Statement includes:

  • Income and Expenses for the entire Condominium.  This is also known as “Operating Statement.”
  • Balance Sheet demonstrating Assets and Liabilities.
  • Cash Flow Statement.

Some key areas you want to focus on include:

  • Reserve Fund (for major capital repairs and improvements),
  • Cash Flow to determine if the building is taking in as much money as it is paying out monthly, Maintenance Fees owed (an indicator of the financial responsibility of your soon-to-be-neighbors),
  • Footnotes.

The financial well-being of your future home is as important to the transaction as every other aspect of your purchase.  Request the Financial Statement as early as possible in the negotiating process, even before you’ve presented your Offer, if possible.

Review your current insurance policy now to be 100% sure you have all the appropriate coverages before it’s too late. The review is free of charge. Call us now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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Home Inspection for Your Condominium Purchase

Posted on by cvargas

Condominium Buyers often ask:

Should I have an inspection done by a Certified Home Inspection service? 

The answer is a definitive YES!

While a Condominium (Condo) typically features construction and/or maintenance features addressed by Condominium Management, the Buyer should conduct an inspection for two main reasons.

First, the interior of the Condo. This area is not the responsibility of Condo Management. A Buyer needs to be aware of concerns such as deferred maintenance for appliances, windows, bathroom fixtures and interior plumbing.  You want to avoid a costly repair in the first 3-5 years after your purchase.  Likewise, the Condo Buyer needs to be aware of potentially catastrophic issues that could cause reconsideration of the purchase.  Lastly, the inspection may reveal items that are of immediate concern, leading to a request for a repair or pricing credit from the Seller.

The second reason you want to complete an inspection is to determine the overall “physical health” of the Condo.  A roof in need of a future repair is as much of a concern to a Condominium Buyer as to a Home Buyer.  Any repairs to the common areas of a Condominium are paid for from the “Capital Expense Reserve” fund.  Should there be a major repair on the near horizon, such as a roof replacement, the Condo Buyer wants to determine there are sufficient funds in the Reserve Fund to cover the cost of repair.  Otherwise that Buyer, once they are an Owner, could be subject to an assessment or multiple assessments as well as an increase in the maintenance fee, resulting in an increase in their monthly payment.

The bottom line answer to the question posed by Condominium Buyers is a resounding yes when it comes to obtaining an inspection by a Certified Home Inspection service as part of the purchasing process.

Review your current insurance policy now to be 100% sure you have all the appropriate coverages before it’s too late. The review is free of charge. Call us now at 617-298-0655 or text us at 617-409-0329. Click here to Visit our Contact Us page.

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Recap: End of the School Year

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“Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.”

– Oprah Winfrey

Now that it’s nearly April, it’s time to help your kids focus on getting to the finish line that is the last day of the school year. In case you missed our full blog last week, here is a quick recap of the tips that we gave to help you stay sane for the last few months before summer vacation begins:

  • Once spring break ends, it can be hard to get back into your family’s normal school routine – but this routine is the key to many children’s success.
  • Having a goal (with an accompanying reward) can help children keep on pace to finish out the year strong.
  • Does your kid need any new school supplies? Replace anything that’s falling apart and clean out their backpack for good measure.
  • Keep an organized calendar so that you can help your kids stay on top of end of the year parties, award ceremonies, etc.

And remember, take advantage of the fact that your kids are still in school by using your time to talk to your Vargas and Vargas Insurance agent about your insurance portfolio. Now is a great time for an insurance check-up for your house, car, business, and more – and you can get all this done by calling our office at 617-298-0655. Don’t wait until the insanity of summer vacation begins! Call now!

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A Parent’s Guide to the End of the School Year

Posted on by cvargas

It’s that time of year – kids are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The school year is going to be wrapping up soon, so how will you as a parent help your child or children to buckle down and finish the year off strong, while simultaneously planning activities for summer vacation? Don’t worry – your local independent insurance agency is here to help!

Stick to Your Routine

Many parents complain that once Spring Break is over, kids start to realize that the school year is wrapping up and they want to act like it’s already over by begging for extra treats and later bedtimes. Remind your kids that they still have things to learn in the next few months, so it’s important to stick to your usual school-time routine.

For younger kids, it may help to create a paper countdown chain to show how many days are left until the last day of school – it’s an easy craft that can help children to visualize the length of time until summer vacation starts. Many parents also use this type of craft to count down to other celebrations and major days – for example, the start of a vacation, the first day of school, birthdays, Christmas, and more!

Now is also a great time to teach kids about the importance of goal-setting! Motivate kids by letting them set an ‘end-of-the-year’ goal and choose a reward for completing that goal – for example, finishing out the school year with good grades. This reward could be a new game or toy, a trip to their favorite restaurant (with dessert!) or going with a friend for a day of fun at a local attraction. Get creative and help your kid choose a reward that will motivate them to stay on-task at school and will encourage them to complete tests and projects to the best of their ability.

If you haven’t yet, this is also the perfect opportunity to teach older kids about SMART goals. Sit with them and help them create a goal for the end of the year that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Stay Organized

What is the current state of your child’s school supplies? Sometimes, a few new folders or colorful pencils are all it takes to get kids back on track and excited about finishing out the school year strong. After several months of classes, it may also be time to have kids give their backpacks a thorough cleaning and reorganizing their supplies. Loose papers and inch-long pencils will easily clutter up a backpack and make it nearly impossible to find anything.

The end of the school year is also a time that tends to be chock full of class parties, award ceremonies, banquets, recitals, and more. Stay on top of what events you need to attend and make sure that you put them on your calendar as early as possible so that you don’t overschedule yourself or your kids. Now is also the perfect time to plan ahead so that you know how you’re going to handle a scheduling conflict if one occurs.

Another great way to stay organized at the end of the school year is to ask your child to gather contact information for his or her classmates now, especially if your school doesn’t hand out a class directory. This will help during the summer if your child wants to invite one of their friends out to have fun during the break.

Plan for the Summer

Sometimes, these last few months of school is all about making it to the end. While you use the above tips to keep kids focused on getting to the end of the school year, it’s not a bad idea to let them help with making plans for their summer vacation (as long as it won’t distract them too much from their studies). Whether you’re planning a staycation, a road trip, a cruise, or flying to a new and exciting destination, let your children help with the planning. Younger kids can choose travel activities and get excited about some of the specific places and attractions you will be visiting, and older kids can also learn some money-handling skills by being involved with the budgeting of your trip and helping to prioritize expenses.

While your kids are still in school, take advantage of the temporary peace and quiet to call Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency and prepare yourself for potential summer shenanigans. Have one of our expert Boston insurance agents perform a free evaluation of your current insurance policies, including your home insurance, car insurance, etc. They will be able to tell you if you have enough coverage, and help you fill any existing gaps. They may even be able to find you a new policy at a great price! Don’t wait until school’s out for summer: call 617-298-0655 today.

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Recap: Update Your Home Insurance

Posted on by cvargas

“He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

You have a home insurance policy to make sure that your home and your possessions are protected, but an insurance policy isn’t a passive investment! There are times when you need to call your Massachusetts insurance agent to update your insurance policy. Make sure to read the full post to find out more about when to talk to your agent, for example:

  • If you make changes or updates to your property, like putting on an addition, adding a pool, or doing any other type of construction.
  • If the housing market adjusts and the value of your home changes.
  • If you purchase something of value and want to ensure that it is covered by your insurance policy.
  • If you decide to rent out a room, whether on a short-term or long-term basis.
  • If you adopt a pet.
  • If you add an alarm or monitoring system to your home.

Do you think it may be time to talk to your insurance agent about updating your Boston home insurance policy? Don’t hesitate to call your Vargas and Vargas Insurance agent at 617-298-0655. They can review your current policy to see if you have the right amount of coverage and will also make sure that you are getting all the discounts for which you qualify.

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