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The First Line of Defense: Knowing the Facts About Home Security
The First Line of Defense: Knowing the Facts About Home Security
Sometimes the simplest steps are the smartest! By placing a sign that advertises your home security system in your yard, you can dramatically reduce your chances of being targeted by thieves.
In a study published in the Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, Dr. Yochanan Shachmurove, Dr. Gideon Fishman and Dr. Simon Hakim studied the motivating factors behind a burglar’s decision to rob one home over another. Their findings indicated that isolation and occupancy were the two major considerations.
The study indicated that while you are reclining in your lazy chair and flipping through 100 channels of Cable TV (and still finding nothing to watch) you can rest easy. Ok, the study did not read quite that way – but it does tell us that burglars rarely target homes with occupants in residence.
Homes that are more frequently targeted tend to be secluded or isolated. Keep in mind that this definition encompasses homes with an entrance that is not visible from the street, due to foliage or other visual obstructions. The ideal ‘pigeon’ for a thief is an expensive home that is detached with no security measures and is located less than a mile from a major highway or road.
The study also revealed that the third most important factor is highly visible security measures. Deadbolt locks can’t be seen so they did not deter burglars. However, advertising the fact that your home is protected by a security system was a major deterrent. The professors found that if a house is protected by an alarm system, the chances of a burglar’s choosing it are virtually zero. Those are pretty great odds!
In the study’s conclusion, the professors determined that homes without security systems were 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized than those with protection. If a thief does victimize a home with a security system, they spend far less time in the house during the robbery and therefore remove fewer pieces of property.
This research and similar studies have led insurance companies, such as State Farm, to advise their clients to install home security systems. In fact, many times homeowners with alarm systems will receive an incentive in premiums. The National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, D.C. has also endorsed security systems as a deterrent to crime.
A home security system can range in cost from less than fifty dollars to upwards of tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes you can actually get a system for free, when you sign a contract with a monitoring company. You can also opt for a wireless system, which is quite easy to install. In fact, these systems typically fall under the “do it yourself” category. But before you decide to tackle that particular project, you need to be armed with a working knowledge of all your security system options. No pun intended!
First, there are two basic types of systems. One option sounds an alarm and turns on various lights throughout the home. The other offers those features, but is also connected to a monitoring company twenty-four hours a day. With this system, an employee at the monitoring company automatically calls the police for you, when the alarm is tripped. These systems not only protect against intruders, but can also be hooked up to fire alarms and carbon monoxide protectors.
You may also want to consider a system that provides you with the option to place “panic buttons” throughout your home. These are particularly valuable, for those with a medically fragile family member.
The most expensive systems have surveillance cameras placed at checkpoints throughout your property. You can actually monitor your home yourself from any location, by connecting to a closed circuit program on your laptop.
Detectors can be found not only on doors and windows, but also underneath rugs and in every room in the house. When a detector is tripped, the homeowner checks his control panel to see exactly where the disturbance is occurring.
If there is no danger, the homeowner can opt to cancel the phone call to the monitoring company, or shut down the alarm by entering a pass code on the control center. To avoid sending false alarms, family members should be taught how to use the password system. If the system is not halted, the monitoring company phones the police and they are dispatched to your home.
Now how do you translate all this information into practical applications, when it comes to actually keeping your home from being burglarized? Let’s summarize:
– Put a sign up in your front yard advertising your system. Decals on the windows are not as effective.
– Buy a system that sounds an alarm.
– Invest in a system that provides protection against fire and carbon monoxide. One smoke detector in your kitchen is not as effective as a series of smoke and heat detectors placed strategically throughout your home. If your house catches fire when you are not at home, your monitoring company alerts the police immediately.
– Monitoring companies are very valuable in emergencies, but you will also need to educate family members and household guests to maximize the benefits of your system.
– If your house is secluded or in the country, your best defense is a system connected to a monitoring company. A sounding alarm may not offer enough protection.
– Burglars may cut the outside telephone wires before they enter a house. If you don’t have a cell phone, you won’t be able to call the police and your system won’t be able to call the monitoring company. So consider adding a second phone line.
– Cut any foliage hiding doors and windows. Burglars deliberately pick houses that they can enter without detection from the street.
– Join a Neighborhood Watch group or start one yourself.
All About Home Insurance Leads
All About Home Insurance Leads
After loads of man-made and natural calamities in USA the Home Insurance market has come much into prominence. And at present the competition is at its peak.
Homeowners Insurance is a guarantee, which pays the cost of your house if it gets damaged in some natural or manmade disasters like fire, floods, storms etc.
To get a good home insurance quote we often turn to agents. The agents in turn look for home insurance leads. The home insurance leads ultimately get converted into business. To achieve the desired target the home insurance agents should use significant tools. In the era of Internet, home insurance agent must know facilities like emails, billboards, Yellow Pages ads and pop up ads. These tools are fruitful to get an effective lead if used properly.
As Internet is the convenient and fastest mode of communication, you can fill your form on homeowners insurance lead provider’s website according to your own specifications. This will help you finding a prospective customer for you. When home insurance leads service providers receive the form from the agents, they promptly send a reply to the agents with all the information submitted by the insurance lead. Then the insurance agent contacts the lead through the email or phone and offer them online homeowners insurance quote.
To obtain specific leads from any lead provider company, the insurance agent should give them appropriate information and their coverage area.
Here are some special offers provided by home insurance lead provider companies:
– They offer some free leads so that you can know their work quality.
– Lead provider companies are ready to offer their service on very competitive price.
– Advanced filtering options.
– Some lead provider firms will contact you by fax or telephone when you are offline.
– There is no need of any monthly fees or long-term contact. So if you don’t find there service beneficial to you, you can choose another company.
Personal Insurance For Manufactured Home Styles
Personal Insurance For Manufactured Home Styles
The personal insurance policies for manufactured homes will vary greatly because there are various styles of manufactured homes. Some manufactured homes are built with modular units that are already constructed in pieces and are put together on the lot to create a home on the property. People are able to obtain personal insurance homeowner’s policies for these styles of manufactured housing with no problems at all.
Some people do not own the manufactured home they live in and for this dweller renter’s insurance was invented. There are many condominiums’s that have been converted to rental properties and are fully insured by the owner with a commercial rental property insurance policy. This type of coverage protects the buildings and some provide medical coverage to people injured on the property.
Other personal insurance policies were created to cover manufactured homes that were wheeled in under the power of another vehicle. The mobile styled homes are later positioned and anchored on a lot and the wheels are removed to create a living structure that is suitable for a family of four or more to live in. The insurance coverage required by the company who financed the home will require full insurance coverage to be in force at all times until the mobile home balance is paid off.
Finding personal insurance coverage for mobile homes is the hardest to find because some insurance companies do not think that they will last 30 years or more. This is the typical number of years that a mortgage loan would be extended to a homeowner if it was a home made with bricks or other sturdy materials and built from the ground up. Companies are willing to finance the mobile home loan for this lengthy period of time but do not provide adequate insurance coverage.
There is nothing personal about the insurance policies that some mobile home financing companies provide. Some mobile home owners view this type of coverage as forced insurance coverage because they must be insured because it is the law or because it is required by the company who holds the mortgage on the property. This is the type of insurance that a homeowner has no way of refusing and is forced to make payments each month because the rate is attached to the mortgage payment.
When personal insurance policies are not written for a certain geographical area by other insurance companies, then the mortgage holder gets insurance that will protect the financial investment in the property and nothing else is included. The rates for this type of insurance will be significantly higher than a yearly policy would be with a traditional insurance company and since no insurance writer will insure the mobile home unit and the contents within it a homeowner has no other option but to pay the absorbent price for insurance that will give nothing back in return.
The personal insurance policies have allowed homeowners to take back the sense of ownership in the mobile home they pay for each month. These are the companies that care and will earn more business for other personal insurance needs that a family has. The mortgagee can reap great savings on personal insurance policies for the entire family because one company spoke up and offered to ensure the mobile home which cost almost ,000 dollars.
Considerations For Home Owners As They Shop For Insurance (5)
Considerations For Home Owners As They Shop For Insurance
Almost every single day there are people visiting insurance sites and paying far too much money for their homeowners’ insurance. You can set your clock by it. Do not expect the insurance companies to protect you on this one, though. This is all down to you — and that’s exactly why you need to read these tips.
Many home owner’s insurance policies will actually cover the contents of your car no matter where it is parked – at home, at work, at the mall, wherever. You will only get the current value of the items within the car, though, and that includes depreciation. Hopefully a thief is smart enough to only steal the good stuff!
Before you buy a home you should check to see how much the insurance will cost for it. Different factors determine how much you will be paying for homeowner’s insurance such as what the home is made of, the size of it and the age of different systems within the home like the electrical system.
Installing fire alarms in your home can lower your homeowner’s insurance by up to 10 percent annually. This is because insurance companies feel better providing insurance to homes that are equipped with fire detection. There are certain insurance companies that will give a homeowner an even bigger premium discount if they install numerous fire alarms.
Having an alarm system or home security system will lower your home owners insurance premiums. These systems can be inexpensive to install and give you piece of mind both while you are at home and while you are away at work, or even when you go out of town on vacation.
See what discounts your policy covers in regards to new or renovated homes. The majority of insurance companies offer new home discounts, and you could qualify if the house was built within the last ten to fifteen years. A newly renovated house is inexpensive to insure, so find out when the most recent major heating, electrical, and plumbing updates were finished on the house.
If you have worries about people being injured on your property – although I cannot imagine why – you do have coverage under your home owner’s insurance for personal liability. This coverage is typically 0,000, but you can have it raised if you feel that is insufficient coverage for your home.
Make sure your insurance company knows how to reach you, if you cannot live in your home due to damage. For example, if you experience a fire or natural disaster making your home inhabitable, provide your insurance company with your temporary contact information, whether it is a hotel or a friend’s house.
When damage to your home occurs, take appropriate action to protect your property from additional damage until it can be repaired. For example, if your roof is damaged, be sure to cover the damaged area with a tarp or other protective covering to prevent water damage until the roof can be repaired.
By using tips like these focused on homeowners’ insurance, you will begin to understand how this type of insurance works and how you can save a lot of money without having to give up on the coverage features you need. Always make sure that you’ve learned about insurance before you sign on.
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
If you are looking for tips on how to reduce the yearly premiums you pay on your home contents and/or home buildings insurance policies, the following are some sure-fire ways to do it:
Increase the insurance excess amount
While still maintaining a sensible threshold, why not increase the excess amount on the insurance policy? The excess amount is the amount you and the insurance company agree you’ll be liable to pay you can make a claim on the insurance policy. In theory, with an increase in the excess amount should come a reduction in the premium – as there is less chance you’ll claim.
Increase your home security
Insofar as home contents insurance is concerned, security is a major contributing factor. Therefore, if you want to reduce your home contents insurance premiums, you should seriously consider beefing up your home security system. Depending on the valuation you have put on your home contents, ideas here should include putting in a home alarm system.
Rent a safety deposit box
While none of us like the idea of keeping our most prized possessions safely locked away in a safety deposit box, if you have one or two very valuable personal items, you may well find that it is a lot less expensive to keep these in a safety deposit box and only bring them out on special occasions than it is to pay an expensive insurance premium to keep them on-hand all the time.
Look around for a new insurance provider
Although you do need to consider whether or not your home buildings insurance provider is an approved insurance company, so far as your mortgage lender is concerned, these days the insurance industry is a very price competitive one. As such, take advantage of this and look around to see if you can get a cheaper deal either on the Internet or in the real world.
Insure against the mortgage value
Although it is never recommended practice that you only insure your home buildings against the mortgage loan outstanding, if money is tight and the amount of your mortgage outstanding is not too far off the real value of your home, you may want to consider insuring your home for the value of the mortgage loan outstanding. This way, with a lower home valuation should come reduced premium payments.
Although there are a number of ways that you can reduce both your home contents and home buildings insurance, where possible it is best practice that you try to maintain adequate insurance to reflect the real value of all your wonderful possessions.
Play It Safe And Get Home Owner’s Insurance 5
Play It Safe And Get Home Owner’s Insurance
Most of us never really think something like a burglary can happen to us, but over a million homes are burglarized every year. If your valuables are stolen or if your property is damaged, a solid home insurance policy can see that you are compensated. Make sure you read these tips to find out how you can get the best insurance.
Update your insurance policy if you make any structural changes or renovations to your home. If you have done any improvements that will increase the value of your home, you should let the insurance company know so they can update your policy to reflect the current value of your home.
Even if renter’s insurance isn’t mandated where you are living, it is highly recommended. You simply never know what is going to happen. Renter’s insurance covers all your valuables in the case of some disaster like a fire or a flood.
When you sign a new home insurance policy, be sure you get all the discounts available. Alarm systems that report to a central station can get you up to a 10% discount. Those over 50 can also be eligible for a discount. One of the most common discounts available is a multi-policy discount. This will help to lower the cost of both your auto and home insurance policies.
When buying a new home that needs extensive renovations, know that your home insurance premiums will reflect that work. The insurer will see the new work and factor in the cost of replacing the upgrades, which would be costly in the case of total destruction. This will increase your premiums to cover the cost of reconstruction.
Lower your annual home insurance premiums by raising your deductible. The higher the deductible, the less you pay. Even though you will be stuck with footing the bill for smaller problems you may encounter, it is worth it in the long run. Insurance companies tend to raise a homeowner’s premium after any claim they make, no matter how small.
Consider moving. The area in which your home is located has a great impact on the cost of your home insurance. If your house is located in a rough neighbourhood which has a high crime rate, your home insurance is likely to be very expensive. By moving to a safer neighbourhood, you could significantly reduce your annual home insurance premiums.
Know your insurance terminology. Replacement cost value is the maximum an insurance company will pay out for property that is damaged. This means they pay you the total amount, without deducting depreciation. Make sure your policy pays replacement cost instead of actual cash value, which reduces the payout by the amount of depreciation for each item.
Taking out the best possible home insurance policy is just smart on your part, whether you rent or own your home. No one can predict when something bad will happen. And although you can prepare for the worst, there is often no way to stop it from happening. It’s best if you’re protected, though, and the tips you just read, can help you find the right protection.