Your home is likely the largest financial investment you will ever make in your life. If you want to protect that investment, you need a good insurance agent who will check all the boxes to make sure you have the coverage you need. Emergencies don’t care if you have insurance, or if you sprang for that extra package that covers you in the event of an alien invasion. Things just happen. And when those nameless, random things happen to your home, the fallout is usually shockingly expensive.
You might not need to go through an agent. Online resources are very competitive and simple to use. You will also find many of them to be a lot more affordable because they dispense with the traditional agent. That said, you should know something about insurance before going that route. Do you really know everything you should about insurance?
- How much coverage do you need?
- Is flooding covered in your area?
- Are the items in your home covered even if the damage happens in the car or office?
Once you get the insurance part squared away, you still haven’t really protected your home. You have just made it less expensive to recover from disaster. To actually protect the home from the disaster in the first place, try the following:
Protect Your Floors
We do the kind of casual damage to our floors that we would never do to our counters and tabletops. The floor is always beneath us, and thus, beneath our notice most of the time. That lack of notice could cost you a lot of money when it is time to sell. That is why it is important we pay more attention to the way we treat the part of the house that is always underfoot.
When you are working out in your home gym, use rubber-coated dumbbells to protect your floor. Don’t let untreated weights come crashing down on your floor as if paying for the damage were someone else’s responsibility. Some people require everyone to remove their shoes at the door, in part, to protect the floor. That is a mostly useless gesture if you don’t do the necessary diligence to protect your floor from your workout. If you have a dedicated home gym, you might consider putting in special flooring. Even small gestures in that direction can go a long way toward protecting your home.
Get Appraisals After Major Updates
It is going to cost you a little to get your home properly appraised. But you should probably do it after every major update to your home. Knowing your home’s value is an important part of protecting it. You might be shocked to learn there are some upgrades that could downgrade your home’s value. A two-car garage could be a big win. A three-car garage could be considered wasteful, especially to the buyer who takes the bus.
If you have a pool installed, it could give you years of joy. However, if you install that pool in a market where pools are not valued, you will actually be making it more difficult to sell the home for what you believe it would be worth. If you are on a budget, look into home upgrades that cost less than $100. Protect your investment by always knowing what your home is worth, and what you can do about increasing the value.
Get a Security System
At this point, there is really no excuse for not having some sort of security system for your home. It does not matter if it is traditionally monitored by a service, or lit up with IoT security devices you installed yourself. What is important is that you have it and that you communicate to would-be burglars that you have it. The greatest deterrent to home burglary is a sign from a security company in the front yard. It is like parking an empty police car at a dangerous part of the road. People will slow down just because the car is there. Protect your home and let people know it is protected.
Insurance is only the beginning when it comes to protecting your home. Protect your floors from heavy workouts. Protect your value by getting occasional appraisals. And protect your safety by adding a home security system.
