Home Insurance in Maryland - Alchemy Insurance Agency

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Why do you need home insurance?

Consumers know it’s vitally important to get homeowners coverage but sometimes just can’t comprehend significant details, like how to acquire and keep essential insurance coverage for their homes. Usually, people get home insurance policies to protect them against possible damage to the structure of the house. However, there are dozens of other kinds of policies that can enhance coverage for other losses, such as theft and accident liability.

Anyone who takes time to plan for insurance needs will be able to find a policy that suits their particular needs. Most costs, or monthly premiums, are set according to the dollar value of the home itself. Most homeowners only have an inkling about all the things an insurance policy can do for them. For example, a policy can give routine protection against incidents like destructive climate, fire, and other natural occurrences. Additionally, there are opportunities for policy holders to protect against other categories of loss.

When a theft occurs, an in-place policy can assist owners who want to recover the monetary value of the lost items. There’s also the question of damage a thief might impart during the crime. It’s common for thieves to leave behind things like broken glass, damaged doors, and a host of other expensive home destruction.

What does homeowners insurance cover?

No two insurance policies are exactly the same but most cover loss categories like personal liability, personal possessions, medical expenses, and what professionals refer to as “dwelling coverage.” Homeowners insurance policies, and most home insurance and renters insurance for that matter, contain a core set of coverage against typical loss categories. The following are the most common provisions in homeowners policies:

-Personal liability: When there’s an accident that leads to damage to someone else’s property, or when a person is injured while on your property, personal liability insurance protects the homeowner.

-Medical reimbursement: If a person suffers an injury while on your property, this provision will be able to cover any resulting medical bills, no matter who, or what, was the cause of the injury.

-Personal possessions: Lost or stolen items are covered under this section of a homeowners policy.

-Dwelling coverage: If you need to repair your home, or substantially rebuild it, dwelling coverage can protect you against the related expenses.

-Loss of use: After an incident in which your house suffers damage, you might need to stay in a hotel and eat most of your meals in restaurants. Loss of use coverage takes care of expenses like these.

When you should consider homeowners insurance?

It’s not difficult to know whether you need insurance for your home, or when you need renters insurance. If you already live in a home that you own, or if you dwell in an apartment, you should consider buying a policy. Before deciding on the exact provisions in the insurance you purchase, look at what’s available in your local region. Avoid the temptation of choosing a “vanilla” policy that is not adapted to your specific needs.

Also keep in mind that you want to buy the correct amount of insurance coverage. That amount depends on several different things, like the total value of all your personal belongings, the market value of your home, and the probability of a climate-related disaster striking the geographic area. Before moving into a house, many people rent apartments. During that time, be sure to acquire adequate renters insurance to cover the cost of your possessions, at the very least.

How much does homeowners insurance cost, on average?

When pricing a homeowners insurance plan, you’ll need to take many things into consideration. It helps to have a conversation with a professional from Alchemy Insurance in order to understand what typical policies cost and what your particular needs are. The expert you speak with will carefully consider your unique situation before writing a policy that takes everything into account that might affect your policy. That way, your homeowners policy will be uniquely matched to your needs. Because there are so many factors to look at when writing a policy, there are no fixed prices. However, most premiums are affordable based on the amount of coverage they offer.

Tips for choosing the right homeowners insurance

People who own their homes need to know about the fundamental aspects of insurance so they can purchase the proper kind of protection and the right dollar amount of coverage. This basic rule applies to homeowners and people who reside in apartments.

-Be sure to understand how home insurance in Maryland is structured and priced. That means you’ll also need to have a thorough knowledge of your own home’s price and market value, as well as all other pertinent details about the structure. This information will come in very handy when you have a conversation with an agent. For example, jot down information about the home’s square footage, the type of roof it has, its age, its general “state of health,” the plumbing, and the electrical system.

-Before speaking with an insurance professional, make a list of any unique factors you want to know about. For example, if there is a swimming pool on the property you might want to consider special coverage for liability. Make sure to tell the agent that you want the policy to match your particular situation, like the amount of personal valuables you own, the replacement value of the home, the amount of deductible you are comfortable with, and whether you need any special types of loss coverage.

-Carefully consider how much total insurance coverage you wish to have and how much you can afford. Be certain to have a complete list of all your belongings, their costs and where they are stored in the home. Become acquainted with local climatic conditions and educate yourself about the potential for natural disasters in the area.

Benefits of having home insurance

What are the main benefits of having homeowners insurance? The answer is: many. The professional team at Alchemy Insurance can show homeowners a huge array of coverage types based on hundreds of different situations, home values, types of protection needed, and more.

The primary advantages for having home insurance Maryland include the following:

-A homeowners policy is the ideal way to protect yourself against losses that might occur to your home. That includes things like theft, fires, weather damage, and many more.

-Most lenders require you to have at least a basic level of homeowners coverage. It’s not a law, but the huge majority of banks and other lenders are hesitant to sign loans with homeowners who don’t intend to obtain coverage, at least at the most basic level. So, in addition to loss protection, may homeowners obtain coverage in order to satisfy lenders’ requirements.

-When someone does not get a homeowners policy, the banks and lenders will typically buy one themselves and charge it to the owner via higher monthly mortgage payments. Lenders won’t shop for low or even reasonable rates, by the way, so be warned that it’s never a good thing when a lender is forced to purchase the coverage.

-Considering the prevailing prices in the technology market, a homeowner’s personal belongings can be quite valuable. Entertainment systems, media centers, computer set-ups, stereo components and other tech items can run into the thousands of dollars. A homeowners policy is the perfect way to make sure you’re protected from financial losses of these items via theft or damage.

-Policies are solid protection against legal expenses and liabilities if someone is injured on your property.

Why choose Alchemy Insurance?

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While you are here, you may be interested in our “Homeowners Insurance Guide”

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much homeowners coverage do I need?

For the structure of the house, the liability amount, and the personal possessions, the following are general guidelines for amounts of coverage a typical homeowner would likely want to have:

-For the home itself: There should be enough coverage in place to protect against a loss that amounts to total replacement cost.

-Personal possessions: This factor, obviously, will vary a great deal from homeowner to homeowner. In most cases, try to obtain replacement cost for the entire collection of your belongings. It's usually wise to get individual coverage, and policies, on very expensive items and unique items. Always speak with your insurance professional and have a detailed list ready for review.

-Liability: It makes good sense to have adequate amounts of liability insurance. Try to anticipate the types of legal claims someone might have if they were to become injured on your property. Additionally, consider the legal implications of your pet, you or one of your family members causing harm to a third party.

2. Can you claim homeowners coverage costs on taxes?

For most taxpayers, renters insurance expenses are deductible on a standard tax form but the premium amounts of homeowners policies are not. When it comes to non-rental properties, the IRS disallows the deduction for any costs associated with homeowners coverage.

Anyone who owns a home or has valuable personal belongings usually views a homeowners policy as the best way to protect against losses. Before the recent tax changes in 2018, it was possible to deduct the premiums you paid for mortgage insurance, but not homeowners policies. Now, neither one of those deductions is still available to taxpayers.

3. Do homeowners policies cover flooding?

In most every case, a homeowners policy will not cover losses associated with flooding. Even so, it is imperative for consumers to understand how to find adequate flood insurance coverage if they think they'll need it. The federal government offers coverage for people who live in areas where flooding is a threat.

If your geographic location is one that is sometimes beset by floods then you should contact the federal government and see about the particular kinds of coverage they offer. In many cases, you will be able to buy a policy if you live in an officially designated flood zone or in a region where flooding is a realistic scenario.

4. Do insurance companies pay out for natural disasters for property damage?

For most homeowners, an insurance policy on their homes will cover losses associated with things like heavy storms, explosions, aircraft accidents, car and truck crashes, theft, volcanoes, smoke damage, severe wind, fire and more. There are some categories of loss that are usually not covered on a homeowners policy. These include some natural disasters, primarily ones that are the result of flooding, earthquakes, excessive ice and snowfall, poor maintenance, sewage problems, termites and others.

Natural disaster situations vary from region to region. If you have any questions about the kinds of disasters that might strike in your area, always remember to speak directly with an insurance agent in Maryland to find out if that particular type of coverage can be added on to your original policy or whether there is a form of separate coverage available.