Owning a home safe in Bremerton, WA and what to store in it

Owning a Home Safe & What to Store in It

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Owning a home safe in Bremerton, WA and what to store in itIf you don’t own a home safe, it might be time to make the purchase. Not only can they help with theft of valuables or family heirlooms, but they can also protect special documents. A home safe is priceless when the unexpected occurs. Documents and valuables can be kept out of harm should you ever experience a home fire or burglary. These reasons alone should be a good motive to invest in a home safe.

Where to place your home safe

When shopping for a home safe, make sure it’s heavy enough so a burglar couldn’t walk away with it. If you can, bolt it to the floor or install it into a wall. An additional thought is to store it in a unique place in your home unless you’re using it daily such as in an office. You don’t want to simply not use it because it isn’t convenient. Some additional things to consider is the size of the safe. Safes that are heavy and require a hand truck to move should be placed on the ground floor. Safes that can be moved with a couple of people are okay to have on the second floor. If your main concern is fire, you should try to place your safe on a cement slab.

Twelve items to store in your home safe

  • Passports, original birth certificates, marriage/divorce papers, social security cards
  • Cash
  • Wills or other important legal documents
  • Valuable watches or jewelry
  • SD cards, important computer back up discs or other electronics that are important, but you may not use on a weekly basis
  • Annual tax returns
  • Small firearms
  • Spare car keys and titles to all vehicles
  • Important papers regarding bank accounts, retirement or other investments

Investing in a safe today could prevent an unfortunate headache in the future. While owning a safe is important, having the right home insurance policy is just as valuable. For all insurance questions, call the insurance agents at H&K Insurance Agency. We have years of experience and will help you find the best coverage for your needs.

How to prepare your home to sell in Bremerton, WA

6 Simple Tips if You’re Preparing to Sell your Home

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How to prepare your home to sell in Bremerton, WAPreparing to sell your home can be a large undertaking. Often, people put off repairs on their home that don’t bother them, but would certainly deter prospective buyers or set off an alarm to a home inspector of other problems. If you’re preparing to sell your home, follow these steps to ensure you get the top dollar and avoid any unexpected last-minute repairs.

Fix any major, obvious repairs:

Do you have gutters that are falling off of your home or does your house paint need some touch-up? Repairs like this can be fixed for as little as a couple of dollars but add tremendous appeal to your home. Look around your home for small items that could easily be repaired.

Complete any unfinished remodeling projects:

You may have lived with that single paned aluminum slider door for 10 years even though all the other windows and doors are energy efficient vinyl. By replacing the door it gives your home a finished appeal that buyers are looking for. Many home buyers don’t want to take on a project.

Declutter your home:

Many of us have collections of some sort. Antiques, glasses, toys, DVDs and the like. Additionally, personal pictures of family, friends and yourself. Pack these items away so the home buyers can visualize themselves in your home.

Clean:

Cleaning your home and all of the surfaces allow the homebuyer to see your home at its best. Dust the tops of the refrigerator, window sills, furniture and any other flat surface. Put clothes away neatly into closets or dressers. Consider, for a small fee, you can hire a cleaning company to clean your home from top to bottom ensuring you get top dollar for your sale.

Add some color to your curb:

It’s hard not to judge a home from the outside even though most of our time is spent inside of our homes. Adding some potted plants and color to the outside of your home is a great way to welcome buyers. If you don’t want to spend much on landscaping, consider a nice potted plant next to the front door full of color and vibrancy.

Ask your realtor for blunt advice:

Your realtor wants you to get as much for your home as possible. Ask them to walk through your home with a notepad and give you suggestions on what would improve the appearance of the home. Don’t take it personally, while your home is cherished and you likely have many great memories there, at this point its business.

As you move on from your home, consider what your new home purchase may be like. We’d be happy to provide you with quotes along the way for everything from insuring the property, to earthquake and flood insurance. If you’re going to be renting for a while or moving into a condo, we offer both renters and condo insurance as well.

H&K Agency Inc. is a no-fee independent insurance agent specializing in property and vehicle insurance designed to fit your needs. We represent a variety of top insurance companies in Washington State who offer terrific coverage at the best prices.  Our services are available throughout Port Orchard WA, Bremerton WA, Silverdale WA, and the surrounding areas. For all of your personal insurance needs, give our knowledgeable agents a call at (360) 377-7645.

Understanding Why Renters Insurance Is Important

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Renters Insurance in Bremerton, WAIf you’re one of the millions of Americans that rents a home, condo or apartment, chances are you’ve either had renters insurance in the past, or currently do have a policy. If you don’t have a policy, you’ll want to really pay close attention to this post.

In its most basic form, renters insurance helps cover your personal belongings from fire, theft, vandalism and other losses as well as provides you with some basic liability coverage in the event you’re found liable for bodily injury or property damages. There are also different types of renters insurance policy. A replacement cost policy will help pay for replacement of your items as if they were new. A nice thing considering that depreciated jeans, furniture and computers won’t help you become whole again.

A recent article from the Insurance Information Institute states that less than one-third of all renters (31{07aebebc339bbee9a3661b4a8c8244910a166561f3ef72e2cc28f7e9f72be199}) have a renter’s insurance policy. Why is that? Do people assume that since they pay rent, their items are covered by that rent cost? Do they assume their landlord has insurance and it would cover this loss? Do they think maybe their auto insurance covers some items? The answer to this is that none of these items will likely cover any of your items. Only a renter’s insurance policy will.

There are 2 basic types of renters insurance:

  1. Actual cost value: Pays to replace your damaged or stolen items up to your policy limits, less depreciation.
  2. Replacement cost: Pays to replace your damaged or stolen items up to your policy limits with new ones, no depreciation.

Some additional things to consider is if you have expensive jewelry, musical equipment or collectibles that you want to insure. This may require a “floater” to be added to your policy.

One last item to ponder is how much liability you want to be covered for. You can get up to $500,000 in liability coverage. This will protect you from lawsuit. If you want even more coverage, you should consider a personal umbrella insurance policy. This goes above and beyond your renter’s limits to provide even more coverage.

Renters insurance is very inexpensive. It can come in around just 50 cents per day.

If you’d like to learn more about renters insurance in Bremerton, call H&K Insurance Agency. H&K Agency Inc. is a no-fee independent insurance agent specializing in property and vehicle insurance designed to fit your needs. We represent a variety of top insurance companies in Washington State who offer terrific coverage at the best prices.  Our services are available throughout Port Orchard WA, Bremerton WA, Silverdale WA, and the surrounding areas. For all of your personal insurance needs, give our knowledgeable agents a call at (360) 377-7645.