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O'Fallon, MO 63366

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Top Five Questions to Ask Your Home Insurance Agent

As a new homebuyer, you do not have to be an expert to make an informed decision about purchasing an insurance policy. Insurance agents are expert professionals that can provide guidance on the topic. At Senn Insurance Agency in O’Fallon, MO, we can help you get answers to the most important questions regarding a policy. Here are the top five questions that you should be prepared to ask your agent before you buy a policy. 

1. How Much would it Cost to Replace my Home if it were a Total Loss?

You can chose the limit on your dwelling coverage that covers the cost of materials and labor to replace your home. One of our agents can help you calculate the cost to rebuild your home per square foot. 

2. Do I Need to add Flooding Coverage?

A typical policy does not include specialty coverage for floods, but it’s recommended in areas that are prone to heavy rain and floods.

3. Should I Carry Liability Insurance?

Liability coverage protects your home against lawsuits for injuries and property damage. Contact one of our agents if your not sure how much to purchase. 

4. What Happens if my Personal Belongings are Destroyed?

Personal property coverage protects  your belongings that are not attached to the dwelling. Complete an inventory checklist with one of our agents to determine if you have enough coverage. 

5. Are Discounts Available?

Ask about available discounts with one of our professional agents. The age of your home, security systems, smoke alarms, and gated communities are examples of possible discounts on your quote. 

Senn Insurance Agency in O’Fallon, MO is here to help you with your home insurance policy. Visit our office today to learn how we can insure your home. 

Why Alternative Living Coverage Is An Important Part Of Home Insurance Policies

Senn Insurance Agency provides coverage to O’Fallon, MO residents. We proudly serve the community as an independent agency. We use our relationships with multiple carriers to help our clients find the right policy for their situation.

Why Alternative Living Coverage Is An Asset

Owning a home is a significant investment. It’s important that you protect it. Home insurance allows you to have peace of mind if a disaster occurs. You are covered if someone vandalizes your property or attempts to steal some of your personal belongings. Your property is covered if there is an accidental fire or severe weather causes damage to your home. Liability coverage protects you if someone gets injured while they are visiting your home.

One important feature of your home insurance policy is alternative living coverage. Imagine dangerous weather comes through the O’Fallon, MO area and causes significant damage to your home. As a result, your home is now uninhabitable. Uninhabitable means that your home’s structure is significantly damaged to the point where you cannot do essential things such as using the bathroom. You should be covered if your home has to be repaired or rebuilt. However, where are you supposed to stay in the meantime?

That’s where alternative living coverage kicks in. Alternative living coverage allows you to find another place to stay until your home is fixed. Obviously, leaving your home for any amount of time requires a significant adjustment period. However, some of your stress should lessen in knowing that you will have another place to stay. You can amend the policy to outline that you want to find an alternative living situation similar to your current one. You also have the option to outline that you would like to stay in a hotel until your home is repaired.

Senn Insurance Agency Will Help You Find The Right Policy

Explore our website to learn more about home insurance.

When is home owner’s insurance required?

Most homebuyers realize they will need home insurance to protect their investment in the O’Fallon, MO area, but some want to save the money. They may live on a tight budget and want to use the money another way. Senn Insurance Agency wants you to understand why you need this vital coverage.

In some situations, though, your lender will require you to buy home owner’s insurance or allows another organization to do so. In most states, when you obtain a mortgage to buy a home, the bank typically requires you to carry a homeowner’s insurance policy until you pay off the mortgage. This process reduces the bank’s risk of losing the money loaned while protecting your investment. Once you re-pay the bank, you could theoretically drop your policy, but that is a bad idea.

Your home policy covers your home’s structure, so if a tornado strikes it, the insurance company provides the funds for repairs or rebuilding. It also protects the items inside it, so if a thief steals your TV and stereo, your insurance company issues you a check so that you can replace them. Your policy also provides liability coverage, so if your mother-in-law slips on your front steps and sprains her ankle, your insurance pays her medical bills.

This handy insurance helps protect you from loss in many ways. It also protects the items in your yard, garage, workshop, pool house, etc. Your fences, mailboxes and, other landscaping items also receive protection. The liability protections extend to these as well. If you have a pool or trampoline, the liability component of this coverage increases in importance.

Contact Senn Insurance Agency serving O’Fallon, MO to learn more about when home insurance and when you must obtain coverage. 

Why you should have a home inventory

Home insurance is one of the most important things you ever buy for your home. It is more important than a new roof or an updated kitchen. Almost as important as the actual policy is the agent you choose to purchase your insurance from. Having a locally owned agent with an office you can walk into or an agent you know and trust gives you peace of mind you can’t find any other way. In O’Fallon, MO that is the Senn Insurance Agency. 

When a covered hazard hits your home, whether it is a fire or a tornado, you may not have much of a home left to come back to. When you file your claim, replacing your physical building is the easier part. You have a value on your declaration page and that is what you have to rebuild. You also have a contents amount. With the contents, you need to provide some information about what you lost. That is where your home inventory comes in. 

A home inventory provides the record you need to replace all the things you lost. It is a time-consuming process to record everything you own in every room of your home. But after a devastating loss, it makes the whole claims process so much easier. You can show your list, pictures, and receipts to prove exactly what your home was like before it was destroyed. Making your home inventory as detailed as possible helps make the whole process of collecting from your carrier a lot easier and less painful. 

At the Senn Insurance Agency in O’Fallon, MO, we are here to offer you the benefit of our years of experience. As independent agents, our team can offer you a network of preferred carriers. Come into our office or give us a call for a no-hassle quote. 

Why do I need to get home insurance?

For most people that are in the O’Fallon, MO area, owning a home is a great long-term idea. When you own a property here, the home can quickly become one of your most valuable assets and a way to build long-term wealth. While there are plenty of benefits that come when you own a home here, there are responsibilities that you need to take care of as well. One thing that all property owners need to do is get into a quality home insurance policy.

Covers Valuable Property

One of the main reasons to get home insurance in this area of Missouri is that it can protect your valuable asset. Your home will always be one of the most considerable assets that you will ever own. To ensure that you are adequately covered and protected, you need to get home insurance. When you have a quality home insurance policy, you will receive the coverage you need to protect your asset.

Required for Mortgage Borrowers

Another reason that you will need to get home insurance is that it is often required for mortgage borrowers. Any mortgage lender will want to make sure that their collateral is appropriately protected. One of the best ways that they can do this is by requiring all borrowers to carry home insurance at all times. 

There are several reasons why you need to get home insurance in O’Fallon, MO. When you are looking for a new policy here, you should call the Senn Insurance Agency to discuss your needs and options further. The team at the Senn Insurance Agency can help you better understand the importance of having a quality insurance policy. They can then help you find a policy that offers you the protection that you need.

What is the benefit of a Missouri home insurance policy?

If you live in the O’Fallon, MO area, it is vital to think about all of your insurance needs and obligations. For property owners, one type of insurance that they need to get is home insurance. Several benefits come when you get this form of insurance in Missouri. 

Protects Dwelling

One benefit that comes with getting a home insurance policy in Missouri is that you will get protection for your dwelling. Your home is a very valuable asset that you need to be able to repair or replace if it is severely damaged. When you have home insurance, you are going to receive coverage for damages caused by fire, storm, or even vandalism.

Covers Personal Assets

Beyond having coverage for your property, you will also want to have a home insurance policy to cover your personal assets. Under the roof of your home, you could have thousands of dollars worth of personal belongings. You can get an insurance policy plan that will include your personal belongings as well. If you have valuable assets, such as art or jewelry, you can even get additional personal property riders to your policy. 

Liability Protection

Additionally, you will get liability insurance with your home insurance policy. A home liability insurance policy will ensure you are protected from liability in the event an accident occurs on your property. This could provide valuable coverage if a bad accident takes place. 

Ultimately, anyone that is in the O’Fallon, MO area needs to make sure that they get a quality home insurance policy. When you are looking to get a new home insurance policy, you should call the Senn Insurance Agency. The team at the Senn Insurance Agency can help you to figure out your insurance needs and get you into a new policy. 

Common Home Riders You May Want To Add

Home insurance comes with limits on coverage. You may think that a home insurance policy covers you for every single thing that could happen to your home, but you would be mistaken. That is not to say that you can not be covered for almost any eventuality, but to be covered, you need to add a rider, sometimes called an endorsement, to your basic policy. At Senn Insurance Agency in O’Fallon, MO, our experienced team can help you to understand what you need in the way of riders. 

  • Sewer or drain backup – This is something that you may never have thought about, or if you have thought about it, you assumed that your home insurance covered it. Having a sewer or drain back up into your home can cause a devastating amount of damage. This rider will cover the structure of your house as well as personal property. It will also help with the cleanup, which can be a tremendous job. 
  • Flood – Weather changes all over the United States have resulted in an increase in the number of areas that are vulnerable to flooding. Almost no home insurance policies cover flooding, and you need to make sure that if there is any risk at all, you add the coverage to your policy.  
  • Jewelry/Antiques – All home insurance policies have a set limit for jewelry and antiques. It is quite low compared to the possible value of even the amount of jewelry that the average person with an engagement ring might have.
  • Homebased business – If you are operating a business out of your home, your basic home policy may not cover the inventory and any business equipment you have in your home. 

These are just a few of the common riders you may want to add to your home policy. Senn Insurance Agency in O’Fallon, MO can help you to make sure you have all the coverage you need. Call the office or stop by for a no-obligation quote.

Tips to Winterize Your Home

Winter can produce more than pretty snows and picturesque scenes. It can damage your home. Senn Insurance Agency of O’Fallon, MO wants you to avoid needing home repairs this winter.

You can prevent much of the potential damage by taking steps to prepare your home for the cold weather. Follow this checklist to ensure you’re prepared for anything winter sends your way.

Protecting Your Pipes

When the temperatures drop below 32 F, it can cause your pipes to freeze. You need to protect them by wrapping your pipes with insulation. This keeps them from bursting. 

Weatherproof in Fall

Before winter hits full-on, weatherstrip your doors and windows. This blocks cold air from entering your home. If you do not already have a storm door, install one for extra cold weather blockage.

Block the Cold

Block cold air from entering your home by caulking around the windows, too. Also, install foam outlet protectors. In the attic, check for drafts. You may need more insulation. The attic is the largest area of heat loss in a home.

Fireplace Inspection

Have your fireplace inspected before you build the first fire of the season. This will clean out all animal nests and eliminate the buildup of creosote.

Switch to a Programmable Thermostat

You can switch to a programmable thermostat to ensure your heat doesn’t run when you do not need it. Set it to cycle on just in time to warm the house for your return from work.

Bring in Potted Plants

Before the first cold snap, also known as, the first freeze, you must bring potted plants inside.It is good to do this before the temperatures hit 45 degrees.

Outdoor Equipment and Cold Weather

Bring your outdoor furniture and grills inside. Store them in the basement or an outdoor storage building.Disconnect your propane tank from your gas grill, if you own this type. Cover the grill, but cover the tank separately.

Winterize your home now so you do not need to come to see Senn Insurance Agency of O’Fallon, MO. Come visit it us, but winterize so it does not need to be to file a claim on your home owner’s insurance

The Basics of Homeowners Insurance

Homeowners’ insurance covers a multitude of items, but most people only think of it as related to covering repairs. Senn Insurance Agency of O’Fallon, MO wants you to understand how important this policy is to your home and finances. It does cover property damage to the home from numerous perils, but also for liability if somebody gets hurt on the property, damage to other structures on the property and the contents of the home. It also covers losses from theft, one of the most common forms of property damage.

A standard homeowners policy covers common natural hazards, called perils in the insurance industry. These include fire, hail, wind damage, tornado, theft, and frozen pipes. There are things that homeowners’ insurance does not cover also. These include flood, earthquake and, in Florida and Texas, hurricane damage. These require a separate policy for coverage. Flood insurance comes from the National Flood Insurance Program. You can obtain earthquake and hurricane, sold as wind insurance, from regular insurance carriers.

Some insurance carriers cover sinkholes under their homeowners’ policies, while others do not. It’s a more common problem than one might think. While they can occur almost anywhere, according to the US Geological Survey, the states experiencing them most frequently include Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.

Because of the wide range of protection it provides to your property, lenders require you to carry homeowners’ insurance while you carry a mortgage on the home. Call or visit Senn Insurance Agency of O’Fallon, MO to learn more about how homeowners’ insurance protects your home and your home business financially. Learn more about protecting your home on our website.

Ways to Protect Your Home in the Summer

There are a number of ways to protect your home in O’Fallon, MO during the summer months.

Insulate: Many people think of insulation for the winter but it’s equally as important in the summer. Just as cold air creeps in, so too does hot, sticky air. To beat the heat, start in the attic. Inspect every part of your home to make sure insulation is installed correctly to not let the cool air out.

Combat Direct Sun: Wooden decks can be dried out by the intense summer sun, which can lead to cracks and shrinkage. Ultraviolet rays will break down wood fibers so be sure to add a UV protected sealer to an outdoor deck. If you want to use a stain, know that the darker the stain, the better protection it can offer your wood.

Choose the Right Paint: Bad weather can be dangerous to the exterior of your home. Harsh UV rays can cause the paint to peel, fade, or chip. Rainy and humid conditions can help mildew and mold take root. Extreme temperatures will force the exterior to expand and contract and shorten the life of the paint.

Seal Leaks: The rainy season can wreak havoc on a home and you want to make sure it’s waterproof. Check your gutters to make sure there aren’t any crack left over from winter. Make sure downspouts are pointed away from the home so water doesn’t flow into the foundation and endanger the basement. Look in the interior to see if there are any signs of water damage on ceilings and walls.

Check Your Home Insurance: You should be checking your home insurance yearly and summer is a great time to do it. Let your agent at Senn Insurance Agency know if you have had any major home improvements to figure out if you need any additional coverage.

Contact Senn Insurance Agency, serving O’Fallon, MO, to get a quote on home insurance.