Different Kinds Of Home Insurance Options

Your home is most likely the largest single investment you’ll ever make. Whether living in Woodstock, GA or anywhere else in the state, it is important to protect this investment. The primary way to do this is to take advantage of home owner’s insurance. There are different kinds of home owners insurance to consider, so before you move forward with implementing one form of coverage for your home, we at Insure Your Toy want to make sure you have the right coverage for your individual financial and personal needs. 

HO-1

The HO-1 is a standard, entry level form of insurance. It provides protection against 10 different problems you may face, including fire/smoke, riots, damage from aircraft, vehicles, vandalism, theft, lightening, explosions and even volcanic eruptions. Now, you probably won’t need to worry about volcanic eruptions in Woodstock, GA, but just about everything else is important. There might be an explosion with the gas line, or someone can break into the house. The vast majority of coverage will come in extremely helpful. 

HO-2

This upgraded policy includes everything you’ll find in the first policy, but adds falling objects, damage from ice, snow and sleet, freezing in your AC unit, breaking of your water pipes and damage from artificially generated electrical currents. Coverage for a burst pipe is valuable, as you never know when a pipe might burst, especially when you are out for the holidays. 

HO-3 and 4

These different kinds of insurance are options you probably will not need. HO-4 is for renting out your home. You’ll want this on top of the other coverage if you do decide to rent your house. HO-3 is the most common form of insurance as it gives the same basic coverage as HO-2, it doesn’t limit coverage and it insured attached structures (such as a deck or other feature you may have added ). This way, everything you own in and around the home is protected. 

Use Household Cleaners For More Than You think

For many people, cleaning house is not on the top of the favorites list. It can be frustrating buying and using several different cleaners just to get the job done. The good news is, as long as you have a bottle of liquid dish soap you no longer have to use several different cleaners to get your home sparkling clean. Dish soap is very versatile and can be used for many more chores than simply doing the dishes. Here are 3 ways to use dish soap for household cleaning.

Stain Removal

If you are like most people, one of the most frustrating things about doing laundry is trying to remove a stain from your favorite piece of clothing. Instead of using expensive stain remover, simply reach for your bottle of dish soap to remove oily stains. Gently rub a small amount of dish soap on the stain before washing.

Patio Furniture
Although dish soap may not seem like a tough enough cleaner to remove the dust, dirt and grime that builds up on patio furniture, it is actually one of the best products to use. Dish soap can be used to clean plastic, wrought iron and aluminum patio furniture. Simply add a few drops of your favorite dish soap to a bucket of hot water and use a scrub brush to remove years of built up grime. After scrubbing, rinse with a water hose and allow to dry thoroughly.

Window Blinds
Do you try to clean each slate while they are still hanging over the window? If so, an easy solution is to soak them in dish soap. Remove the blinds, fill the bathtub with hot water, add a few drops of dish soap and allow the blinds to soak for a few hours. Drain the bathtub, turn the shower on and rinse the dirt and grime away. If possible, taking the blinds outdoors to dry in the sun will allow them to dry much quicker, but if the weather isn’t permissible, lay a few towels on the floor, open the blinds and stretch them over the towels to dry.

Residents of Woodstock, GA who have recently moved to a new home or have had your current home insurance policy for some time, its time to contact Peter Laczko Insurance Inc. to insure your new home or review your current policy.

3 Tips for Preparing Your Home Against an Unexpected Disaster

If an emergency situation happened today, would you be ready? Here are three tips for preparing your home against an unexpected disaster.

#1: Have a Stockpile of Emergency Supplies

To prepare for an unexpected disaster, it is important to have a stockpile of emergency supplies on hand in case you need them. This often includes dry goods, a first aid kit, and extra clothing. Also, your collection doesn’t have to be that large. It really only needs to include a couple days’ worth of food and basic medical supplies. Be sure to remember bottled water, too.

#2: Keep Lighting and Tools Accessible

Another thing you can do to help protect yourself against an emergency event is by keeping lighting and tools easily accessible. It is advised that you have a flashlight with batteries, candles with matches, or a combination thereof in each room in your house. Having a small tool kit can also be very helpful in case you need to turn off a broken utility main or simply make a quick repair while you wait hours for emergency responders.

#3: Have an Emergency Plan in Place

Having an emergency plan in place is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your home and family against a catastrophic event. Make sure everyone has access to a list of emergency phone numbers and knows how to escape in the event of an incident. You will also want to discuss what to do if you are ever separated in a major crisis. (For example, everyone meets and Grandma’s house in a nearby city, etc.)

In addition to taking the abovementioned precautions, it is also important to ensure you have adequate property coverage prior to an incident. At Peter Laczko Insurance Inc. , we help our customers determine exactly what level of homeowner’s insurance they need to protect their home. Please contact our team today for more information.

 

Home Liability Coverage Benefits

You want to be a responsible homeowner in Mountain Park, Georgia. You fix up your home, and keep it as safe as can be. There is still the possibility of someone becoming injured. It may be a trip on the porch stairs or it could be a dog bite. There is no telling how person could be injured, no matter how safe you may try to keep your home.

There are home liability coverage benefits available within your homeowner’s policy. This allows you to file a claim so that the insurance company pays for the various expenses involved with an injury so that it does not become your financial responsibility.

Various limits can be established on this coverage. The higher the limit, the less likely you are to spend money out of pocket. As the homeowner, you will often be found liable for a person’s injuries. By having the coverage, you can avoid paying such expenses as:

  • Medical bills
  • Pain and suffering settlements
  • Lost wages
  • Death benefits
  • Lawyer costs

Even if it is a family member or friend, if someone is injured severely, they are likely going to get a lawyer. This is because they want to look out for their best interests. They know that if they need to go to the hospital, medical bills are going to add up quickly and they may be out of work for weeks.

By exploring your home liability coverage benefits more thoroughly, you can make sure that the limits are sufficient so that you can minimize the money you pay in the event someone hurts themselves on your property.

Call us at Peter Laczko Insurance Inc. today to discuss home liability coverage benefits available to you in Mountain Park. It can be the easiest way to ensure you are protected in your Georgia home.

 

 

First Time Homeowners Winter Tips

A winter nightmare that causes home damage comes from broken water pipes. Water that does not flow becomes ice that breaks systems. Water pipes can burst. Pipe connections hidden in the walls can break apart. Air conditioning units can suffer damage.

Winter Storms
Strong winds mixed with ice and snow create special risks for homeowners. The weight of the snow and ice may break trees, down power lines, and cause unexpected damage to a home. When the power goes out and home heating systems are not operating, this increases the chance of water pipes bursting.

Once the power comes back on, and the home heats up again, the water starts to flow and major damage might happen from the leaking water.

It is a good idea when facing this danger, to turn off the main water valve to the house, drain all the pipes by turning on the faucets and flushing all the toilets. Empty the water heater. Remove water from any water filtration systems. Turn off the water supply to the air conditioning unit, clean out water from the pan, and drain the pipes.

Some winter damage may be unavoidable. However, water damage from bursting pipes is preventable when taking the proper steps to protect a home, especially when a person is going to be away from the home for an extended period.

Dangerous Winter Road Conditions
An extra risk when driving in winter is a condition called “black ice.” This type of ice on the road is very difficult to see. When car hits a patch of this ice, it may suddenly go out of control. Use caution when passing under an overpass. This is a potential area for this type of ice.

Be sure to contact Peter Laczko Insurance Inc. in Woodstock, Georgia for all your home and auto insurance needs.

Give Your Ga Home Some TLC This Fall

Your home in Georgia should always get some TLC. It’s part of being a responsible homeowner. If you are not sure of what you should be doing before the fall months hit, there are some tips below.

Prep for the Cold Weather

The cold weather is going to be here before you know it. You can prep by making sure that caulk and weather stripping around your doors and windows is in good condition. Otherwise, you may want to take care of this so that cold air isn’t getting inside.

If you have cracks in your driveway, you may want to have these filled and sealed so that they don’t get bigger once the freezing temperatures hit them.

Save on Your Energy Bill

You should also be looking for ways to save on your energy bill. You don’t want to run your heater nonstop. Have the air-conditioning company come out and look at your heating system to make sure that it is functioning properly. You can also start to reverse your fans so that the warm air is distributed more effectively.

Schedule Inspections

A few inspections should be scheduled as you prepare to go into the fall months. This includes not only the air-conditioning company, but also the roofing company so that you can see if there are any loose or missing shingles.

Do Some Cleaning

Finally, you want to do a little bit of cleaning. This includes cleaning out your chimney if you have a fireplace, as well as cleaning of your gutter so that you don’t have to worry about an ice dam forming.

Contact agents at Peter Laczko Insurance today to learn more about home insurance. We can find quotes for your home in Lebanon, and ensure that you have coverage to enjoy peace of mind all year long.

 

 

Clear Out Clutter with a Garage Sale

There are few better ways to get rid of extra stuff that you have lying around than to hold a garage sale. Not only do you get to unload some things you no longer need, but you also earn some cash in the process. Have a few tips on how to clear out your clutter with a garage sale.

Clear Out Clutter

When holding a garage sale with the intent of clearing out some of your clutter, it’s important to remain focused on the main goal of the sale. While it’ll be nice to get some cash, the main purpose of the garage sale is to get rid of items you no longer need. To effectively do this, you should:

  • go through your entire house looking for things to sell
  • price everything low to maximize the chances of things selling
  • donate anything that doesn’t sell to a charity

The final tip, bringing donating items to a charity, is especially important. If you’re holding a garage sale to get rid of things, don’t bring any unsold items back into your home. Take them directly to the nearest charity in Woodstock, GA.

Update Your Home Inventory List

After your garage sale is over, you should update your home inventory list. We at Peter Laczko Insurance Inc. recommend to all our clients that they maintain an accurate list of the personal belongings in their home. Having a list on hand can make filing home insurance claims easier, but it’s important that the list is up to date. Anything that sold during your garage sale should be stricken from your list.

If you have any questions about creating a home inventory list, feel free to contact us. Even if you don’t have an insurance policy with us, we’d be happy to help you make sure your personal belongings are protected by our homeowners insurance and that your home inventory list is accurate. To get in touch with us, send us a message online.

 

 

BBQ In Your Backyard The Safe Way

If you are going to barbecue in the backyard of your Lebanon, GA home, there are some important safety tips that you want to follow. Without being safe, you could easily start a fire and your home could experience smoke or fire damage.

Whenever you are going to grill, be sure to moving out away from your home. It should be at least 20 feet away from the structure, and out from under any kind of hood, roof, or ceiling. You may also have to adhere to specific regulations within your community.

Clean the grill thoroughly before you use it. Using a wire grill brush can help to get access food and grease off so that you don’t experience smoke or any kind of flare-ups.

If you do experience a flare-up, the easiest way to address it is with a spray bottle filled with water. If the flare-up is more than you can handle, an extinguisher should be close by as well. It is also important for you to know how to use the extinguisher so that you don’t waste valuable time trying to figure it out.

It’s always important to stay alert when you are using a grill. It doesn’t matter whether it is charcoal or gas, there are open flames. This means you should never leave the grill unattended and always watch to see where young children are.

When you are done with the grill, allow everything to cool down before you put a cover on or before you attempt to clean out briquettes. If you are using gas, be sure to close the gas valve before putting the grill away.

Call us today at Peter Laczko Insurance so we can help you to find affordable homeowners insurance. We can answer questions, provide you with quotes from multiple companies, and much more.

 

 

 

I Received A Policy Increase: Now What?

Kennesaw, Georgia is a bustling city found within the metropolitan of Atlanta. It has a long history, which originated with the presence of a railroad. Today, there are many things to see and do and the economy is strong thanks to the many local businesses.

When you call Kennesaw home, you have to be cognizant of what you spend each year in homeowner’s insurance. If you receive a policy increase, there are things that you can do in order to reduce the costs.

The first thing to do is obtain quotes from multiple insurance companies. As independent agents, we can help with all of this. When you have multiple quotes in front of you, it’s possible to look at what each company is offering and find out if one has a better price.

The second thing to do is ensure the policy has all of the discounts that you qualify for. Such things include:

– Security system

– New locks

– Window film

– Organization affiliations

– Multiple policies with same company

You never know what you can receive a discount on unless you ask, so there’s no harm in making the inquiries. What you thought was standard may provide you with a substantial discount and that’s why we’re here. Our goal is to try and save you as much money as possible.

A policy increase isn’t the end of the world, especially if it’s only a small amount. However, if there’s any way of lowering the cost of the policy, you should at least make the attempt. Changing insurance companies has the potential to save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Call and talk to one of our agents today. We can help you get quotes for your homeowners insurance in Kennesaw so you don’t have to do all the work.

How Much Can A Personal Injury Claim Really Cost Me?

Mountain Park, GA is a gorgeous area found within the western part of the state. The views are breathtaking and it was created as a nature reserve. You will only find residences throughout the ZIP code of 30087 as that is all it has been zoned for. All of the things to do within town have to do with outdoor recreation as all businesses are located outside of the town limits.

When you look at homeowners insurance, you want to make sure it includes personal injury claim coverage. The reason is because a claim has the potential to become very expensive. You don’t want to encounter a claim that could cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket. The insurance company will pay the claim if you have the coverage and that protects you financially.

A personal injury claim in Mountain Park could cost hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars because of legal costs as well as the claim itself. It all depends on how a person was injured and how their recovery goes. If a person spends a number of days in the hospital, undergoes surgery, and then has months of rehabilitation, then the bill could be very high – and this is not something you want to pay.

You are responsible for what happens on your property. If someone gets into an accident after drinking too much wine at a party you host or they fall down the stairs of your home because you didn’t have a railing, then you are responsible.

The good thing about homeowner’s insurance is that you can have the necessary coverage for your home in the 30087 area of Georgia.

Contact one of our agents today and let us find you quotes for an affordable policy in Mountain Park.