Homeowner’s insurance can be a complicated topic, so here are five facts that are easily digestible and essential to know before you sign up for a policy.

1. Damage Coverage Varies by Source

Homeowner’s insurance policies carefully stipulate what types of damage are eligible for reimbursement. When signing up for a policy, be sure to examine which damage sources are covered and consider purchasing extra coverage if a likely danger – such as flooding for homes near water or in high rainfall areas like Hope Hills, NC – isn’t mentioned in the basic plan.

2. Your Home’s Neighborhood Will Impact Your Insurance Rates

The area surrounding your home already impacts the property value, and it will impact your insurance rates as well. Mention any nearby emergency services, especially a fire station, to your insurance provider.

3. Catalog and Categorize Everything

Keeping diligent records of the property within your home is the easiest way to ensure you are properly reimbursed in case of damage. If you expect that you’ll want to file a claim for an item, take dated photographs and store them with any relevant documents like titles and receipts.

4. Your Credit Score Impacts Insurance Rates

Because your homeowner’s insurance policy represents a financial agreement, you can expect most providers to perform a credit check to determine how well you will be able to pay your premiums and deductibles. 

5. You Are in Control of Your Homeowner’s Insurance Purchase

While you may feel like you’re at the mercy of whichever insurance company you stumble upon first. The truth is that you’ll have plenty of options that range from national companies to homegrown companies from Hope Hills, NC like Cross Creek Insurance. Take the time to shop around and find an insurance company that works for you.

The kids are back to school and Fall is upon us.  You may be daydreaming about where you’d love to take a vacation this winter, but first thing’s first – you need to prepare your home for Fall before the weather turns unpredictable.  Here are five ways to help you get started.  

1.  Put in Storm Doors and Windows

Hope Hills, NC can be home to some nasty weather. Fall easily slides into Winter and before you know it, you’re turning on the heat.  Don’t wait for it to get too cold before you replace all the screens with storm windows.  

2. Clean the Gutters

Once all the leaves have fallen, it’s time to clean out the gutters.  Remove all debris and check for any place the gutters may be sagging or collecting water and repair or replace these areas.

3.  Get into the Attic

The attic is an area of the house that should be cleaned, organized and inspected twice a year – every Spring and Fall. Look for any areas where heat may be escaping and give the attic a good cleaning to get ready for Fall and Winter.  

4.  Remove Outdoor Hoses

If you leave a hose attached to an outdoor faucet over the winter season, you run the risk of having trapped water freeze, which could end up bursting your pipes.  To prevent this, be sure to store away outdoor hoses until Spring.

5.  Check for Cracks

Inspect the exterior of your home along the siding, doors and windows and look for any cracks that could be letting heat out and moisture in.  Seal up all cracks with caulk.  

At Cross Creek Insurance, we are committed to serving the people of Hope Hills, NC and we will work with you to get the best homeowner’s insurance to protect your Hope Hills, NC property.  Call us today to get started.  

 

 

 

Home insurance improves your future by saving you money in the event of unforeseen losses.  Many states have policy requirements which vary from one district to the next. You may already possess a good policy, but do you know what it actually does for you?  Cross Creek Insurance lists three ways below.

Security from Theft

One of the prime components of insuring your home comes in safeguarding your assets.  Before you select a policy take into consideration the value of the items in your home from electronics to jewelry.  Many items can be financially protected against theft up to a predetermined value.  This means that, should a burglary occur in your home, it can be mitigated by providing you with money to replace the items.

Damage caused by people

Damages to your home or property is a primary concern as well.  In events where human beings are to blame for damages, like a tractor swinging into a house wall or a car smashing into a fence, many policies will provide conditions that aid in paying for these damages or even allow you to relocate if necessary.

Liability

Most homeowners aren’t always aware of this component.  In many cases, the owner of a building can be sued for injuries sustained by persons who are on the premises at the time.  As with most policies,  the amount of protection you receive is dependent on the type of policy you select, even so, protection from liability should never be dismissed.  There are countless cases in the U.S. where homeowners were found liable for injuries even in cases of break-ins from burglars.

Purchasing a home is a big responsibility.  You don’t have to go it alone.  Call or go online to find out how you can benefit from a home insurance policy today.
 

 

Recycling may take a little extra effort, but it’s absolutely worth it for the planet and for yourself. Hope Hills cares about its town, so do the right thing and recycle these 5 common household items. 

1. Old Books 

Obviously these are made of paper, but it’s likely not something you think of when you start rounding up your old newspapers and junk mail. Maybe people think they have to take all the pages out of the cover, but you can generally recycle them whole at your local recycling facility. Or you could always donate them. 

2. Batteries 

Don’t let these into your trash bag, because eventually the acid within them will start to leak out into the earth below. There should be a designated place around you which will take your old electronics. 

3. Paper Plates 

After you have a party, don’t let people just throw these in the regular trash bin when they could be recycled. Recycling plants have come a long way with removing food and debris from paper, so you can likely recycle these plus the paper cups after a fiesta. 

4. Paper Towels

These can actually be composted, so give your garden a boost while you decrease your carbon footprint on the earth. You should also be throwing in any plant matter or food scraps into the composting heap. 

5. Clothes 

Clothes can be recycled if you’re not planning to take them to Goodwill. It may be more difficult to do so, but even the fabric of disgusting old clothes can still be reused. 

Cross Creek Insurance cares about the people in Hope Hills living greener lives, and we encourage everyone to be safe. Give us a call if you need a new homeowners policy and we can get you a quote. 

 

If you’re considering purchasing a home in Hope Hills, North Carolina, then it’s important to also figure in the cost of homeowner’s insurance. Not only is this a financial issue, as it will be more expensive on a monthly basis to cover the bills to pay on your home in general, but homeowner’s insurance is also something required by law in North Carolina and serves a number of important benefits for keeping you financially solvent in the event of a catastrophe or unexpected event at your home, as well as keep you in a house in the event one of these unexpected events occurs. Below are some of the more important reasons to have home insurance in Hope Hills, North Carolina.

UNEXPECTED WEATHER 

North Carolina gets it’s fair share of weather, especially from hurricanes which blow into the state with a vengeance for a season each year. Homes are regularly destroyed or flooded when this occurs and if there is no homeowner’s insurance policy to speak of on the house itself, there will be no money set afforded to you to rebuild. This can be a catastrophic loss to a family and something that is incredibly difficult to recover from. Other things protected by homeowner’s insurance are figurative acts of God, like fires or a plane crashing out of the sky into the home and destroying it. A homeowner’s insurance policy will at least provide some financial assistance when something like this occurs to help the homeowner get back on their feet.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

If someone breaks into your home and steals anything inside the home itself, most homeowner’s insurance policies also cover this. While this isn’t a real concern in Hope Hills, it’s just nice to have piece of mind.

A PLACE TO STAY ANYWAY

If any of these events do occur, some time will be needed to rebuild or repair your home. In this situation, home owner’s policies will usually pay for a place for you and your family to stay until your home can be lived in again.

So if you need a homeowner’s insurance policy contact a local company like Cross Creek Insurance, who serves the greater Hope Hills area.

House sitting is typically straight forward. You have a few important duties, yet while watching the house you can watch TV and just give the home a lived-in feel. However, what happens in the event of an emergency? There are a few important bits of information you need to know about before hand, just in case something goes wrong. 

Contact Numbers

Before the home owners leave, make sure to grab all of their contact information. This not only includes their cell phones but the hotel they are staying at. This way, if you need to contact them for an emergency you have many different options available. 

Smell Gas

During the winter months it might start to smell like gas. Should this happen you need to leave the house right away. Even the smallest spark can cause an explosion in the house. Contact the fire department and have them inspect the house. They can fix a leak, locate the problem area and determine if the house is safe. 

Call the Police

Is something suspicious going on around the house? Maybe you think someone is lurking around the house? Contact the police. Unless you know it is someone actually trying to break in only call the police and avoid 9-1-1. However, if someone is breaking in call 9-1-1, then call the home owners after everything is straightened away. 

Power Outage

If the power went out you have a few different chores you need to take care of. First, if it goes out in the summer, leave everything in the fridge and freezer for the time being. If it looks like the power is going to be out for longer than a few hours fill up coolers with ice and the food. If it goes out during the winter time, Cross Creek Insurance recommends turning on a few faucets so it drips, which prevents the water from sitting still and freezing. 

Vehicles are a crucial and almost necessary part of modern life, and for this reason many people consider a vehicle as a very thoughtful gift that could impact someone’s entire life. However, there is more involved than simply the exchange of keys and a title when you give someone a vehicle as a gift. Here are a few things to consider before giving a vehicle as a gift.

Residual Costs

You should remember that there is more cost to the vehicle than just the vehicles price. There will be annual tags, taxes and insurance. You should consider whether or not the individual to whom you are giving the gift will be able to maintain these other yearly costs. Repairs and maintenance  can also vary from model to model. Some cars are much less expensive to maintain and repair than others. Factors these costs in when choosing a gift vehicle.

Taxes

Because the bulk of tax paperwork must be filed in the name of the recipient, not the purchaser, it is necessary for the purchaser and recipient to work together to get all of the correct information filed with the state and country in which the car will be registered. There are strict rules which vary from state to state concerning whom may hold the registration and under whose name the insurance must be filed. Be sure to do your homework so that you are in compliance with all applicable laws.

Insurance

Regardless of who buys the vehicle gift and who receives it, insurance is paramount to legal driving and operation of the vehicle. Be sure that insurance arrangements are made quickly, so that there is no lapse in coverage or temptation to operate the vehicle uninsured. Make the title, registration and insurance are all under the correct name to avoid any confusion in the event of an accident.  

If you have further insurance questions please contact Cross Creek Insurance now serving Hope Hill, NC.