Mortgage Insurance

Brighten Your Home For Spring With The Following 10 Tips

Spring is a sign of renewal in many areas of our lives, and our homes are no different! There is something energizing and refreshing about bringing that bright, airy feeling of Spring into your home. Here are the 10 best ways to spruce up and revitalize your rooms, on a dime!

1.Add white! White with your present color scheme will both cool and brighten, adding the freshness that only white can! If your room colors tend toward the warm side, such as yellows, browns, or reds…then choose creamier white such as ecru or ivory. If you have cooler colors in your room, such as greens and blues, go with the brighter, cleaner whites.

2.Try painting your focal wall, (that is, the one most seen) in a sunnier, brighter, or lighter shade of your current wall color. It will add lightness to the room without drastically changing the whole scheme. Don’t worry, you can always go back to that rich red in the fall, but how about a little petal pink, or sky blue? Remember, its only paint, its cheap!

3.Add a floral print fabric to your room. Using the primary colors already in your room, visit your fabric store and pick out a floral fabric you love with at least one of those primary colors in it. (The more, the better, but don’t feel you must have every color in the room also in the fabric!) Use that floral fabric to make table scarves, placemats, pillow covers, and simple seat cushion covers. Pair it with a solid fabric color already in the room, and you have a custom coordinated look, for just a few dollars and some simple straight sewing!

4.Pick up some pretty colored glassware from the dollar shop, and display it where the sun will light it up! You could even use clear glassware, and fill it with colored water to coordinate with the room. Use your glassware as vases, pencil holders, or candy dishes, but make sure it is seen! Glass sparkles and adds a bit of sunshine to a room.

5.Take down your curtains, and just leave your mini blinds underneath. Don’t leave it bare, though, we don’t want boring! Swag some dried or silk flowers over the top of the blinds, or use some muslin to twist around a curtain rod for an informal but airy valance. (No sew!)

6.Keep your windows sparkling clean. Dirty windows cut down on a surprising amount of light, and make a room look dull. As a bonus, clean windows mean more sparkling glass, and that makes room feel larger and brighter!

7.Pot up some pansies from the garden center and use them indoors as houseplants. They are cheap, easy, and add flowers to a room without the cost of replacing floral arrangements every week! You can even coordinate the flower color to the color scheme of the room. Don’t match the colors, just pick something complementary.

8.Clear most of the artwork and accessories out of your room, and just keep a few larger, simpler pieces. It declutters the room, and helps to put the focus on the freshness of a room. Consider picking up a white lattice from the garden center, and hang it on the wall as a focal point. Place a potted plant in front of it, or hang small framed garden catalog prints from it. Let it be a reminder of the outdoors all season long!

9.Use a stencil or a stamp to add floral and nature motifs to your room for very little money. Stencil vines around windows and doors, hand paint seasonal sayings over doorways with a paint pen, or stamp a floral bouquet on the front of cupboard doors. You can always paint over those small areas with touch up paint in the fall. (Or you might love them so much, they stay year round!)

10.Finally, don’t forget your entry area when you are creating that spring glow all around your home. Remember, your entries are a visitors first impression of your home! Add a pot of pansies on the porch, paint your entry a fresh spring color, and hang a handmade wreath or a basket of flowers on the front door.

All these ideas take very little time, little or no money, and do wonders for your spirit and the spirit of those who you love. Take a little time to brighten your lives!

via Brighten Your Home For Spring With The Following 10 Tips.

Spring Maintenance Tips to Protect Your Home

A home is one of life’s most important investments. Keeping it properly maintained can help reduce the risk of a loss and help ensure the safety and well being of friends and family. Just in time for spring, Paul Fisher Insurance Services and Travelers, a leading provider of auto and homeowners insurance, offer these maintenance tips to prepare your home for warmer weather and to keep it safe year-round:

• Inspect your smoke detectors. Make sure that there is one on each floor of your home. Test them and change the batteries at least every six months, when you change your clocks.
• Check the light bulbs in all your fixtures to be sure that they are the correct wattage as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Replace lamps that use high-producing bulbs (such as halogen) with those that use fluorescent bulbs and operate at much cooler temperatures.
• Check your electrical outlets for potential fire hazards such as frayed wires or loose-fitting plugs. Be sure not to overload electrical outlets, fuse boxes, extension cords or any other power service.
• Keep a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible that is filled and ready for operation.
• Have your air conditioning system inspected by a professional as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Check for damage to your roof, and clean gutters and downspouts to keep debris from accumulating.
• Check your water heater for leaks and corrosion, and keep surrounding area clear.
• Clean and/or replace your furnace filter.
• Clean the clothes dryer exhaust duct and space under the dryer. Remove all lint, dust, and pieces of material or cloth.
• Inspect washing machine hoses and replace hoses that show signs of wear or leakage with stronger reinforced hoses. Turn off the water when not in use to prevent water damage if a hose breaks.
• In your yard, remove all dead trees and keep healthy trees and bushes trimmed and away from utility wires. Do not attempt to remove tree limbs from power lines yourself. Instead, call your power company to request assistance.
• Safely store oil and gas for lawn equipment and tools in a vented, secured area.
• Repair driveway and walkways that are cracked, broken or uneven to provide a level walking surface.

Established in 1983, Paul Fisher Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency offering a full range of insurance products including Auto, Home, Life, Equipment Leasing, Business Owners Insurance, Wedding Protection, Special Occasion Protection, and much more!

For information and quotes on insurance coverage, please visit
Paul Fisher Insurance Services at 3967 William Penn Highway Suite 3, Murrysville, PA 15668 or call (724)519-7503.

About Travelers
Travelers understands that life and business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve agents and policyholders is to deliver insurance that evolves to stay in-synch with life and business as they change. For more information on being in-synch, visit www.travelers.com.
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading property casualty insurer selling primarily through independent agents and brokers. The company’s diverse business lines offer its global customers a wide range of coverage in both the personal and commercial settings, including automobile, homeowners, construction, small business, oil and gas, ocean marine, surety and management liability, global technology and public sector services. Travelers is a Fortune 100 company, with 2007 revenues of $26 billion and total assets of $115 billion. The company has approximately 33,000 employees.

Homeowners Insurance Claim

Homeowners Insurance Claim on wiseGEEK:

* If they feel strongly enough that the insurer is breaking insurance claim law, consumers can also pursue lawsuits. Some attorneys specialize in insurance claim law and dedicate themselves to what is called insurance recovery law.

* The types of insurance coverage disputes may involve areas as divers as health, automobile, or homeowners insurance claims and will determine how a dispute is handled. Some insurance policies might include exclusions which can limit or disallow restitution for damages sought in a claim.

via Homeowners Insurance Claim.

Cheap Homeowners Insurance

There are many ways you could start saving on homeowners insurance. Below are the top fifteen ways that can put money back into your pocket.

1. First, you should shop around. You will be amazed how many companies out there offer homeowners insurance. There are many ways you could shop around. You could search online, ask your friends and family, or just simply open up the yellow pages and start making some phone calls. By shopping around you are sure to find the best rate available to you.

2. Next, you could raise your deductible. The higher your deductible is, the less you need to pay for homeowners insurance. The deductible is the amount you need to pay if something does happen to your home. If you are going to raise the deductible, just make sure you could afford to pay that in case of an emergency. The more your deductible is, the higher percentage you will save. Most deductibles start at $250, if you raise it to $500 you could save up 12%, raise it to $1,000 save up to 24%, raise it to $2,500 and save up to 30%, raise it to $5,000 and save up to 37%, and so forth.

3. Another way to save is to combine your policies with one company. For example, if you have car insurance and home owners insurance on two different companies, see if one of those companies will offer the other type of insurance. Most insurance companies offer both home and auto insurance. By simply putting both policies with one company you could be saving a lot of money.

ways to save money on homeowners insurance

4. Fourth, think about the insurance when purchasing a home. A lot of different factors go into determining how much you will pay for homeowners insurance. For example, if your home is newer, the insurance will most likely cost less. If the structure of the home is in good condition, than the insurance will not be as costly as an older home with bad structure. Also, the location of a home is important as well. Make sure your home is built for the geographical location it is in. This could make a big difference on the price of your homeowners insurance policy.

5. Next, make sure you leave out the value of your land when insuring your home. Including the land could make the homeowners insurance a lot more expensive. When you are estimating the value of your home, keep that in mind. The values of your home are at risk for many things, such as a fire or even theft, however the land of your home is not at that high of a risk, therefore does not need to be included.

6. Another great tip is to invest in safety for your home. Just by getting locks, alarms, and smoke detectors you could be saving up to 20% on your plan. The safer your home is, the less it is to insure it. Not only will keeping your home safe save you money, but it will also put you and your family is a better environment.

7. You could also save on homeowners insurance by simply stop smoking. If no one in your home smokes, than you will most likely receive a discount. The reason behind this is that more than twenty thousand residential fires last year were started due to smoking. Insurance companies keep this in mind and discount those who do not smoke.

8. Also, if you stick with your insurer you could get a larger discount. Every year you are with the same company they may lower your rates. You could also save by checking homeowners insurance policies annually. One year your company may be better than the next, while the next year the rates may have changed.

9. You could also ask about other discounts that homeowners insurance companies may offer. Senior discounts and group discounts are two other ways that could save you money when it comes to homeowners insurance.

10. A few other ways to save on homeowners insurance is to stick with the private companies, pay over the computer, check your credit rating before purchasing insurance, and getting replacement-cost coverage.

While the list of how to save on homeowners insurance can go on and on, these are just the top ten things you should look for when looking to buy.

via Cheap Homeowners Insurance.

Home insurance – Wikipedia

Home insurance, also commonly called hazard insurance or homeowner’s insurance (often abbreviated in the real estate industry as HOI), is the type of property insurance that covers private homes. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insurance protections, which can include losses occurring to one’s home, its contents, loss of its use (additional living expenses), or loss of other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home or at the hands of the homeowner within the policy territory. It requires that at least one of the named insureds occupies the home. The dwelling policy (DP) is similar, but used for residences which don’t qualify for various reasons, such as vacancy/non-occupancy, seasonal/secondary residence, or age.

It is a multiple-line insurance, meaning that it includes both property and liability coverage, with an indivisible premium, meaning that a single premium is paid for all risks. Standard forms divide coverage into several categories, and the coverage provided is typically a percentage of Coverage A, which is coverage for the main dwelling.[1]

The cost of homeowner’s insurance often depends on what it would cost to replace the house and which additional riders—additional items to be insured—are attached to the policy. The insurance policy itself is a lengthy contract, and names what will and what will not be paid in the case of various events. Typically, claims due to floods or war (whose definition typically includes a nuclear explosion from any source), amongst other standard exclusions (like termites), are excluded. Special insurance can be purchased for these possibilities, including flood insurance. Insurance should be adjusted to reflect replacement cost, usually upon application of an inflation factor or a cost index.

The home insurance policy is usually a term contract—a contract that is in effect for a fixed period of time. The payment the insured makes to the insurer is called the premium. The insured must pay the insurer the premium each term. Most insurers charge a lower premium if it appears less likely the home will be damaged or destroyed: for example, if the house is situated next to a fire station; if the house is equipped with fire sprinklers and fire alarms; or if the house exhibits wind mitigation measures, such as hurricane shutters. Perpetual insurance, which is a type of home insurance without a fixed term, can also be obtained in certain areas.

via Home insurance – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

What is Mortgage Insurance?

As a loan officer who has over one thousand loan closings within the last five years, I have fielded numerous questions from first time home buyers, but the question most asked has to do with mortgage insurance: what is it, why do I have to have it, and how long do I have to keep paying it?

Mortgage insurance is a financial guaranty for the lender that will help to reduce or eliminate a loss in the case of a default by the borrower, and it is almost universally required on loans where there is less than twenty percent equity. That means if you are purchasing a home with less than twenty percent down or refinancing to more than eighty percent of your homes value, you are going to be required to pay mortgage insurance. In other words, mortgage insurance spreads the risk between the lender and the insurance company.

The next question I get about mortgage insurance is, “Why do I have to have it?” The answer to that is simple: without mortgage insurance, many lenders would not be able or willing to accept the risk of lending without having twenty percent equity, making it significantly more difficult for customers to purchase a home, or use their home equity to consolidate debt or make an addition to their home. So while it may seem like you do not gain any advantage by having to pay mortgage insurance, it may be the factor that is allowing you to gain approval for your loan. In addition, a bill was passed in 2007 that allows people to write off their mortgage insurance on your taxes, just like you would for the mortgage interest that you pay. There are income restrictions on this provision, so check with a tax professional to see if this would benefit you.

Finally, the question comes up, “When can I stop paying mortgage insurance?” The answer to that will vary depending upon how your mortgage is worded, but there are a few general guidelines that are pretty universal. If you have a conventional mortgage, you are going to need to pay the mortgage insurance for at least the first year of your loan. If you have paid down the balance below eighty percent of the original purchase price or value, you can send a written request for the lender to remove the insurance (a lot of contracts say you can request the removal at eighty percent, they are required to remove it when the balance gets to seventy-eight percent). Some lenders will also allow you to pay for an appraisal, and if your home has risen in value to give you the twenty percent equity, they will also remove it. If you have an FHA guaranteed loan, you are going to be required to pay the monthly mortgage insurance for at least the first five years of the loan, and in order to have it removed you need to have the loan balance down to eighty percent of the original purchase price or value; they will not allow you to go off of what the appraised value is.

Mortgage insurance may seem to be an unnecessary monthly cost to many first time home buyers, but it is in fact what allows most people to purchase their first home. With the law that allows homeowners to write this cost off their taxes, it has become a little more consumer friendly as well.

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via What is Mortgage Insurance?.

Mortgage insurance – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mortgage insurance (also known as mortgage guaranty) is an insurance policy which compensates lenders or investors for losses due to the default of a mortgage loan. Mortgage insurance can be either public or private depending upon the insurer. The policy is also known as a mortgage indemnity guarantee (MIG), particularly in the UK.

For example, Mr. Smith decides to purchase a house which costs $150,000. He pays 10% ($15,000) down payment and takes out a $135,000 ($150,000-$15,000) mortgage. Lenders will often require mortgage insurance for mortgage loans which exceed 80% (the typical cut-off) of the property’s sale price. Because of his limited equity, the lender requires that Mr. Smith pay for mortgage insurance that protects the lender against his default. The lender then requires the mortgage insurer to provide insurance coverage at, for example, 25% of the 135,000, or $33,750, leaving the lender with an exposure of $101,250.[1] The mortgage insurer will charge a premium for this coverage, which may be paid by either the borrower or the lender. If the borrower defaults and the property is sold at a loss, the insurer will cover the first $33,750 of losses. Coverages offered by mortgage insurers can vary from 20% to 50% and higher.

To obtain public mortgage insurance from the Federal Housing Administration, Mr. Smith must pay a mortgage insurance premium (MIP) equal to 1.75 percent of the loan amount at closing. This premium is normally financed by the lender and paid to FHA on the borrower’s behalf. Depending on the loan-to-value ratio, there may be a monthly premium as well. The United States Veterans Administration also offers insurance on mortgages.[

via Mortgage insurance – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Insurance Tips For New Home Owners

If you have just bought your very first home, you are probably unaware of how your purchase has affected your insurance profile and that you need to review your existing insurance cover. In fact, even upgrading from a small, cheap house to a larger family home will impact on your insurance. Most people think that adding some form of homeowners insurance is all that is needed when purchasing a new home. While the addition of a homeowner’s policy is by far the biggest change, your other insurance policies will most likely need to be reviewed too. The following are some of the more prominent policies you may need to revise.

Homeowner’s insurance

If you successfully applied for a home loan, your bank will have required that you take out a homeowner’s insurance policy. The questions that you need to ask yourself are did I get sufficient cover and did I shop around for the best deals?

When analyzing your coverage needs, your assessment needs to be based not only on what is required by your bank, but also on the actual value of the property. Banks often pressurize you to take whatever insurance policy they put in front of you. Except for a few conniving banks, taking the bank’s own cover is not mandatory. This means that you have the option of shopping around for better insurance.

Car insurance

If you just bought a house, your marital status may have changed. If this is the case, then congratulations! You may be eligible for a lower premium as marital status affects your risk profile. Married couples are considered a lower insurance risk by insurance companies. You may also want to cover both your and your spouse’s cars under one policy. This should work out much cheaper than having two separate vehicle insurance policies. You may even want to go one step further and combine your vehicle and homeowner’s policy to get even cheaper premiums. Lastly, it is essential that you update your car insurance policy as your change of address will also affect your policy. This is essential because should you need to claim due to theft from your new home and you have not updated your policy, your claim might be turned down.

Disability and life insurance

If you were to become disabled or unable to work due to an accident or disease, your mortgage will still need to be paid. Disability cover will pay you a monthly benefit if this happens which could very well save you from financial ruin until you are able to work again. Similarly, life insurance will help pay off your debts and perhaps even the mortgage on your home should you pass away. If you are the breadwinner in your family, this type of cover is essential.

Purchasing a new home can be a very exciting experience, but it is important that you remember to review all your insurance policies to make sure that you and your loved ones are adequately covered. If you are unsure of where to start contact your insurance broker and without a doubt, shop around for the best insurance deals!

via Insurance Tips For New Home Owners.

What does homeowners insurance cover?

Every homeowner should realize the importance of homeowner’s insurance policy. Homeowners insurance policy not only protects the homeowners from man-made and natural disasters, but it also protects you from several other situations.

The basic homeowners insurance policy pays you in case of any damage due to fire, severe storms, tornado’s and hurricanes. Damage to your property, possessions and home are primary elements to be covered. Coverage provided by the policy is not the most important aspect; the most important aspect is the amount they provide in case of any disaster.

Lost of possessions like furniture, electrical appliances, jewelry, clothing are also generally covered by some of homeowners insurance policies, up to a specific percentage of the policy.

Liability coverage protects you in case you are responsible for someone else’s injury or property damage. In such cases home owners insurance will soon provide you minimum 18,000 USD as coverage. Policyholder can buy an extra premium of $1.5 million. Liability coverage also covers certain injuries that happen within the premises of your home such as your dog biting someone. A sum of $700 is paid to the insurer with basic homeowners policy; this can increase up to $5,000 after paying extra.

Dwelling coverage will pay you in case of damage to your outstanding building (garage, storage, shed, fencing, boundary) and your home.

Loss of use coverage will help you in case if your home is damaged due to fire, storm or any other man made or natural calamity. Loss of use coverage will pay your expenses when your home is not suitable to live.

You must think over all the issues before purchasing a homeowners insurance. Consider the reputation of the insurance company and do not make decisions solely based on premiums of policy. Using Internet, you can find reputed home insurance company with best homeowners insurance rate. With a bit of research work you can get the best deal.

Find all you need to know about home owners insurance on the best homeowners insurance rate . Your house insurance source – http://www.house-insurance-guide.net

via What does homeowners insurance cover?.

Using a Homeowners Insurance Calculator

You want to get your home insured for a homeowners insurance. What would you do? The first option that would come to your mind would be to contact an insurance agent and get the policy form him with out knowing anything else about it. You have the policy and the agent is happy with his commissions. Well you need to know more about your homeowners insurance than that to avoid any kind of problems when it comes to making actual claims.

The best way to go about it is to do some research yourself. When you do this research you can consult the rating agencies of your state or even the internet can be a very good source of information. Find out what companies give the best deals out there and what kind of coverage they are giving, then the most important factor is to know about the service of the insurance company.

Homeowners insurance calculator help you in getting instant quotes for your policy. This is particularly useful tool if you have to compare what is available with different companies and how can you get the best rates for the kind of coverage you want. A lot of times the cheapest deal is not the best deal when it comes to coverage.

Even while using the homeowners insurance calculator you don’t get the accurate results because there are some factors which can not be taken into consideration by the calculator but they affect your costs to a great extent. Some of these factors can be the location of your home or the construction of your home. Final and accurate figures can be found out only by an inspection or a visit by an official. A calculator however can give you estimates which you can compare to choose a policy for yourself. So it is always better to do a little bit of research before going for any kind of insurance.

via Using a Homeowners Insurance Calculator.

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