Category: Home Insurance

As a homeowner, you know how important it is to have home insurance, whether or not your home has a mortgage on it. At D & E Insurance Agency serving Muskogee, OK and surrounding areas, we take pride in educating all of our home insurance policyholders, so they can get the coverage they need.

Risk Assessment

When you buy home insurance, the insurance company takes into consideration a range of factors, including where your home is located, what it’s constructed of, and other things. Adding things to your home, such as a new addition or home office, changes how much coverage you may need. Adding certain other features to your home can change your coverage needs as well. This includes things like swimming pools and trampolines.

Features That Add Value

Certain features add value to your home in the eyes of homebuyers. Depending on the homebuyers’ perspective, a swimming pool may be a desired feature, or it could detract from the value. Much depends on the area and the perceived value. If your home is valued higher by your local tax assessor because of the pool, you may need more home insurance coverage.

Either way, though, a trampoline and a swimming pool increase risk, too. Any feature that could potentially be a hazard might be considered a risk. You’ll want to protect yourself from these risks, in the event that anyone is hurt while using these features. And it makes good sense to notify your insurance company ahead of time if you’ve added features of any kind to your home.

Call Today To Discuss Your Options

Since this can be a complex situation, you should consult with your insurance representative at D & E Insurance Agency serving Muskogee, OK. We can help you to determine if your home insurance coverage meets all your needs.

Home insurance is intended to protect your home from unforeseeable calamities, but it can be difficult to completely understand your coverage. D & E Insurance Agency, serving the greater Muskogee, OK community, is here to answer frequently asked questions about home insurance to help with your most pressing questions and give you confidence in your policy.

Home Insurance: FAQs

What Does Home Insurance Typically Cover?

Homeowners insurance provides protection against a range of risks that can befall homeowners and can be prohibitively expensive to cover out of pocket. These include property damage, personal property loss, personal liability, and added living costs. 

When Should You Get Home Insurance?

Before closing on your property, your mortgage lender will most likely require that you buy homeowners insurance. It is crucial to compare different options to choose the best policy based on your requirements. 

Does Home Insurance Cover a Home-Based Business?

If you frequently work from home or own a home-based business, you could need more coverage. Although they may only cover a modest amount of business-related materials or equipment, homeowners insurance policies occasionally exclude liability related to your home business. 

Does Home Insurance Cover Valuable Collections?

It is possible that your coverage will not always fully cover pricey or precious collections. Ask an insurance agent about your assets, so you can understand what is protected and, if necessary, add any further coverage.

We Are Here To Help

If you live in Muskogee, OK or any other nearby area, and you are currently shopping for home insurance, feel free to reach out to D & E Insurance Agency. Our qualified and knowledgeable insurance agents will answer all your questions and help you find an insurance plan based on your needs and budget. 

Here at D & E Insurance Agency, serving the greater Muskogee, OK area, one of the insurance products we offer is home insurance. When it comes to home insurance, we are asked a variety of questions, but one of the questions that people often ask us is whether they purchase home insurance prior to closing on a new home they are purchasing or immediately after closing on their new home. 

Do I Buy Home Insurance Prior to Closing or After Closing?

If you are purchasing a home, you must have home insurance on the home prior to closing. You will not be able to close on the home without proof of insurance. This includes either a certificate of insurance that is issued by the insurer you are buying home insurance from or a copy of the insurance declaration’s page.

It is also important to note that your mortgage lender typically needs a copy of this statement a few days to a week prior to closing. This ensures that they list the right insurance company in the closing documents. As such, it is recommended that you purchase home insurance about one to two weeks prior to closing on your new home. 

Reach Out To Us!

Congratulations on buying a home! Buying a home is a huge investment, and as such, you want to ensure that you protect that investment by purchasing a home insurance policy that not only covers the full replacement value of your home but the items that are stored inside of your home as well. Here at D & E Insurance Agency, serving the greater Muskogee, OK area, we can help you obtain home insurance for your new home. Call us today to get started. 

At D & E Insurance Agency, we want the home insurance you purchase from us to provide the ideal protection for your Muskogee, OK home. That’s why we recommend at least an annual home insurance review.

Home Improvements Signal a Need for Insurance Updates

A lot can change about your home during the course of one year. You might not even think about the things that you update or change. In the past year, did you replace any of the following:

• Roof,
• Windows and/or doors,
• Flooring,
• Kitchen appliances,
• Utility room appliances?

If you answered yes, you made a change that increased the value of your home! Good job!

Of course, since you increased the value of your home, you need to increase the amount of coverage for your home. We can help with that.

Other changes in your home also signal a need for added coverage. If you convert your garage into a bedroom or office, or you build an addition, you need to add coverage to your home insurance.

When Your Home Value Increases, so Should Your Insurance Coverage

When you initially purchase your home insurance, your agent asks for the value of your home. Since you probably purchased it as a part of your home purchase, you know it, and your policy accurately covers your home. As time passes, the home you buy for $150,000 undergoes changes that improve it.

The new roof adds about $10,000 to your home’s value. The kitchen and utility updates typically add between $5,000 to $7,000 in value. Depending on how many windows you replaced, that adds thousands of dollars to your home’s value, too. It all adds up, and if you underwent a home appraisal, you’d probably find that your home after updates holds a value of $175,000 or more.

Updating your home insurance coverage ensures that your insurance would cover the cost of replacing your home as it was when something happened to damage or destroy it. Hazards such as fire or tornado can cause massive damage. Undergoing an annual policy review can help you keep your coverage up to date, so your insurance fully covers your home.

Contact Us Today

Contact D & E Insurance Agency,  serving the greater Muskogee, OK community, for a home insurance policy review. Let us help you fully cover your home.

When you are the owner of your own home, it’s important for you to take steps to protect it in every way that you can. One way to do this is to get home insurance to protect your home against a wide range of risks. Home insurance is an important part of the way that you protect your finances as well. When you need home insurance, we are here to help. Call us today at D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK.

Why You Need Home Insurance

Home Protection

One of the types of coverage that you get in a home policy is protection for the house. This gives you protection against a broad range of accidents, disasters, and other events that can cause damage to your house. When something does happen to it that causes its damage, your policy can pay for the repair bills that become necessary, less your deductible. When this happens, your policy can save you many thousands on these repairs to protect you financially. 

Protection for Your Belongings

Another important type of coverage in these policies is item protection. When you own a home, everything in it is also covered by your home insurance. This coverage is important with the amount of value that all of your items are worth when put together. If those items should be damaged or ruined by a covered event, your home insurance policy can pay for you to replace the ruined items and repair the damaged ones. This is another way that your home insurance saves you a large amount of money after a damaging event happens to your home and/or belongings. 

Get Your Home Coverage

If you own your own home and don’t have home insurance, don’t wait to get it. Call us right away at D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK.

If you want to make sure that your Muskogee, OK area home has the protection it needs, give the D & E Insurance Agency a call today. We can help you determine if your current policy provides the protection you need.

How a comprehensive home policy can help you

When you have a comprehensive home policy in place, you can rest assured that you have the coverage you need. Our homes and belongings are a massive part of our lives, and they need to be protected.

By ensuring that there are no gaps in coverage or protection in your current policy, you can feel confident that any accident will be covered.

A comprehensive policy can help protect things such as electronic devices and equipment, artwork, jewelry, and other personal items. This is in addition to the structure of your home and any outbuildings. While every situation is different, having comprehensive coverage may also include having a separate personal article policy or rider.

Working with a local agent who will take the time to review your insurance needs thoroughly is an incredibly effective way to ensure that you get the protection you need. Now is a perfect time for a complete policy review!

Want to find out more? Call us today!

D & E Insurance Agency is there to help the entire Muskogee, OK community with all of its insurance needs. Our team understands how important your home is to you, and we want you to have the coverage you need. Give us a call or stop by today to find out more!

Your home insurance policy is designed to protect you, your family, and your home against an assortment of risks. For instance, if a fire breaks out, your home is vandalized, or a bad storm blows through, your home is protected if it is damaged. Your home insurance policy also covers medical and legal expenses in the event another person is injured while at your home. However, the traditional home insurance policy won’t cover everything. The team at D & E Insurance Agency wants to explain a few things that may not be covered under your Muskogee, OK home insurance policy.

Earthquake Damage

Although a natural disaster, earthquakes are not covered under the standard home insurance policy. If you live in an area where natural disasters like earthquakes and mudslides are common, you will want to speak to an agent about specific coverage for this event.  

Flood Damage

Whether from a hurricane, heavy rainstorm, or burst pipe, flood damage also isn’t covered under your conventional policy. Again, you will need to purchase additional coverage specifically related to flood insurance in order to ensure you are covered when a disaster like this strikes.

High-Value Items

High-valued items like artwork, jewelry, collectibles, and the like are actually covered by your home insurance policy—but only up to a certain amount. Therefore, in the event of a covered loss, you may need to purchase additional coverage to ensure you are fully compensated for your assets. This may require an appraisal so you know how much your items are worth, then you can obtain adequate coverage for your items.

When you are in need of home insurance in Muskogee, OK or a policy to cover one of the aforementioned events, reach out to the team at D & E Insurance Agency. We can help you identify your specific needs and set you up with a policy that matches your lifestyle and budget.

Owning a home is a big responsibility, and part of that is to get a home insurance policy. If you need a home policy, give us a call today at D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK.

Protection for the House

The house itself is an enormous investment that you need to protect. With home insurance, you are protected against a wide variety of situations including disasters and accidents that can happen to a house. With this protection, you can have the house repaired or rebuilt after something serious happens to it. The policy can even pay for you to live somewhere else while the repairs are made if the house is uninhabitable. 

Covering Your Possessions

Another part of home insurance is the coverage for your belongings that are located in the house or on the grounds. This coverage allows for you to get help with replacing items if you should have significant amounts of damage or destruction happen to your things. Often, damage to the house and to the belongings happens at the same time, and both issues may be covered with home insurance. 

Taking Care of Liability 

When you own a house, you may be held liable for a number of accidents that can happen in your home or yard. Often, accidents like this lead to injuries, and this can then lead to lawsuits. When you have home insurance, your liability is covered. This can help to prevent lawsuits as well as protecting your finances against owning major medical bills due to an accident. It can help you to protect your family’s future by paying for these bills. It may also pay for lost wages after an accident if needed. 

Get Home Insurance

If you don’t have your home insurance policy yet, don’t wait. Call us at D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK.

Creating a safer home should be a priority for everyone, no matter their age. Safety needs to be looked at from the outside and the inside of your home. You want to keep any danger from entering and make sure that basic safety protocol is in place. At D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK, we work for our customers to make sure we provide them with the best possible coverage at affordable prices. 

Install a home security system

Home security systems have become more affordable than ever. You can purchase a system you install yourself for the price of a couple of dinners out at a restaurant. It can be as simple as a doorbell camera or additional cameras installed to give you a view around your entire home. They connect to your smartphone, and you can make sure your home is safe even if you’re away. 

Door and window locks

Have a good door lock and deadbolt is a simple way to make your home safer. Of course, you do need to make sure it is locked at all times. Check windows to make the locks are also engaged. Safety bars are available for sliders that make them impossible to open. 

Don’t have large bushes close to your home.

Keep large bushes away from your home. You don’t want to provide any place where some can hide from view. If someone is looking your home over, they will be visible to you and your neighbors.

Change the batteries in detectors.

Most homeowners have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes. They need to be operational to provide safety. Even if they’re hardwired, they have battery backup, and these batteries should be changed every 6 months.   

When you are in the market for home insurance, D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK is here for you. 

All kinds of emergencies happen regularly, and Oklahoma is no exempt. On average, there are 52 tornados in Oklahoma every year. That is a staggering figure. But it does make you realize getting your home ready for an emergency is important. In Muskogee, OK, D & E Insurance Agency is a full-service independent insurance agency. We will work with you to make sure you have the right insurance and at a great price. 

Preparing for an emergency involves many different things. It can be having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. It means having a first aid kit so you are prepared for any small injuries that may happen. It would be best if you discussed an emergency plan with your family. Setting up an emergency exit route from your home is important. In the event of a fire, you need to rehearse how you would get out of the home and alternative plans if one exit route is blocked. Having an escape route can save lives. 

Losing power is an emergency you can be sure will happen to you. Many simple things can make sure your home is ready. Here are some things you should have on hand:

• Three days of bottled water
• Three days of non-perishable food
• A generator and fuel 
• Flashlights and batteries
• Battery or crank-operated lanterns
• Manual can opener

Protecting your important papers is one of the most crucial things you can do. Put them together in a fire and water-resistant container. You might want to put your favorite irreplaceable photos in there as well. Make sure you are signed up with your cellphone provider to receive emergency alerts. 

Your home is your castle, and ensuring it is protected is the best thing you can do for it and your peace of mind. Contact D & E Insurance Agency in Muskogee, OK for all your home insurance needs.