Archive for the 'Remodel' Category
Remodeling? Make sure you are covered
November 4th, 2007 Categories: Remodel
I asked Kirk Chester my insurance agent, what happens when people remodel, what does that do for their insurance? He sent me an interesting article.
I will find out about all the equity increse we have experienced over the last few years.
The National Association of Home Builders Estimates that 26 million homes are remodeled yearly. (nahb.org) This is one in four homes in America, yet for the money that homeowners are putting into their homes they pay little attention to the insurance issues related to remodeling. A survey conducted by Marshall & Swift/Boeckh found that a whopping 64% of U.S. homes are underinsured, each by an average of 27%.
The first item on the agenda should be how much the project will increase the value of the house, says Don Beery, vice president and partner at Eustis Insurance in New Orleans and a spokesman for the Independent Insurance Agents of America. The organization estimates that one fourth of remodeling projects add at least 25% to the value, yet most homeowners don’t increase their coverage.
The question remains then, have you checked your coverage recently? Minor improvements such as painting and carpeting probably won’t trigger an increase. But a new deck, second bathroom, larger kitchen or other remodel jobs that increase square footage, change the structure or otherwise add value come with the need for more coverage. If you do extensive remodeling, you might want to have your house appraised to make sure you have adequate amount of coverage. You can often times get an appraisal free through a local insurance agent.
This is especially true in places like the City of Cottonwood Heights were prices have really risen.
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