Key Home Insurance Tips for First-Time Homebuyers

Purchasing your first home can be stressful, particularly when it comes to understanding the intricacies of home insurance. Details are often not as straightforward as they seem. At Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA, our independent insurance agents have extensive experience in helping new homeowners choose a suitable home insurance policy.

Understanding Insurance Exclusions

While home insurance covers a range of potential accidents, it must be noted that it doesn’t cover everything. The items not covered are exclusions and clearly listed in your policy. These exclusions include earth movement (earthquake, landslide, mudslide, sinkholes), flooding, sewer backup, and neglect by the owner. Similarly, if your property is destroyed by a government entity or during war, this will not be covered either.

Knowing Home Insurance Limits

Your home insurance has a cap on the amount it pays out to replace your home, your contents, and specific sections of these contents. The coverage for jewelry is often limited. Similarly, antiques, artwork, and coins have strict caps. These limits can be increased with a rider.

Making an Informed Decision on Content Insurance

You can choose the type of content coverage for your assets. You can opt for replacement cost, which is the current market price to replace the items, or the current value, which is the depreciated worth of the possessions.

Assessing Factors that Increase Liability

Certain factors increase your liability. For instance, owning a dog or having a trampoline or swimming pool raises your liability. Consult your agent to discuss these factors.

Before the closing of your new home, feel free to contact us at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA, to discuss your home insurance needs.

Policyholders often believe that once they purchase home insurance, they won’t need to recheck it. However, that isn’t true. Checking insurance regularly can save you from a disastrous outcome and prevent you from becoming uninsured. Here at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA, we do our best to help provide clients with home insurance that fits their needs. Below, we’ll give you an idea of why reviewing your plan is essential.

Updating Policies to Reflect Home Renovations and Changes

Properties will often come under changes over your time living there. Additionally, rooms may be added while porches or decks are installed. In addition, many people expand the kitchen or bathrooms to help make life more comfortable.

The problem is that by doing so, you risk becoming uninsured. Changes made to the home may disqualify you from specific policies. So, it’s best to double-check your home insurance regularly. We recommend reviewing it at least once annually.

In addition, people moving in or out of your home may require that you change your policy limits. Whether you’re getting a roommate or the kids move out, the amount of property in your home changes. Extra adjustments will need to be made to cover the change in property.

Knowing Changes to the Home Insurance Policy

While less common, insurance may change the policy during renewal. You don’t want to assume that the policy is the same. So, it’s essential to know what changes are being made. Carefully reviewing your policy can help ensure you’ve got the right home insurance.

Helps Policyholders Know When to Get Extra Support

If policy changes occur, knowing what coverage you need to add to your plan is good. Adjustments such as adding earthquake or umbrella policies can be helpful if your annual insurance changes.

The Bottom Line

Knowing everything listed on your home insurance is vital to feeling your best. You don’t want to be caught off guard in the case of an accident. That’s why agents at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA, can help. We will ensure you get the best policy if you contact us today.

Warmer weather is just around the corner, and taking care of the toll that winter weather may have taken on your home is important. At Murvay Insurance, serving Newport Beach, CA, we’re here to help you ensure your home is in tip-top shape so you can kick back and enjoy summer. 

Clean Gutters

Leaves and debris can wreak havoc on your gutters, so you’ll want to either clean them yourself or have them cleaned by a professional at least twice each year. 

Inspect Driveway

Winter weather can damage your driveway, so it’s a good idea to inspect it for any damage that may need to be repaired. Spring is the perfect time to have your driveway sealed or repaired. 

Service HVAC Unit

Before you know it, you’ll be ready to flip the switch on the AC. Having your HVAC unit serviced can help you get ahead of scheduled maintenance and attend to any issues that have developed over the course of the winter. 

Inspect Screens and Windows

If your screens remained over your windows during the winter, it’s a good idea to take a look and ensure they held up and aren’t in need of replacement or repair.

Murvay Insurance: Proud to Serve Newport Beach, CA

At Murvay Insurance, we’re proud to serve the residents of Newport Beach, CA. Whether you’re a first-time homeowner interested in finding the right policy for your needs or you’re simply shopping around to learn more about available home insurance policies in Newport Beach, we’re here to help. Stop by our office or reach out today to discuss policy options.

In the picturesque landscapes of Newport Beach, CA, homeowners are embracing a green revolution, not just for the environment but also for their wallets. At Murvay Insurance, serving the greater Newport Beach, CA area, we recognize the growing trend of eco-friendly home upgrades and the subsequent advantages they bring to the planet and your home insurance premiums.

The Green Advantage: Eco-Friendly Home Upgrades

Eco-friendly upgrades, from energy-efficient appliances to solar panels and sustainable building materials, not only contribute to a smaller carbon footprint but also enhance the overall efficiency of your home. These upgrades align with Newport Beach’s commitment to environmental responsibility while fostering a greener and healthier community.

Smart Homes, Smarter Premiums

Embracing eco-friendly upgrades is not just about being environmentally conscious; it’s also a strategic move for homeowners seeking to lower their home insurance premiums. Energy-efficient features often reduce the risk of accidents or damages, translating into cost savings for homeowners and insurers. Murvay Insurance understands the synergy between sustainability and financial prudence.

Murvay Insurance: Your Partner in Sustainable Living

Serving the greater Newport Beach, CA, area, Murvay Insurance takes pride in being your partner in sustainable living. We understand the unique needs of homeowners in this community, offering insurance solutions that align with both environmental responsibility and financial savvy.

Take the Green Step: Consult Murvay Insurance Today

Your eco-friendly home is an investment in a sustainable future. Murvay Insurance invites you to explore how these green initiatives can benefit the environment and contribute to lower home insurance premiums. Call us today to discuss your home insurance needs and take a step towards securing your eco-friendly haven in Newport Beach.

Getting home insurance is required for most homeowners. Mortgage lenders require home buyers to have it, and HOAs also require them. However, it’s always important to have home insurance, even if it isn’t required. Home insurance offers several types of protection that protect you against massive expenses that may be necessary after an accident or other incident. If you don’t have your home policy yet, call us at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA. 

Protection for the Home

One of the most important reasons you need home insurance is that it offers dwelling protection. When a covered event damages your home, such as an accident or disaster, the policy can pay for the necessary repairs. This coverage can save you tremendous money after a damaging event. It’s never a good idea to be without this coverage. 

Protection for Your Belongings

Most of what you own, if not all of it, is likely in your home. The items you own add up to a lot of value. That makes it essential to have all of those things covered by insurance. Home insurance protects them against covered events that can damage or ruin your belongings. The policy can then pay for the items to be replaced so you can return to your everyday life. 

Liability Protection

Home insurance also protects you against liability in your home. If someone comes to your home and gets injured there, you would be liable for paying for those injuries. With home insurance, liability coverage is included. This allows the policy to pay those medical bills. 

Get Your Home Insurance Policy

When you need home insurance, we can help. To learn more, call us at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA.

There’s more to setting up a home business than creating office space and purchasing business equipment and products. It would be best to have insurance protection for your business and business assets. Although home insurance offers some measure of protection, it wasn’t designed to cover business-related losses. The following tips from Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA can help you determine your insurance coverage to protect your home enterprise.

Insurance Options for Protecting a Home Business

When it comes to insuring a home business, there are several options:

• Endorsements  – One way to insure a home business is to add endorsements to your home insurance policy. An endorsement to increase property coverage can help protect business equipment and products. If you receive clients in your home, a liability endorsement can protect you against accidental injuries that may occur when a client visits your property. Endorsements, however, won’t cover loss of income if your home is damaged in a catastrophe and your business comes to a halt while repairs are made. Neither will they cover employee injuries on the job.   
• Business Owner’s Policy – A business owner’s policy (BOP) offers a more practical means of protecting your home business, as you have the option of obtaining liability, property damage, workers’ comp, and business interruption coverage. You can also add protection against specific risks such as mechanical or technical breakdowns, data loss, forgery, errors and omissions, etc. This broad coverage against any eventuality will give you the confidence to invest in your home business and grow it into a prospering enterprise.  

Where to Obtain a BOP Policy  

If your home business is your family’s main source of income, a BOP policy may be just what you need to protect it from financial loss. To purchase commercial coverage for your home business, contact Murvay Insurance, Newport Beach, CA. 

Your home can encounter problems stemming from water for various reasons, and some of these fall outside the purview of what your homeowner’s insurance will cover. For example, Newport Beach, CA residents whose problems arise from flooding will not be included. 

A homeowners policy may contain a list of covered perils, and if your issue results from one of these, you will typically be able to make a claim. This category of insurance is referred to as named perils. If indemnification is labeled all perils, it usually extends to hazards unless they are specifically excluded. Your knowledgeable Murvay Insurance representative can provide more details. 

Very often, homeowners insurance will take care of situations that are related to burst pipes, as this will occur inside the home and is not due to a flood situation. Plumbing malfunctions can also lead to mold and mildew, and as long as these are not caused directly due to neglect, you can seek financial remedy. 

Broken windows can allow rain to pour into your property, mainly if a weather event, such as hail, causes them. Frozen ice or heavy snowfall on the roof may cause leaks when cold weather prevents thawing. 

Your appliances can sometimes cause an overflow, which can happen with air conditioning systems, dishwashers, and washing machines. Water damage can also occur due to sprinkler systems when smoke detectors are activated or from hoses needed to put out a fire. 

Murvay Insurance is Here to Help 

We specialize in providing our Newport Beach, CA clients with the insurance products needed to suit their needs. We encourage you to reach out to us today, and you can do so online, on the phone, or by stopping in to speak with us personally. 

California homes have value. Talk to anyone on the street, and they’ll acknowledge the investment of California real estate. Yet, as with most things of value, the unexpected could strip that value away. That’s why homeowners need the right insurance for their California investments. Murvay Insurance of Newport Beach, CA has some tips to help you find the right coverage.

Use Online Tools to Find Insurance

The state of California wants to ensure you have adequate insurance and provides several tools to help you in your policy search. Try the Residential Insurance Company Contact List to find a directory of licensed home insurance companies, or use this to verify a leading favorite. If you need support to get your policy, check the Find an Agent or Broker tool instead. If you already have a quote, check the competitiveness of this rate using the Homeowner Premium Comparison Tool and Homeowner Coverage Comparison Tool to verify you’ve got a fair plan.

Insurance After Non-Renewal

The California Department of Insurance counsels that non-renewals have been an increasing issue for California homeowners. A non-renewal means you need to change insurance companies and policies – or risk a dangerous lapse in coverage. First, try contacting your insurer to identify any issues which may have caused this coverage lapse. Depending on the reason, you may be eligible to protest this cancellation. If you cannot renew your current policy, the California FAIR Plan offers a fallback for otherwise difficult-to-insure homeowners.

Murvay Insurance serving Newport Beach, CA is ready to help you find the right homeowners insurance. Contact us today for a quote!

Home insurance is a necessity for everyone who owns a home. No homeowner should ever be without it for even a day. If you are about to buy a home, you need to get a home policy into place right away. Whether you’re buying a home or want to change insurance agencies for your policy, you can call us at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA to get started. 

Protection for the Home

There are many types of protection that you get with a home insurance policy, and dwelling protection is one of the most important. This covers the dwelling and will pay for the repairs when a covered damaging event happens to the home. Repairs can be costly, and many homeowners would have a hard time paying for them without the help of a home policy. It can even pay for rebuilding if your home is destroyed. 

Protection for Belongings

It isn’t just the investment you’ve made in your home that you need to protect; it’s also the investment you’ve made in your belongings. With home insurance, the items inside your home are also covered by the insurance. A covered damaging event that destroys your belongings could be tough to pay for without a home policy. With a policy, it will pay for you to replace your items. 

Liability Protection

Home insurance also protects your liability in case someone gets injured in your home. This is also important because you could be responsible for high medical bills after an accident. You need this coverage for financial protection and peace of mind.

Cover Your Home

Contact us at Murvay Insurance in Newport Beach, CA when you need a home insurance policy.

Wildfire season seems to be both regular and alarming for modern California. While we can’t always control nature, we can take charge of doing our best to keep our home safe and family protected during this time. Murvay Insurance serves Newport Beach, CA, and wants to provide you with some safety tips for your home this fire season. Check out these ideas inspired by California’s Department of Insurance.

Structural Fire Safety

Make sure your home is safeguarded from fire. You can add many fire-safe features to your structure, such as a fire-resistant roof, ember-resistant vents, and non-combustible exterior wall bases. In addition to providing fire protection, these retrofits can often help reduce your insurance premiums as part of a comprehensive home insurance policy with wildfire coverage.

Landscape Fire Safety

Dried-out plants and wooden debris are essentially kindling to a wildfire. Don’t feed the flames. Instead, learn how to create a fire-resistant zone around your home and outbuildings. Clear combustible materials for at least 30 feet from your physical house. Trim trees, cut back trailing vines, and tear down that old rickety shed. In addition to reducing fire danger, you might also gain the added bonus of increased curb appeal.

Community Fire Safety

Communities are safer with a dedicated fire and emergency plan. Make sure your community understands the clear paths to evacuation in the event a fire approaches. Work with city, county, and forestry officials to minimize fire risk through cleanup events and reduce fire hazards such as backyard pits or fireworks. Utilize a system of volunteers to help lead efforts should an evacuation happen.

Review your fire insurance and make sure your policy is up to date. Contact Murvay Insurance serving Newport Beach, CA today!