Category: Home Insurance

As the head of your household, the thought of something happening to your family is inconceivable. However, your family may be vulnerable while they are inside of your home when it comes to weather-related threats. At AFI Insurance, we recommend that you take the following steps to protect your family in each room of your home.

Equip each room with emergency lights. Having the ability to see during an outage can protect you from other dangers. You should outfit each room in your home with battery-operated lighting to keep everyone safe.

Place emergency kits strategically throughout your home. The number of emergency kits you have and the contents of each depends on your family’s needs. With at least two emergency kits in your home for a family, a four will help you ensure they are safe during a weather-related emergency. One kit in your kitchen and another in your bathroom will allow any family member to access easily each kit when it’s needed.

Store extra food and water in the kitchen. It’s not enough to simply have more food than you need in your kitchen at any time. You must deliberately pack a kit full of extra food and water so that you will have enough for a few days. Relying on the food you have in the refrigerator will not work during a power outage, since it could spoil.

In addition to extra food, placing a fire extinguisher in your kitchen will help you in the event of fire.

Purchase communication devices. When you know what is going on, you have a better idea of how to protect your family. You should have a radio and a corded phone in your living room.

Protect your family with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. In your entryway and near each of your bedrooms, you should have a smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. With these devices strategically placed near bedrooms, even sleeping family members will spring awake at the sound of the alarms.

Additionally, homes with multi-levels should have a prepared exit strategy for individuals that may become trapped in their rooms. Exit strategies should include emergency ladders, extra blankets, and emergency lighting.

At AFI Insurance, we do all we can to ensure our families are protected, including offering homeowner’s insurance. If you are paying too much for your existing policy, take a look at the features included in our policy on our website.

 

You made it! It has been your wish to get the family into your first home before the holidays.  What a Christmas this will be! 

Give yourself the best present this year. Rest assured by making certain your home insurance has coverages that include the issues that occur during extreme cold weather emergencies,

Cold Weather  To Do List

Prepare a cold emergency kit. Planning is key in the cold since roads may be closed and you can not access necessary items. Make certain you have appropriate cold weather apparel for the entire family: gloves, hats, scarves, etc. Keep extra ice melt on hand as well if you need to clear an outdoor area to access your car. You also don’t want people to slip and fall in front of your home.

Make certain your furnace or boiler is operating correctly. Checking it now may help you avoid a costly repair during a cold emergency. Inspecting your chimney is also important as it should be cleaned once per year.  

Repair or maintain stairs and outside areas now, before the snow is key to making certain the added weight of the snow doesn’t exacerbate an easy fix. 

Stagnate water in pipes may freeze. If you are going away when there may be a cold freeze, remember to clear your pipes before leaving. 

These brief reminders are just the tip of the iceberg – no pun intended. Please follow the link to learn more about how you can protect your home and loved ones this winter and beyond by acquiring an affordable and comprehensive home owner’s policy. AFI insurance agents are the experts when it comes to your locale and can help you enjoy your new responsibility worry-free.

When you look at your homeowner’s insurance in Colorado, there is a certain form of coverage known as home liability insurance. It is known to protect you as the homeowner in the event that someone injures themselves on your property, or even gets bitten by the dog. Is it really going to protect you? With the right coverage, you can get help in a variety of areas.

Lawyer Costs

Friends, family members, contractors, or anyone can sue you if they are injured in your home. Lawyer costs can be covered with the liability insurance so that you can get the necessary legal help. Even if you are held financially responsible, the financial assistance can be present.

Medical Bills

Medical bills can add up to be a lot – and you won’t have to pay them if you have sufficient home liability insurance.

Lost Wages

The person who is injured may be injured to the level that they are unable to work. Their lost wages become your financial responsibility, though it is possible that the right coverage will take care of these expenses.

Pain & Suffering

Particularly when a case makes it to court, pain and suffering settlements can be established. These may be worth tens of thousands of dollars, depending upon how severe the accident was. Rather than this being your responsibility, the insurance company can take care of the expenses.

Death Benefits

While you never want a fatality to occur on your property, the possibility always exists. Death benefits can be provided by home liability insurance so that it does not become your financial responsibility.

At AFI Insurance, our agents are here to save you money and ensure that you have the necessary coverage in Englewood, Colorado. Call and speak to one of our agents today to begin receiving customized assistance.

 

 

There are some important things that you need to do in your home for the fall. Denver can be quite cold during the fall and winter months. If you are not careful, snow and ice can damage your house. The good news is that there is a prep list that you can follow.

Inside

Many things can be done inside. You have to decide whether you are going to do them on your own or enlist the help of a professional. Sometimes, it can be advantageous to spend the money so that a professional company does everything properly.

• Clean the chimney
• Have the heater inspected
• Install weather stripping around doors and windows
• Reverse fans
• Replace batteries in smoke detectors

Some of these things won’t take long at all. You simply want to make sure that you are doing all that you can in order to protect your home – especially as you begin hanging holiday lights, doing a lot of baking in your home, and more.

Outside

Some of the projects outside may involve some special tools, and giving up a few of your weekends. The benefit is that you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your home is properly prepped for the fall months.

• Clean out the gutters
• Have the roof inspected
• Fill and seal cracks in your driveway

Remember that there is going to be snow and ice during the winter months, and so during the fall, you can prepare your home for everything that Colorado weather is going to deliver. It will take a few weeks to complete everything, but it will be worth it in the end.

Call us at AFI Insurance today to learn about how our independent insurance agents can help you find a homeowner’s policy that is not only effective, but also affordable.

 

Holding a garage sale is an easy way to net some extra money. How much you earn from a weekend garage sale will depend on how good you are at holding garage sales, though. Here are three tips from us at AFI Insurance on maximizing your profits from a garage sale.

Marketing at Garage Sales

Anytime you sell anything, even at a garage sale, your success will depend largely on your marketing efforts. If you want to have a successful weekend selling unwanted items, you’ll need to market both your garage sale and the wares you’re selling. A solid marketing strategy will include:

• pricing things right so that they sell quickly
• creating an eye-catching display by placing some items near the road
• listing your sale online on local classifieds sites

Documenting Your Possessions Afterwards

As an independent insurance agency that serves Denver, CO, we at AFI Insurance would be remiss if we didn’t mention updating your home inventory list. We encourage everyone in Denver to maintain an accurate list of the personal belongings that they keep in their home. After a garage sale is a great time to either update or create such a list, as you just unloaded a lot of items and have less stuff to include on your list.

If you’d like to learn more about why we recommend keeping a home inventory list or want help creating one, contact us. We’ve helped many homeowners in the Denver area, and we’d love to help you as well. You can get in touch with one of our agents by filling out the appropriate form on our website, and someone at our agency will get in touch with you shortly.

 

Summer is a beautiful time of year to go hiking in Colorado. If you bring your dog with you on an adventure into the mountains, there are certain precautions you should take. Not only do you need to make sure that your pooch will be safe on the hike, but you also should make sure you’ll be properly insured while on the trail. At AFI Insurance, we have a few tips for the former, and our independent insurance agents can help with the latter.

Keep Fido Safe on the Trail

Starting out, your pooch may seem invincible. As he goes sprinting along the trail, there may be no end to his enthusiasm in sight. Soon, though, a rigorous hike will wear on your dog, and there are dangers along the way. To ensure that he has a good time, take the following steps:

• bring plenty of water for both you and your dog
• administer a flea and tick medication before leaving
• take breaks whenever your dog begins to pant and become hot

Make Sure You’re Insured

Even a nice dog may cause an injury to someone else on the trail, so you should insure yourself against this risk no matter how nice your dog is. Liability insurance for dog-related claims is available through some homeowners insurance policies.

At AFI Insurance, we have independent insurance agents who are licensed in Colorado. If you live in Denver, CO, they can help you find a homeowners insurance policy that includes coverage for your dog’s breed. With a proper insurance policy, you can charge up the trail after Fido without worrying about what harm he might cause. He probably won’t hurt anyone, but, if he does, we’ll make sure you’re properly insured.

 

Wheat Ridge, Colorado is a growing area with more than 30,000 residents. There are a number of single family homes in the area and many people are homeowners. Winter months bring a lot of snow and this is when the most amount of recreation is available in the 80033 area.

It’s important to know if a personal injury claim can be made on homeowner’s insurance. If someone hurts themselves, it is your responsibility as the homeowner to cover any medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.

Your homeowners insurance policy may cover such issues. This means the personal injury claim will be forwarded to them to deal with and pay. Such would ensure you don’t pay out of pocket for what happens.

There are various ways for someone to hurt themselves at your home in the 80033 ZIP code. Some instances include:

– Slip on an icy sidewalk

– Fall off the roof

– Trip going downstairs

– Get into an accident after drinking at your home

– Tripping on uneven ground

– Slide on a wet floor

Whatever the situation may be, you want to be able to turn to the insurance company. To be able to do this, you need coverage that you can count on in Wheat Ridge.

Our independent agents are standing by to assist with these matters. You can ask questions about coverage options and ensure that you have a policy that you can rely on. This way, if someone does get injured at your home, you aren’t responsible for the expenses.

Call now and let our agents go to work to help you with a policy in Colorado. We can obtain quotes and get you an affordable policy that will protect you now and going forward so there’s nothing to worry about.

Denver, Colorado is considered the “Mile High” city and that is because of its altitude. There are some stunning landscapes with the mountains in the background. Throughout the metropolitan, there are many types of housing and people come from all over the globe to go skiing and enjoy the winter in the state.

When you are a homeowner, you have to know what to look out for. More importantly, you have to know where to turn when something goes wrong. A sinking foundation has been known to happen in Denver and there are reasons for this.

Some foundation problems are bigger than others. When your foundation starts to sink, it can take down your porch and other additions as well. If left untreated, it can continue to sink and cause cracks all the way up the walls and allow water to come in from the floor.

The moment you notice problems with your foundation, you will want to contact your homeowners insurance. This will ensure someone is sent out to review the problem. A solution can then be identified and if you have the coverage, the insurance company will pay a company to make the necessary repairs in Denver.

The main part to focus on is “if you have the coverage”. You need to make sure your homeowner’s insurance covers such a thing in Colorado so that if you encounter problems, it is the insurance company’s responsibility to make the repairs instead of yours.

The cost to repair can be extensive, especially if it has been going on for some time. The sooner you speak up, the sooner repairs can be made.

Call and talk to one of our independent agents today where we can help you find an insurance policy that protects your home in Denver against a sinking foundation and more.

The 80212 area in Denver, Colorado is a premier place to live. It has been voted as such by various publications for years and some of this has to do with the recreational opportunities, the high income levels, and the low obesity levels. There are countless things to see and do and restaurants and shops are abundant throughout the area.

When you own a home, you need to be sure that your homeowners insurance accounts for everything that could happen. While you know about damage and theft, do you know about a personal injury claim?

If someone injures themselves on your property, they can turn around and hold you liable. You’re the homeowner and you failed to keep your property safe. Such instances could include:

– Guests

– Contractors

– Complete strangers

Even a newspaper delivery boy can file a personal injury claim against you if he slipped on the ice of your walkway leading up to your door.

When you want to make a claim, you need to contact your homeowner’s insurance company. They will walk you through the documents you need to submit. You will also have to give a full account as to what happened.

Not all claims will be accepted. Some will be denied and this is based upon what is included in your policy. To avoid having claims denied when someone has injured themselves at your home, you want to get a homeowner’s insurance policy in Denver that protects your home to the highest level.

Our agents can help you with this task in Colorado. We are familiar with the various options within a homeowner’s policy and can go over the ones you want to add. We believe in the importance of obtaining multiple quotes for comparison, so adding a bunch of additional options is not a guarantee that your policy in Denver will be more expensive.

Colorado is a beautiful state that is known for its recreational opportunities. There are the Rocky Mountains as well as some stunning cities that offer backdrops of these. The state has a low obesity rate and a high rate of home ownership.

When you buy a home, you don’t want to encounter a sinking foundation. The porch is usually the first to go and after that, it can start to affect the actual construction of your home, too.

Is it covered?

Your homeowners insurance should cover a sinking foundation, but it’s not always guaranteed in Colorado. It all depends on the fine print of your insurance policy. Since you don’t want to spend more on your insurance than needed, it’s all about finding the right balance between premium coverage and an affordable policy.

We can help!

Our agents are familiar with homeowner’s insurance in Colorado and can help you ensure foundation problems are covered. This way, if you do experience a sinking porch or anything else, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that the insurance company will pay for any repairs that are needed.

Quotes are Important

You need to obtain quotes for homeowner’s insurance and ensure that a sinking porch and foundation are covered. You also want to make sure that other things are covered, such as fire damage, snow storm damage, theft, and more. The quotes will help you to see what the various companies have to offer and what it will cost you. The comparisons help you make a more informed decision.

Since you want the best for your home in Colorado, it only makes sense to work with us. Our agents are some of the best around and we’re independent, which means we don’t hold allegiance towards one particular company. Contact us today for quotes.