Boo! Halloween Safety and Insurance Coverage

Thankfully, this year Halloween falls on a Friday, which is better for most kids and parents because it is not on a school-night.  Halloween is fun, but sometimes things happen, and it is good to know you are doing everything you can to protect you and the goblins who may be visiting your home.

Take these steps to make your home safe for trick-or-treaters, so you can avoid Halloween disasters!

• Remove any objects around the outside of your house that could cause someone to trip or fall.
• Turn on your outside light, so children will know they can visit your home.
• Keep candles, jack-o-lanterns, matches and lighters in a place that children cannot reach.
• Keep pets inside and away from trick-or-treaters and lit candles, especially if they are easily frightened or become over-excited in the presence of strangers.
• If using decorative lights indoors or outdoors, use lights certified by a recognized organization such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories). Check lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires or loose connections. Discard damaged sets. Do not overload extension cords. 

The good news - your insurance provides coverage for many Halloween-related disasters:

• A trick-or-treater is injured on your property
  If a trick-or-treater or Halloween party guest is accidently injured in your house or apartment, you will be covered under the liability portion of your homeowners or renters insurance policy, if the injured guest should sue you.  Under most policies, there is also medical payments coverage available that the injured party could file their medical claim with your insurance company and avoid a lawsuit. Not everyone is familiar with this coverage, but it provides very important financial protection. Talk to your Trusted Choice Agent and verify you have this valuable coverage on your policy.
• You crash your car into a tree to avoid hitting a trick-or-treaterWe all plan to drive slowly and carefully, but a group of excited trick-or-treaters could dart in front of your car causing you to swerve and hit a tree, but you should be covered under a good insurance policy. Talk to your Trusted Choice Agent and verify you have this valuable coverage on your policy.  Accidents that do not involve another driver or pedestrian are covered under the optional collision portion of an auto insurance policy. If another car or person is involved in the accident, the liability portion of your auto policy would kick in.
• Your home or car is the target of mischief Standard homeowners and renters insurance policies provide coverage for vandalism. A deductible must be paid first, and if you suffer expensive damage to your home or possessions your insurance policy will help you be financially protected. If your car is damaged by trick-or-treaters, you have coverage under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance policy, if you carry it on your policy.  Talk to your Trusted Choice Agent and verify you have this valuable coverage on your policy.
• There is a fire in your home If a Halloween candle or electrically powered decoration causes a fire, the damage will be covered under a standard homeowners and renters insurance policies. Talk to your Trusted Choice Agent and verify you have this valuable coverage on your policy.  If the fire is significant enough to make your home unlivable, you would also want to be covered for additional living expenses, such as having to check into a hotel while your home is being repaired.

Your Trusted Choice Insurance Agent, SouthGroup Insurance Gulf Coast wants you to know you can call on us with your questions or concerns seeking more helpful advice or answers to your pressing insurance questions. A full insurance review is always your best bet to make sure you have all of the adequate coverage for your personal insurance needs. Remember, we offer a personalized insurance review to anyone who is interested at no charge – just visit any one of our 3 convenient coastal locations!

We are your LOCAL Trusted Choice Advisors, SouthGroup-Gulf Coast http://www.southgroupgulfcoast.com ,  SALES AND SERVICE AGENTS: Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, Tammy Garfield, Tammy Hogue, Brittany Jones, Denise Russell, Melissa Moran, Alex Treutel, Anne Gillam, Ashlie Moody, Mark Strickland, and Whitney Zimmerman at SouthGroup Gulf Coast. You can reach us by snail-mail or in person: 412 Hwy 90, Suite 6, Bay St Louis MS 39520, email: info@southgropugulfcoast.com , phone: 228-466-4498 fax:888-415-8922,  FaceBook www.facebook.com/southgroup.gulfcoast, or Twitter www.twitter.com/atreutel !

We have 3 Gulf Coast locations to serve you - 2505 Pass Road - Biloxi, 5400 Indian Hill-Diamondhead, and 412 Hwy 90 Suite 6-Bay Saint Louis, MS. We write coverage in 40 different states and can assist you with Mississippi insurance, Louisiana insurance, and Alabama insurance and many other states.

Insurance is stressful, but we make saving easy.  We help you save money on insurance!

#southgroup   @stateauto  @libertymutual @TRV_insurance @safecoinsurance @progressive #savemoney @atreutel

Whether you are insuring your home or your business, it is vital that your property insurance is sufficient to rebuild or replace your building if it is completely destroyed. Deciding how much to insure a commercial property for can be a complicated but necessary process for business owners.

Having the right amount of business property insurance will ensure that your business can continue to operate should the worst happen.

There are two types of commercial property insurance: actual cash value coverage, and replacement cost coverage.

Actual cash value coverage provides reimbursement for the depreciated value of your damaged business property, and will help you protect the investment you have made in your building. But in many cases, actual cash value coverage will not provide sufficient coverage to repair or rebuild the lost or damaged property with similar materials at today’s prices. However, it might provide suitable reimbursement that allows you to purchase a similar building at another location.

Replacement cost coverage provides reimbursement for the cost to repair or rebuild your business property with similar materials at today’s building costs. You will be able to use new materials and the value of the lost property will not include a deduction for depreciation.

As a business owner, you must decide what actions you would need to take if your business property were destroyed. Could you relocate your business? Or, is your current building and location the only one that is suitable? In order to determine the replacement cost for your building and the amount of insurance you should therefore carry, you need to determine what it would take to rebuild the building with the same materials at today’s construction costs. The market value of the building and the value of the land it sits on are not part of this calculation; the figure you come up with could be similar, more or less than what you could actually sell the property for.

Remember that your business property’s replacement cost is not static. Building costs fluctuate all the time and often skyrocket after a large-scale disaster. You need to review your replacement cost figure every year to make sure that you have sufficient coverage. You must also take into account the cost of debris removal before reconstruction can begin, inflation, and new building codes that can have a significant impact on the cost of construction.

We have helped businesses of all types and sizes determine their business property replacement cost. We will work closely with you to assess the risks you face, whether or not you would need to move or rebuild after a disaster, and any other types of business insurance you might need to protect your investment and your livelihood.

Have you reviewed your business insurance coverage lately? Now is the time! Contact South Group Insurance Services today to conduct a complete business insurance review.


Your Trusted Choice Insurance Agent, SouthGroup Insurance Gulf Coast wants you to know you can call on us with your questions or concerns seeking more helpful advice or answers to your pressing insurance questions. A full insurance review is always your best bet to make sure you have all of the adequate coverage for your personal insurance needs. Remember, we offer a personalized insurance review to anyone who is interested at no charge – just visit any one of our 3 convenient coastal locations!

We are your LOCAL Trusted Choice Advisors, SouthGroup-Gulf Coast http://www.southgroupgulfcoast.com ,  SALES AND SERVICE AGENTS: Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, Tammy Garfield, Tammy Hogue, Brittany Jones, Denise Russell, Melissa Moran, Alex Treutel, Anne Gillam, Ashlie Moody, Mark Strickland, and Whitney Zimmerman at SouthGroup Gulf Coast. You can reach us by snail-mail or in person: 412 Hwy 90, Suite 6, Bay St Louis MS 39520, email: info@southgropugulfcoast.com , phone: 228-466-4498 fax:888-415-8922,  FaceBook www.facebook.com/southgroup.gulfcoast, or Twitter www.twitter.com/atreutel !

We have 3 Gulf Coast locations to serve you - 2505 Pass Road - Biloxi, 5400 Indian Hill-Diamondhead, and 412 Hwy 90 Suite 6-Bay Saint Louis, MS. We write coverage in 40 different states and can assist you with Mississippi insurance, Louisiana insurance, and Alabama insurance and many other states.

Insurance is stressful, but we make saving easy.  We help you save money on insurance!

#southgroup   @stateauto  @libertymutual @TRV_insurance @safecoinsurance @progressive #savemoney @atreutel

Home Sweet Home Insurance -- What You Should Know!

Whether you are a first time homebuyer, or you are filing a claim for the first time, most consumers have questions about their homeowners insurance.

1. Is home insurance required?

Unlike car insurance, homeowners insurance is not legally mandated. However, if you are still paying the mortgage, your lender will most likely require you to have insurance. Homes are often our biggest investments and carrying an insurance policy to protect that asset is vital.

2. How is my premium determined?

Insurance companies use several factors when calculating a home insurance premium, including: your home’s age, construction and structural materials; your home’s location and the crime rate and other elements of the area; the home’s alarm features including burglar, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; personal choices such as whether you smoke and your credit history; and also if you have a history of home insurance claims.
 

3. How does my deductible work?

Home insurance deductibles operate differently from medical insurance deductibles. You are required to pay the entire deductible every time you file a claim. For example, if your deductible is $2,000 and you file a claim for hail damage to your roof in the spring and for fire damage the following fall, you will pay that $2,000 deductible each time you file a claim. That’s why it is so important to choose a deductible you can comfortably afford to pay.

4. What is usually excluded from home insurance coverage?

While your policy should cover damage from fire, severe weather, break-ins and a myriad of other causes, most home insurance policies do exclude certain things. Those exclusions often include coverage for animals, vehicles, watercrafts and certain valuables such as firearms, artwork and dinnerware above a specific dollar amount. Your policy also will not cover most water damage caused by flooding. You need a flood insurance policy to cover those events. It’s important to carefully review any home insurance policy to discover what is not covered.

5. What makes a good home insurance policy?

The answer to this question depends on several factors. Knowledgeable, independent agents at SouthGroup Insurance can help determine a good fit for you and your home, suggest coverage options and even assist you in filing a claim. Our experienced agents can also help locate you a number of policy quotes with a variety of coverage options with which to compare so you can choose a policy with the best choices for you at the most affordable rates. Contact a SouthGroup member agent near you who can assist you in finding the perfect home insurance policy.


Your Trusted Choice Insurance Agent, SouthGroup Insurance Gulf Coast wants you to know you can call on us with your questions or concerns seeking more helpful advice or answers to your pressing insurance questions. A full insurance review is always your best bet to make sure you have all of the adequate coverage for your personal insurance needs. Remember, we offer a personalized insurance review to anyone who is interested at no charge – just visit any one of our 3 convenient coastal locations!

We are your LOCAL Trusted Choice Advisors, SouthGroup-Gulf Coast http://www.southgroupgulfcoast.com ,  SALES AND SERVICE AGENTS: Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, Tammy Garfield, Tammy Hogue, Brittany Jones, Denise Russell, Melissa Moran, Alex Treutel, Anne Gillam, Ashlie Moody, Mark Strickland, and Whitney Zimmerman at SouthGroup Gulf Coast. You can reach us by snail-mail or in person: 412 Hwy 90, Suite 6, Bay St Louis MS 39520, email: info@southgropugulfcoast.com , phone: 228-466-4498 fax:888-415-8922,  FaceBook www.facebook.com/southgroup.gulfcoast, or Twitter www.twitter.com/atreutel !

We have 3 Gulf Coast locations to serve you - 2505 Pass Road - Biloxi, 5400 Indian Hill-Diamondhead, and 412 Hwy 90 Suite 6-Bay Saint Louis, MS. We write coverage in 40 different states and can assist you with Mississippi insurance, Louisiana insurance, and Alabama insurance and many other states.

Insurance is stressful, but we make saving easy.  We help you save money on insurance!

#southgroup   @stateauto  @libertymutual @TRV_insurance @safecoinsurance @progressive #savemoney @atreutel