We've been talking a lot about topics that have been focused on and around homeowners insurance. This inspired us to dedicate a whole blog to the topic because we wanted to dive in a little deeper into what it is and what you need to know about it! 
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Hello, Charleston insurance holders and buyers! Welcome back to the Abri Insurance blog! We are a full-service, independent insurance agency representing you, the client, not the insurance company. With every policy under one roof, we customize the perfect insurance package for you while striving to deliver the highest level of customer service. In our last few blogs, we've been talking a lot about homeowners insurance, so we wanted to dedicate a whole blog to the topic and dig a little deeper into this very important coverage. Your home is one of the biggest purchases you will ever make, so it only makes sense to protect it. This insurance protects your home from damages to the home itself as well as protecting the possessions inside. With the springtime weather warming up, and the potentially dangerous storms that have already begun to appear in the Lowcountry, now is the time to make sure your homeowner's insurance is up to date and will cover everything you need when disaster strikes. Spend the time now to review your coverage, and if it's not what you need in times of disaster, come and speak with us! It is better to be fully prepared before disaster strikes than having poor coverage when it does! Let's learn a little more about homeowner's insurance so you know the ins and outs of what it truly is, what it covers, and some very common misconceptions to avoid! 

What Is Homeowners Insurance? 
Also called home insurance, this policy provides financial protection when your home or your belongings are damaged. Homeowner's insurance also covers damage or harm that comes to other individuals or their belongings. While it isn't required by law to have homeowners insurance, there are many reasons why you should have it, on top of what we have already mentioned. If you are planning to have a mortgage on your home, lenders will require you to have homeowners insurance up until the entire loan is paid back. Lending companies can demand that homeowners carry insurance to cover the exact amount of the mortgage they owe. 

What Does My Homeowners Insurance Cover? 
When heading into a particularly storm-heavy season in the Lowcountry, anything could happen at any time. That's why it is so important to know and understand what exactly your homeowner's insurance covers. A homeowner's insurance policy is split up into four different categories of what it will cover; your dwelling, your personal property, structures on your property, and the liability for damage or injury done to others or their belongings. When it comes to the coverage on your dwelling, it will cover to pay to repair the damage done by lightning, hail, hurricanes, wind, fire, and other natural disasters. Many standard policies will also cover damage done to detached buildings on your property like a gazebo, shed, and garages. Coverage of your personal belongings includes damage done to your sports equipment, furniture, clothing, and other personal items by fire, hurricanes, other natural disasters, and if they are stolen. It also covers items that are stored away from your home. Your landscaping and precious items like collectibles and jewelry are protected, but only to an extent. Your collectibles and special items are usually protected up to a certain dollar limit, and your landscaping items like trees and plants are covered for up to $500 per item. Liability covers lawsuits from harm or damage caused by you or your family to others, and also covers damage caused by your pets. 

What Doesn't My Homeowners Insurance Cover? 
While your homeowner's insurance covers quite a bit, you mustn't assume that it covers everything. Some items that homeowner's insurance doesn't cover are obvious, while some are still a little tricky. While you can add on extras to create a policy that covers you for exactly what you need, you might need to invest a little bit more into your coverage than what you think you do. A word to the wise, we would recommend going a little above your policy, at least have a policy that will cover you if you need to completely rebuild your home. What else should you know? 

• Water damage done to your home by a busted pipe or leaking appliance will be covered by a standard policy. When rain damages your home during a bad storm, that too is generally covered. However, damage done to your home by flooding is not covered in a standard policy. This is something that you will need extra coverage for. 
• Anything damaged that is caused by the natural movements of the earth (like earthquakes) will not be covered and will require extra coverage. 
• While your homeowner's insurance will cover items that are stolen out of your car, it won't cover damage done to your car. Homeowner's insurance also won't cover damage done to your car while it is sitting in your driveway and it is damaged by a natural disaster, is a victim of fire, vandalism, or another car hitting it. All of this damage will be covered under your auto insurance, not your homeowner's insurance. 
• While a trampoline might be a blast, any insurance companies consider them to be a liability and some policies won't cover them or any injury connected to them. 
• Adding high-risk pool features to your backyard that are similar to a water park might also be considered high risk and could lead to your home being disqualified for coverage.  
• Please be very careful about stashing large sums of cash in and around your home. In many policies, companies will add in stolen cash to the total value of all your collectible and precious items, and you will only receive coverage on a percentage of what you lost. 
• Termite damage is not covered by most homeowner insurance policies. 
• Certain breeds of dogs, especially those known to be very aggressive, are not covered by many policies. 
• If you've been the recipient of bad workmanship that is faulty and lacking, it is difficult to claim anything on that. Please make sure your contractor is licensed for liability so they will have to cover any damage! 
• If you are working from home and have large quantities of your products laying around, not everything can or will be covered if damaged or stolen. 
• Sewer backup damage is not covered in most homeowner's plans, but you may have the option to buy more protection if this is a consistent issue. 

Myths About Homeowners Insurance
While it's great that there is a lot of information out there about homeowners insurance, there is also quite a bit of misinformation out there. We wanted to clear up these misconceptions so you know when you come across some bad information. If you question or thought your policy covered these misconceptions listed below, it's time to evaluate your policy and come speak with us at Abri! 

• If your home is destroyed, your insurance will cover its current market value. 
• Renters are covered by their landlord's policy! 
• Mold, infestations, and termites and covered by your homeowner's insurance policy. 
• Homeowner's insurance is required by law. 
• It is too expensive and will make owning a home impossible. 
• No matter how expensive an item is, my insurance policy will cover it and its cost if it is stolen. 
• I won't need it, I can cover any repairs needed on my home without help. 
• It is a waste of time to take inventory of everything in your home and how much these items are worth. 
• My insurance company won't put me up in a hotel or help with the cost of living if I am displaced from my home if it is damaged. 
• Flood damage is covered! 

You spend so much time in your home creating amazing memories, staying safe, and relaxing. A home is one of the largest and most important purchases you'll ever make, and one that many work for years to own. Keep your home properly covered so you and your family and the life you've built together can be protected and restored even after the worst. We encourage you to review your policy now, it is the perfect time to do so! You have three months until hurricane season begins, and while that might seem like a long way off, it will be here before you know it! If you would like to sit down and talk about your policy or if you would like to add more coverage, we are always here for you! We're Abri Insurance and we are here to make sure you have the best coverage for life in the Lowcountry! 

While traveling might look a little differently this year, it's always smart to be prepared.

Traveling throughout 2020 has been such a strange and unique experience, and hasn't looked like anything we've ever seen before. For most, traveling has become something we've put on the back burner and will come back to once it's safe to do so again. However, even with that in mind, the most important thing to remember is that traveling as we've always known it will be back again. We will be able to enjoy every aspect of traveling again someday soon and will be enjoying our regularly scheduled vacation plans again. For now, it's just on pause. Until then, since we all have a little time on our hands, it's a great time to learn a little bit more about the many ways to keep you and your family safe the next time you're on your dream vacations. While you're dreaming about packing up your favorite overnight bag and the stack of books you want to read by the pool, we encourage you to start adding travel insurance to those thoughts and considerations.

One of our favorite topics is, of course, insurance, and it applies to every aspect of your life. In the spirit of celebrating the joy of travel and counting down the days until your next (safe) big trip, we wanted to chat about the truths and misconceptions of travel insurance. Myths and misconceptions on any topic are a dangerous road to go down. They can, sadly, cause hundreds of well-meaning people and travelers to make some not so smart decisions. Thanks to these myths floating around out there, travel insurance has gotten a pretty bad reputation that it's not needed and that it's a waste of time and money. Please know that these myths and misconceptions are called that for a reason and have been getting in the way of guaranteeing safe and fantastic trips for millions of people every year. Also keep in mind that if you are planning on traveling internationally, travel insurance is a necessity, and we wouldn't ever recommend getting on a plane without it.

Myth: My credit card offers plenty of protection while I'm traveling, and I won't need any more protection than that!
Fact: First and foremost, your travel credit cards only cover a few basic things, and in almost every situation they won't cover much if any healthcare if you get sick or injured while you're out of the country. If you're traveling inside of the United States, it still is very much the same. While your healthcare will be out of network while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home, most likely, it will still be better than traveling globally without any health insurance.  If you choose to rely on your travel credit card as your travel insurance while you're away from home, please call and speak with your credit card company first, just so you know exactly what protection you'll have, if any! Even the best travel credit cards out there offer little more than protection for stolen items, loss of baggage, or a canceled trip. While some medical expenses could be covered, the coverage limit will be very low. The amount you could be spending out of pocket could be huge, and much more than you would be paying for a travel insurance plan. We urge you to speak with us or your insurance provider about some travel insurance on top of the protection your credit card offers. This way your medical needs, if by chance something does happen when you're away, can be taken care of much more affordably.

Myth: Travel insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions.
Fact: This is a moment where we need to pause and have you read the fine print on any travel insurance package. If you have a pre-existing condition, and you were healthy and stable before the start of your trip, travel insurance will help cover you for things you might need if something happens due to your pre-existing condition while you're traveling. If you need more medication or need to see a doctor because of it, travel insurance will help taking care of you with ease. When planning out a trip and you choose to sit down and talk with us at Abri or with your current insurance provider, make sure you pick an appropriate travel insurance plan with your specific needs and with your condition in mind. According to AAA, they encourage people to remember that the term "pre-existing" can be much broader than many people realize. Don't just dismiss the idea that your condition isn't included under the pre-existing bubble. Make sure to do your research! Also, please don't wait to get coverage for your pre-existing condition added to your travel insurance plan. You will need to apply for it between 10 days and a month of booking your trip, according to AAA.

Myth: Travel insurance is too expensive!
Fact: Remember, as we've mentioned before, if you get sick or injured 100 miles or more away from your home or when you're outside of the country, it can cost you much more than what you'll end up paying out of pocket for your travel insurance policy. According to AAA, travel insurance will cost 5-8% of your trips overall cost. So, yes, the more your trip costs the more you will be paying for insurance. However, if you can't pay the out-of-pocket expenses if your trip is canceled, if you have to rebook your flight or hotel last minute, then travel insurance is the way to go. In any of these last-minute situations, your travel insurance will be able to give you the protection you need financially and for your mental well being.

Myth: I have great health insurance already, so that will cover me on my trip! Travel insurance and health insurance are the same things, anyway.
Fact: This is a very big issue that's found across the board, and it is also a very false statement. Your personal health insurance won't provide protection or support with trip interruption, trip cancellation, damaged possessions, stolen items, lost items, emergency evacuation, or if there is a natural disaster where you've chosen to vacation and you're now dealing with the situation as an expatriate. Travel insurance, on the other hand, does. Also, while your health insurance might cover "customary" and "reasonable" expenses when you're abroad, most of your other costs won't be covered, according to AAA. This can happen when you're simply out of network when you're traveling in the US, too. Also, Medicare does not cover chargers that happen outside of the United States. So, if you have to be moved to a different doctor or specialist while you're traveling abroad (also called medical evacuation) it will not be covered under Medicare and nor will your other medical related issues. Also, if you're using insurance through your employer while traveling, you might be the only one it covers during your trip. While your spouse or child might be covered under this insurance while you're at home, this might not be the cause while you're traveling. This could put your loved ones at serious risk while traveling if all you have is your normal health insurance with you during your trip and not travel insurance.

Myth: I'm incredibly healthy and I'm a very safe person. Nothing will happen to me or my belongings while I'm traveling!
Fact: While you might be healthy and safe, there is so much about life and other people that you cannot control when it comes to traveling and what could happen. So much of what could happen during a trip that could put you in danger or cause you to leave and head back home because of an emergency has nothing to do with how healthy you are or how safe you live your life. You don't have control over the weather, over a canceled flight, or if someone chooses to steal your belongings or passport. Don't assume either, that even if you're just traveling over a short period that you're safe from these disasters. One bad day, one bad storm, or the loss of all your luggage in a matter of one flight can happen when you least expect it. There is no amount of specific time between when a disaster can and cannot happen!

We hope we've put your traveling plans in a new perspective after reading this blog! During these unknown times where traveling is already a gamble, travel insurance shouldn't be a question. Be prepared, travel safely, and make sure to put travel insurance at the top of your to-do list when making plans for your next trip. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and chat with us! We are here for all of your insurance needs and questions! We are excited to work with you and love being a part of the Summerville community!