Keeping Your Home Cool During the Summer

Summers in Davie, FL can get hot, and the costs associated with cooling off your home can rise exponentially. There are many ways to help keep your home cool during these hot summer months. Some methods work better than others, so you may have to try the different techniques to see which works best for your home. While keeping your home cool, you not only save energy but also help your cooling system last longer. 

In addition to keeping your home cool, call our experts at Zot Insurance Agency to learn how to protect your home. 

Block Out the Sunlight

Keep blinds and curtains closed during the day when sunlight is hitting the home. Black-out curtains provide added sun-blocking measures to help keep the inside of your home cool. Keep things closed until the afternoon, and when shade starts covering the house, you can open up windows to bring in cooler air. 

Bring In Cool Evening Air

Temperatures cool off at night, and this is the time to open up your windows and take advantage of the cool evening air. Then, when the sun goes down, open up the windows and bring in that cool air. Once the home is cooled off, close the windows to keep the cooler air trapped inside. 

Create a Cross Breeze

Depending on your home’s setup, you may be able to use fans in the early mornings or late evening hours to create a cool cross breeze. The fans will help keep the air in the home moving, which can create a cooling effect. If using ceiling fans, set them to spin counterclockwise to push cooler air down. 

Hopefully, this summer, you stay cool and comfortable in your home in Davie, FL. For information about protecting your home and homeowners insurance policies, contact the experts at Zot Insurance Agency. The agents there can help answer all of your insurance-related questions. 

How To Choose the Right Home Insurance Policy?

With so many different types of home insurance, it can be hard to choose the right coverage to protect your home. In order to help you make the right choice, Zot Insurance Agency serving Davie, FL has pulled together a list of several tips to ensure that you have got the right policy for your insurance needs and at the right price:

Assess Your Needs

Before you start shopping around, it is important to understand what your requirements are. You can gather the necessary information online or talk to an agent, who will help you to find out what type of home insurance you actually need. 

Shop around

In order to find the best coverage, you should shop around. Start with looking for the most reputable insurance companies and then make a list of all home insurance policies that are available and that meet your requirements. Then, compare all the policies you found on the basis of insurance needs, deductibles, price, and exclusions. 

Know What Is Exactly Covered

Many homeowners do not even know what exactly is covered by the home insurance policy. Therefore, the first thing you should do is to contact your insurance agent and find out what your coverage provides. Every policy is unique and you may be surprised by what is and what is not actually covered. 

Get a Perfect Policy You Need to Protect Your Home and Yourself

Choosing the right home insurance policy may be a challenging task, especially if you have never done it before and do not know where to start. If you have any questions or doubts, Zot Insurance Agency serving Davie, FL is ready to help you find a policy based on your preferences, insurance needs, and budget. Our insurance agents are qualified and knowledgeable enough to help you make the right choice. All you need to do is to visit our website or give us a call. 

3 Ways to Protect Your Home From a Break-in

Every homeowner looks for ways to protect their homes from break-ins and other types of vandalism. In Davie, FL, local residents can contact the agents of Zot Insurance Agency whenever questions arise concerning break-ins and ways they can keep their homes secure. With today’s technology, keeping your home and family safe has never been easier.

Install a Home Security System

DIY and professionally installed home security systems are a great way to protect your home. Many home security systems also include home automation features that allow for timers to be used to turn lights on and off per your daily routine. These advanced systems also allow you to use apps to connect with your homes’ video cameras and doorbells.

Exterior Lighting

Exterior lighting that is strategically placed in landscaped areas and motion-sensitive lights are great for keeping your home well-lit to avoid burglars from gaining unhindered access to your home. Dusk to dawn lights that turn on after the sun goes down is also available. 

Tell Your Neighbors When You Will Be Away

If you plan on leaving on vacation, ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home. Most are very observant and will be more than happy to keep watch over your home and report any strange activity to the proper authorities.

The agents of Zot Insurance Agency understand how important it is to keep your home safe from break-ins. Residents who live in the Davie, FL area can rely on them for sound advice and helpful hints concerning different ways to keep burglars from gaining access to their homes. Call the agents today and learn effective ways to keep your home safe and secure.

Why do I need to get home insurance for my Florida home?

The Davie, FL area can be a great place for anyone to work and live. If you are going to move to this area of Florida, there are a lot of important decisions to make. One important choice will be whether you should buy or lease your home. If you do decide to purchase a property, you need to make sure you get appropriate insurance in place. There are several reasons why you will need to get home insurance in Florida.

Required by Lender

One reason to get a home insurance policy in Florida is that your lender will likely require it. A mortgage lender today is going to have requirements around your insurance needs. This will often include making sure that you have a year premium paid in full at loan closing. Additionally, you may need to escrow for the payments for the next annual policy on a monthly basis. 

Condo Rules

Many people in Florida choose to live in condo communities. While these offer a variety of amenities, they also come with their own set of rules. One rule will govern your insurance requirements. Most of the time, they will want you to have a full policy to ensure you can cover liability claims and rebuild your property. If you do not have evidence of this insurance at all times, you could face penalization. 

It is clearly very important that people in the Davie, FL area get a proper home insurance policy. When you are looking for your next home insurance policy, you should reach out to the team at Zot Insurance Agency to further discuss your needs. The insurance team at Zot Insurance Agency can help you to get into a policy that provides you with the protection you need for yourself and your property. 

What are the Benefits of Homeowners Insurance?

Homeowners insurance can bring homeowners peace of mind in many ways. Often, it can be the difference between getting something repaired or fixed or having to make do with some damaged or worn out part of your home. Like most insurance, homeowner’s insurance can prevent you from having to pay out of pocket for damage or other unforeseen circumstances regarding your house. The Zot Insurance Agency helps homeowners of Davie, FL understand the benefits of homeowner’s insurance and choose the type of coverage that compliments their unique situation.

What is Homeowners Insurance?

In essence, the homeowner’s insurance is property insurance. It protects your private home or residence. Like auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance is also designed to cover damage to other people’s property while on your property as well as injury to others that may take place on your property. 

In Short…

Think of homeowner’s insurance as packaged coverage. It covers damage, liability, and legal situations that involve your home and its property. It protects both the homeowner and others from unforeseen injury and property damage that may take place at your home or on your property. This coverage even extends to cover damage or injury to others from your household pet. 

How Does it Work?

The best way to explain homeowner’s insurance is by likening it to a group of bundled coverages that all fall under one hat. This insurance can help repair your home, or if your home is damaged, destroyed, or uninhabitable, replace it. Homeowners insurance can even replace your possessions as well. If you have personal items that become damaged or stolen, homeowner’s insurance often covers these types of circumstances. Another benefit is the coverage that can replace or compensate someone for damage to someone else’s property while in your home or on the premises. It can also cover visitors who may sustain an injury in your home or on the premises. 

We want you to understand homeowners insurance and why it’s a wide investment. Give us a call.

How Much Home Insurance Is Enough?

When it comes to shopping for home insurance, some advance planning is required. This means knowing the value of the home as it sits, and deciding which type of policy works best for that particular situation. There are a few different types to choose from. However, it is crucial to understand that some policies may not cover all of the repair or replacement costs if there is a covered incident.

How Much Insurance is Necessary?

The amount of coverage needed can depend on a few different factors. First, determine if the policy should be replacement cost insurance or face value. Although face value may save on premiums, it may leave homeowners paying out of pocket expenses for labor and other items necessary to complete the project. The next thing to consider is the value of the home and an accurate inventory of personal contents items if there is a contents clause or add-on included in the policy. For those who have a substantial amount of belonging, contents insurance is a must to avoid potential losses. Consult with a professional insurance agent before deciding on a policy. They can help guide clients through the process and outline the meaning of the terms and conditions. 

Working With an Agent

The process of working with a skilled home insurance agent is much easier and less stressful than trying to navigate shopping for home insurance without assistance. They have answers to all the important questions and can help negotiate additional coverage while helping avoid pitfalls and gaps in coverage. Those who are looking for quality home insurance near the Davie, FL area can rely on Zot Insurance Agency to provide one on one customer service to help secure top quality insurance. 

Don’t wait to get the coverage necessary to have peace of mind. Call or stop by Zot Insurance Agency serving Davie, FL today, and have home security tomorrow. 

How much home insurance do you need?

Home insurance in Davie, FL is not an option. While you certainly have the choice of going without insurance, you may reconsider the notion after learning about the repercussions of such a decision. Those who go without home insurance in the Sunshine State run the risk of experiencing significant financial loss when natural disasters occur. You may also find yourself in a money bind if a visitor injures himself on your property while you are uninsured. 

It is best, then, to have enough indemnity coverage to ensure that you pay as little as possible from your personal finances when the unexpected happens. How much home insurance do you need, though? An agent from Zot Insurance Agency can help. 

The basics about home insurance

Home insurance is an indemnity policy specifically for your single-family home. You cannot use your home assurance plan to pay for auto incidents on the road. There is, however, often coverage for events that cause damage to your car while it is parked in your home’s driveway or garage. The average standard home insurance policy covers: 

  • Personal Property

  • Personal liability for bodily injuries occurring at the residence

  • Other structures (such as garages and sheds) on your property

A standard home insurance policy does not cover natural disasters such as flooding caused by hurricanes. You need to purchase special coverage for such incidents. 

Is flood insurance required in Davie, FL?

There is no official law that requires Florida homeowners to obtain flood insurance. Your mortgage company, however, may mandate that you have flood insurance, especially if you reside in an area prone to inclement weather. 

You should consider purchasing a home insurance policy with flood insurance regardless of whether such is a state law. You may find yourself on the hook for thousands if a storm passes through the town and destroys your home. 

The agents at Zot Insurance Agency can help you find the home insurance policy that works best for your lifestyle, whether you live in Florida or another state. Call us today to get started with a quote and have your questions answered!

Do You Need To Include Outbuildings On Your Home Insurance Policy?

Navigating the finer points of home insurance can be complicated. One of the most common questions that homeowners may have can include whether or not they need to include an outbuilding on the home insurance policy. To determine the answer, you need to know a few key pieces of information. 

Determining The Need To Insure An Outbuilding

If you are unsure whether to insure a building that isn’t part of your main dwelling, consider the following points. First, you must determine the value of the contents of the building. You may not want to include the building if it is small and is used to house tools and other items with less significant value. However, if you have a very large outbuilding and house items with a higher value, you will want to include that in the policy. Some policies do not allow outbuilding coverage, so you may need to purchase an additional policy. Ask your insurance professional what your options are and what make sense for your individual needs.

Working With An Agent

If you are shopping for a home insurance policy, you want to make sure you work with a skilled and experiences insurance agent so you get the right coverage. A good agent will explain each policy and make sure you have known the exact details as well as terms and condition. You can also enlist thier help with claims and questions that arise during the coverage period. If you live in or around the Davie, FL area and want to find out more about home insurance, you should check out Zot Insurance Agency.

If you have questions about home insurance coverage, or you want to find policies that cover your outbuilding, you should contact Zot Insurance Agency. They serve the residents in and around the Davie, FL area and welcome you to call or come by the office to speak with an agent. 

Why Vacant Home Insurance Is a Good Idea

Many people do not consider getting insurance coverage for a home that is vacant. If it is not occupied, why would it need to be insured? And many insurance companies standard plans will not cover events that may happen in a house that is unoccupied for certain periods of time.  

There are good reasons to have the property insured at all times. Zot Insurance Agency in Davie, FL deals with this type of situation and can help you choose the right insurance.

Providing financial protection from loss, theft or damage of a home that is uninhabited is what unoccupied property insurance deals with. A standard homeowners insurance policy won’t cover things like vandalism, fires, damages or other types of claims on a vacant property that has not been occupied. Leaving your home for even a few months and something like your home being vandalized, vacant home insurance is what would be needed for coverage because standard homeowners policy doesn’t cover this.

Unoccupied or vacant property insurance can be purchased as an add on to existing homeowner policies or it can be purchased separately. If it is purchased as a standalone, it is possible to eliminate the cost of a regular homeowner policy. An add on will potentially increase the cost of an existing standard policy.

The reason that standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover unoccupied and vacant homes is that a greater insurance risk comes with an occupied home. Reasons can include greater chances of theft and vandalism in addition to an emergency response being slower since no life-threatening dangers exist when no one is there and the fire will be reported slower. These increase costs for insurance agencies that aren’t covered under a standard policy.

If you have a vacant home in need of insurance, Zot Insurance Agency in Davie, FL can help you with different options to suit your needs.

Purchasing a Home? What Steps Should You Take?

If you’re interested in purchasing a home, you have more ahead of you than you may realize. It’s important though to follow these rules. At Zot Insurance Agency, serving Davie, FL and the surrounding area, we strive to help make the process of buying a home and maintaining it easier. 

Decide on a Budget

Before you decide on a home, you need to determine what’s in your price range. You want to keep in mind you may need to pay a higher monthly rate if you choose to put down a smaller down payment, especially since you may need to pay a special fee. To help you decide on a budget, you may want to use a mortgage calculator.

Start Looking for Homes

The second step to purchasing a home is browsing the homes that are in your price range.

Getting Your Loan

Then, you want to get qualified by a lender and gain approval. 

Make an Offer

The next step is to make an offer on the home you want. 

Select Your Loan

Then, you want to work with your mortgage lender and obtain your loan.

Get a Home Appraisal 

Your lender is going to ask you to get an appraisal. This particular portion of the home buying process consists of a person who isn’t associated with your lender going to the home and figuring out the value of your home. 

Paperwork

Like any major purchase, you have paperwork to fill out. In fact, when you’re buying a home, you have a great deal of paperwork to complete. 

Closing 

Closing the house is the final step. You finish with the last of the paperwork and loan documents. 

Get Insurance

As soon as you get your home, you want to purchase a home insurance policy.

Get a quote for a home insurance policy from Zot Insurance Agency, serving Davie, FL and the surrounding region, by calling 954-680-8088 today.