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How Homeowners Can Protect Their Homes This Winter

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How Homeowners Can Protect Their Homes This Winter

Preventing damage to your home this winter.

Because winter weather conditions are the harshest that you will face all year, it’s important to protect your home from the elements.  To prevent damage caused by freezing temperatures, wind, snow, and hail, here are some of the precautions to take around your home.

  • Keep Your Home Heated– Homeowners should keep their home heated to at least 65° F, even when there is no one present in the home. Keeping your home warm will ensure that the plumbing running through your walls doesn’t freeze and burst, causing significant water damage.
  • Let Your Faucets Drip– If you live in an area where the temperatures drop below freezing, then you should leave the faucets inside your home to drip slightly. This keeps the water in your pipes moving, which reduces the chances of it freezing and causing your pipes to burst.
  • Close Your Fireplace Flue– When your fireplace is not in use, you should make sure to close the flue. Leaving your flue open will allow cold air, water, and even vermin to enter your home.
  • Clear Snow and Ice from Your Walkways– If you receive heavy snowfall or if temperatures drop below freezing, then you need to remove the snow and ice that accumulates on your driveway and the walkways leading up to your home. Shoveling the snow and salting your walkways will ensure that visitors do not slip and injure themselves while on your property.
  • Check Your Roof– During the winter months, ice dams can form on your roof and near your gutter downspouts. These dams can cause water to build up on your roof, increasing your chances of serious water damage.  So, make sure you routinely check your roof for ice flows and clear them away, so water is able to drain off your roof.
  • Keep Your Garage Door Closed– Most homes do not have heated garages. This leaves the plumbing running through your garage susceptible to freezing temperatures.  The best way to keep your pipes insulated is by opening your garage door as infrequently as possible.  This will keep warm air trapped inside your garage.

These are some of the precautions that you should take around your home to avoid winter damage.  Want another way to keep your home safe?  Then make sure you have the right homeowners insurance in place.  For assistance with all your home coverage needs, contact the experts at James Page Insurance today.

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jamespage

Traveling Safety Tips for the Holidays

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Traveling Safety Tips for the Holidays

Stay safe as you hit the road this holiday season.

If you are planning on traveling this holiday season, then safety should be at the forefront of your mind.  Whether you plan to drive, fly, or take public transportation, there are things that you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.  Here are some of the traveling safety tips that you should employ.

  • Get Your Car Serviced

If you are driving to your holiday destination, then the last thing that you want to deal with is car trouble.  To ensure that your car can handle the road trip, make sure that you schedule an appointment to have it professionally serviced.  Additionally, make sure that you have updated your car emergency kit so, if you do experience minor car trouble, then you can quickly make the repair and get back on the road.  Make sure that your first aid kit is also well-stocked so you can treat minor injuries or illnesses along the way.

  • Take Breaks

Driving for an extended period of time is stressful and tiring.  When you have to focus on the road for too long, your mind tends to wander, and you can actually fall asleep behind the wheel.  To keep yourself and others around you safe, make sure that you pull over and take frequent breaks during a long trip.  If you have other drivers in the car, then consider switching out with them.  This will ensure that the driver is fresh, alert, and able to focus on the task at hand.

  • Stay Hydrated

Whether you are driving, flying, or taking some other mode of transportation, it’s important that you stay hydrated.  A lot of times, the stress of traveling makes us forget about taking care of ourselves.  However, getting dehydrated can make you grumpy, and can also cause headaches and drowsiness.  To ensure that you are alert and at peak condition, make sure you keep drinking throughout the duration of your trip.

  • Wash Your Hands

If you are flying or taking public transportation, then make sure that you wash your hands with soap and water as often as possible.  Unfortunately, the holidays overlap with cold and flu season, and many people may be sick or carrying disease-causing germs.  Because you cannot really avoid coming into contact with others when taking planes, trains, or buses, the best you can do is ensure that your hands are clean.  Carry around hand sanitizer just in case you are unable to wash your hands.  Be particularly careful to wash up before eating or touching your face.

These are some of the safety suggestions that you should employ while traveling this holiday season.  Want another way to protect yourself and your loved ones?  Then make sure you have the right personal insurance in place.  For assistance with all your coverage needs, contact the experts at James Pages Insurance today.

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jamespage

Best Commercial Insurance for Your Holiday Party

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Best Commercial Insurance for Your Holiday Party

Business insurance to protect you from holiday party risks.

Throwing a holiday party is a great way to get into a festive mood and reward your employees for all their hard work.  However, hosting a company event can expose your business to serious risks.  To ensure that you have the protection that you need, here are some of the commercial coverages that you should secure ahead of your party.

  • Host Liquor Liability Insurance

If you are planning on serving alcohol at your holiday office party, then you need to secure host liquor liability insurance.  This type of coverage will protect you if a party guest drinks too much and causes property damage or injury to while in an intoxicated state.  While the injured party may hold your company responsible for the damage, your host liquor liability insurance would ensure that their property repairs or medical treatment are covered.  Additionally, if the injured party decides to sue, then your host liquor liability insurance will offer coverage for your legal fees.

  • Excess Liability Insurance

Excess liability or umbrella insurance is a good form of coverage to secure in preparation for your holiday party.  Excess liability insurance is a supplemental form of coverage designed to kick in when you have exhausted the coverage limits of your other liability policies.  Having excess liability insurance ensures that your company does not have to pay out of pocket for any damages or injuries that a partygoer might cause during the course of your holiday party.

  • Vendor Insurance

Hiring a vendor or caterer to work your holiday party is like hiring a contractor to work for your company.  As such, you need to make sure that they have their own insurance coverage so your company cannot be held liable for their mistakes or negligence.  Before hiring party vendors, ask them to provide proof of insurance.  In some cases, you may also want the vendor to list you as an additional insured on their liability policies.  Taking these steps will ensure that your company is not held liable for the losses the vendor accidentally causes or the injuries that the vendor’s staff may incur while working your event.

This is the commercial coverage that you need to protect against holiday party risks.  Do you need help securing the right insurance for your company event?  If so, then contact the experts at James Page Insurance.  Our dedicated agents are ready to get you the coverage that you need today.

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jamespage

Business Owners Should Ask These Questions About Their Insurance

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Business Owners Should Ask These Questions About Their Insurance

Understanding your commercial coverage.

Many business owners attempt to make coverage decisions for their company even though they are not familiar with the insurance industry.  This is problematic because making uninformed coverage decisions can leave you exposed to many risks and can end up costing you a lot of unnecessary money.  That being said, you may not know where to begin when it comes to educating yourself.  One of the best ways to start learning is by speaking to an experienced insurance expert and asking them some important questions.  Here are some of the things that you should ask your insurance representative.

  • Do I have enough coverage?

To protect your business, you need to set your coverage limits high enough that your company has a chance of recovering after a catastrophic disaster.  Taking steps like calculating your business’s assets and totaling the cost of equipment, supplies, inventory, and other property can help you determine how much coverage you need to safeguard your business.  If you own your commercial building, then you should also account for the cost of completely rebuilding the property should it be destroyed in an accident.

  • What does my policy not cover?

Before signing off on a commercial insurance policy, you need to know what types of perils are excluded from coverage.  Once you know about your policy exclusions, you need to consider how likely you are to face these risks.  If your business stands a good chance of encountering an excluded peril, then speak to your insurance provider and see if you can secure a policy endorsement or separate insurance policy to get the coverage that you need.

  • How do I file a claim?

Business owners need to know how to file a claim to ensure that they are getting all the coverage they are entitled to.  The best way to access the coverage that you need as soon as possible is by filing a claim as soon as the incident occurs.  Knowing how the claims process works ahead of time will save you valuable time during an emergency.

These are some of the questions that you should ask about your business insurance.  Do you need help with your commercial coverage?  If so, then contact the experts at James Page Insurance.  We are ready to assist you with all your insurance needs today.

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