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ISB Insurance Blog

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Insurance

How Major Life Events Impact Your Insurance Needs

Life's biggest milestones, like marriage, buying a home, or having children, often bring new financial responsibilities and changes in your insurance needs. To ensure you and your loved ones have the right coverage in...

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Insurance Considerations for Newlyweds: Merging Policies and Coverage

Starting a new journey together as newlyweds is an exciting time filled with hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. Amidst the whirlwind of changes, it’s crucial not to overlook the practical aspects of merging your...

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Avoiding Common Home Insurance Claims During Renovations

Renovating your home can be an exciting journey, transforming your living space into the dream dwelling you've always wanted. However, amidst the excitement, it's crucial to undertake precautions to avoid common...

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Essential Fire Safety Tips for Your Home

Taking care of fire safety at home is a key part of managing your household. Each year, fires in residential areas cause significant property damage. However, many of these incidents may be prevented with the right...

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The Essential Guide to Creating a Home Inventory: Why and How

In the aftermath of an unexpected event, such as a fire, theft, or natural disaster, having a comprehensive home inventory can be a lifeline. This detailed list of your possessions not only aids in the homeowner...

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How to Choose the Right Contractor for Home Improvement Projects and Avoid Liability Claims

If you’re planning a home improvement project, you probably have many contractors available to choose from. How do you pick the right one that will get the job done safely and without liability issues? Follow these tips....

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Top Home Improvement Projects That Can Increase Your Home Value

When you tackle home improvement projects, it’s wise to prioritize those that add the most to your property’s value, especially if you might put your home on the market in the next few years. Here are the renovations...

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Save Money With These Smart Home Devices That Make Your Home Safer

Homeowners today have never had more ways to save money through technology. Here are five smart home devices that will help you cut down on your bills and improve your home’s safety. Better safety can mean fewer...

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Renting vs. Owning a Home: Protect Your Property No Matter Which You Prefer

If you’re on the fence about renting or owning a home, here’s a helpful look at the upsides of each option. Remember to get the right insurance when you make your choice, so your property is fully protected. The...

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What to Look for When Buying a House to Avoid Unnecessary Insurance Claims

If you’re house hunting, you’re probably looking at many elements like the number of bedrooms or how updated the kitchen is. Don’t forget to check for these things too, which which may help avoid home insurance claims...

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4 Water-Saving Tips for Your Garden

Water has been in short supply in many areas of the United States lately. And even if it’s bountiful where you live, you may be paying more for water than you’d like. Here are some tips for using less water and saving...

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Keep Your Home Safe While on Vacation

Whether you’re just getting away for a long weekend or spending a few weeks out of the house, it’s important to ensure your home is safe while you’re gone. Follow these tips to help prevent break-ins, fires, and water...

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Should I Notify My Insurance Company About a New Puppy?

Having a new puppy join your household can change your life. The snuggles and kisses make getting up in the middle of the night for potty breaks worth it, but in the whirlwind of change, it’s easy to forget some...

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Things to Know When Shopping for Home and Auto Insurance

If you’re looking around for home or auto insurance, you may find the process confusing, especially if you’re new to buying coverage and aren’t familiar with the terminology. Here are five essential things you should...

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Avoiding Water Issues in Your Home

Water damage is one of the worst problems that homeowners can run into. Not only can it be incredibly expensive to repair, depending on the extent of the damage, but it can also create the potential for mold and mildew...

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How to Decide If Solar Panels Are Right for Your Home

Solar panels can provide clean electricity for your home, helping you to save money on energy costs while also doing your part to help the environment. However, not all homes are suited to solar energy. Here's what you...

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Inexpensive Fixes for a Safer Home

Home improvement: It’s a never-ending process for many people, and for those of us who aren’t necessarily handy, it can be a hassle, too. But there are plenty of simple maintenance tasks and other improvements you can...

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Why a basic Homeowners policy isn’t always enough

Sometimes a basic homeowners policy just isn’t enough. So as your career advances and your income increases, it’s important to keep your insurance protection up to date. This helps you avoid expensive gaps in coverage...

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Own a home? Here are two policy options you should know about

If you have a homeowners policy, you probably expect it to cover all the costs of rebuilding your house in case it’s damaged or destroyed by a covered hazard. But are you certain you have enough coverage? Read about two...

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What is water backup coverage and why is it important?

Water damage can be disastrous to your home. Imagine discovering that your entire basement is filled with brown water and sewage from a backed-up water main or other pipe. It’s not only disgusting and potentially...

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Why You Need Service Line Coverage

Let’s spare a moment for something most of us use every day yet probably take for granted: our service lines. We rely on them for access to water, electricity, gas, Internet connection, and more, but only think about...

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Home Security Technology: Keeping you ahead of the burglars

Back in the early days of home security “systems,” around the end of World War I, it was common for homeowners to hire “door shakers”-night watchmen who would literally walk around and check doors to make sure they were...

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Looking at a new piece of jewelry? Make sure to look at your insurance, too

Whether it’s a gift from someone special or a gift to yourself, a new piece of jewelry can bring some sparkle to your life. However, many people who find themselves victimized by burglars—or a fire or some other...

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Is your home as efficient as it could be? An energy audit can tell you

Drafty windows. Leaky faucets. Dirty air filters. All are common issues in homes across the country, and they’re not just annoying-they also cost you money in decreased energy efficiency and higher bills. The U.S....

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Five Common (and Potentially Costly) Homeowner Mistakes

Owning a home is usually a great experience. But it can also be a hassle, especially when unexpected issues pop up-whether you have a minor breakdown or a major catastrophe, it’s almost certainly going to require time...

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Protecting Your Home: Understanding Your Home Insurance Policy

As a homeowner, one of the most important aspects of your home isn’t something you use daily. And it isn’t something flashy you show off to friends. It’s your homeowners insurance policy, and it protects you in more...

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Do I Need to Tell My Insurance Company If My Dog Bites Someone?

You probably don’t think your dog would ever bite someone, let alone cause a serious injury. But dog bites are more common than you might realize-4.5 million occur every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for...

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Insuring Jewelry: How to Know if Your Coverage is Enough

A ring from a loved one. A bracelet handed down through generations. A watch or necklace marking a special occasion. Every reason you treasure a piece of fine jewelry is a reason it should be insured. However, calling...

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Three Ways a Pool May Affect Your Homeowners Insurance

That oh-so-covetable experience of taking a dip in your very own pool? Millions of American households enjoy it, at least when the weather’s nice. With the summer heat ratcheting up, you may be coming down with a...

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Easy to Forget Cleaning Projects

As a busy homeowner, it's easy to fall into the trap of pushing off tasks that maintain the long-term value of your home in favor of more pressing problems. That’s OK, to a point, as certain house-cleaning projects...

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Burglary Prevention: Should You Leave the Lights On?

It seems like a no-brainer to leave the lights on outside your home to deter burglars while you’re away (or even while you’re asleep). But does that really work? Or is it just a waste of electricity — particularly this...

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Which Home Alarms Do You Need?

Technology has made home alarms of all kinds — from security to smoke, radon to radiation — more accessible than ever. Many of them can be configured to work together, and some even alert you to trouble through your...

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Device Insurance: Cover Your Personal Electronics With the Policy You Already Have

It seems everyone these days has a smartphone. Or a smart TV, a tablet, or an ebook reader. Or all of the above – and more. When you add it all up, you may find you have thousands and thousands of dollars tied up in...

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What Should Go in Your Home Safe (or Safe-Deposit Box)?

Spring has arrived, which means it’s time to clean the cobwebs out of the corners, organize the closets and so forth. While you’re at it, don’t forget to revisit the important documents and other items you have in your...

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The Type of Fire Extinguisher Every Home Should Have

A fire is a fire, and a fire extinguisher is a fire extinguisher, right? Well, not quite. There are actually different types of fires and different types of extinguishers that respond best to each one. So, which is...

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Thrifty Security: Burglar-Proof Your Home for the Holidays

It's not unusual, when you set out on that holiday trip, to look back at the house a little nervously. Sure, you remembered to lock the doors, but just how secure are things? What might happen while you're away?One way...

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