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Month: November 2014

Top 5 Causes of Winter House Fires

Posted on by cvargas

Winter is just around the corner here in New England. As we all prepare to celebrate the holiday season, your insurance agents here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency want to make sure that all of our clients celebrate safely.

Winter Fires

With all of the extra holiday cheer comes a few extra risks when it comes to your home – specifically, you could be at an increased risk for a house fire. To lower your chance of dealing with a fire this winter, make sure that you’re careful with the following items:

Christmas trees and decorations.

If you’re going to put up a live christmas tree, make sure that you follow all of the proper safety protocol. If your tree starts to dry out, it is a huge matchstick in the middle of your home waiting to be lit. According to the American Christmas Tree Association, Christmas trees alone result in 13 million dollars worth of property damage annually, so check out the safety information on their website to be safe against house fires.

Old or faulty wiring.

There is a lot to plug in during the winter. If your home is older and has worn out wiring, or if you plug too many things into the same outlet, you may be at risk for a fire. Make sure that older homes have their wiring checked occasionally by a professional, and be wary about how much power you draw from each source. Try to distribute your power between outlets.

Unsupervised candles and flames.

Lit candles and fireplaces are a part of the holiday cheer. It’s certainly ok to enjoy these cozy accents, but make sure that you do so safely. Make sure that candles are on even surfaces, and never put anything near a lit fire. Also extinguish all flames when you leave the room – you should never leave flames unattended.

Heating equipment that isn’t properly used.

The weather outside may be frightful, but inside it’s delightful thanks to your home’s heating system and your trusty space heater. Again, using these items is ok as long as you do so safely. Follow all instructions in your equipment’s manual in order to avoid house fires.

Leaving the kitchen while cooking.

Winter is the season of entertaining, and there is one de-facto event of all winter get-togethers: a big meal! If you’re having guests over and cooking a big meal, you should be extra wary of all of the rules of the kitchen that will help you avoid a fire, the most important of which is to never leave your cooking unattended. These rules also apply to all other meals that you make, even if there are no guests involved.

Unfortunately, even if you enact all possible precautions, you are still at a slight risk for a house fire. To make sure that you and your family are financially protected in the event of a loss, make sure that you have your Boston home insurance policy evaluated by a Vargas and Vargas insurance professional.

Photo credit: zeze57 / Foter / CC BY-ND

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The Best Things to Buy Used

Posted on by cvargas

When you need something, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to purchase something brand new, or if it’s ok to save some money and get something that has been owned by someone else. For some things, like food, mattresses, electronics, medical supplies and swimwear, buying new is the only true option. For other items, buying “used” is the way to go.

Buy Used

Here are a few examples of items that you can (and should) save some money on by buying them used or pre-owned:

Books and Entertainment

If you’re looking for something new to play with, you will often find that things you buy used will get you the same experience for less money. This is especially true when it comes to things like books (if you’re still reading the kind that has pages instead of buttons) and games (just make sure that it still has all the necessary pieces and parts).

Bonus tip: If you have an e-reader, you can get many books for free through the internet. Check out websites like Project Gutenberg and the Barnes and Noble Free Ebook page to see if you can find something you want to read, completely free of charge.

Clothing and Jewelry

There is no need to pay the ‘new’ premium for clothing and jewelry. Look in local thrift stores and at yard sales for clothing and accessories that you like – just make sure to check for wear and imperfections before buying. Also ensure that you wash items thoroughly before wearing them. There are a few exceptions to this advice, though: underwear, swimwear, and shoes should all be bought new, for hygiene’s sake.

Pets

Ok, we’ll admit that “Used” is a little bit of a harsh word when it comes to pets, but the premise is solid. Getting a ‘new’ pet from a breeder can be very expensive, and there are probably plenty of dogs and cats at a shelter near you that need a new family. Giving these loveable pets a home is a great thing to do, and it is also significantly cheaper than getting a premium, purebred puppy from a breeder.

Furniture

Want to replace or add a piece of furniture to your home? Don’t pay an arm and a leg at a furniture store – check out thrift stores and yard sales until you find an item that you can buy used that will fit in with your decor.

Houses

Don’t stop at furniture – buy your homes used too! While we understand that some people like the freedom of designing and constructing a new home, buying a pre-existing house can save you approximately 20% of the bottom line – that’s a huge chunk of change when you’re talking about something as expensive as a home!

It’s also important that you remember to give Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency a call if you purchase a home or a car. We will work on getting you a home insurance policy that will protect your new (or “new to you”) items with premium coverage, and at a low price. Just call 617-298-0655 now for your free and no obligation quote.

Photo credit: reynermedia / Foter / CC BY

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Rental Property Insurance: Being a Landlord

Posted on by cvargas

As experts in rental property insurance, we deal with a lot of landlords here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency. This has lead us to one universal conclusion: not everyone is cut out to be a landlord. Owning a property that you rent out can be a great way to acquire income, but there are some aspects of the title that not every person is suited for.

Rental Property Insurance: Being a Landlord

If you’re thinking of purchasing a property in order to become a landlord, we encourage you to ensure that you’ve done your research before spending your money. Here are some of our tidbits of advice on how to be a successful landlord.

Prepare for the worst.

Being a landlord is not a purely financial transaction. If it were, anyone could do it! Instead, you will need to also invest lots of time and energy into your rental property. Don’t get into the business if you’re not prepared to deal with tenants that constantly have maintenance requests, or don’t pay their rent on time, or generally drive you up a wall with their issues. If you’re up for that, then you may just have what it takes to be a landlord.

Get your finances in order.

If you are ready to buy a property for renting, you need to check and double check your finances. Before you even think about choosing tenants you need to have the following things in order:

  • Accounting and recordkeeping processes
  • Tax information, including interest, mortgage, and expenses
  • Rental property insurance policy (With the help of Vargas and Vargas, of course!)

It is a good idea to recruit the help of a financial professional to ensure that you have all of your financial bases covered, and that you’re not missing anything important.

Formulate your paperwork and policies.

Make sure that you check all of your paperwork over with a lawyer to determine if you are following the proper local, state, and national guidelines. A lawyer can also help you set up an LLC so that you aren’t personally responsible for problems with the property.

You will also need a set of ground rules before you start interviewing potential tenants. Will you charge a late fee for rent? What is your ruling on pets? What hours will you accept phone calls? How often will you be dropping by to check on the property? You can always amend these rules later, but knowing what you will allow and what won’t be tolerated will save you headaches later down the road.

Check on your property.

Later down the road, when you have your property set up and occupied, you need to make sure that you check on it every now and again. This is the only way to know for sure that the tenants aren’t destroying your place or ignoring important maintenance issues. Some landlords prefer to drop by unannounced so that they can see how their tenants live without being able to clean and prepare for a landlord’s visit.

If you’re sold on the idea of becoming a landlord, you need to call 617-298-0655 to speak with a Vargas and Vargas Insurance representative about your rental property insurance policy. We can get you a policy that will protect your new investment without causing you to budget for exorbitant insurance expenditures.

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