Safety Must Haves For Your Home

Here are some great Safety Must-Haves For Your Home...

While shopping for furniture and accessories to fill your new home, Jason Shroot wants to make sure that you add basic safety supplies to your list. As important as stocking the cupboards with pots and pans, equipping your home with safety products like the ones below can help keep you, your property and your possessions safe.

Smoke detectors
Purchase dual sensor alarms and install one on every level of your home, inside every bedroom and outside sleeping areas. Test alarms every month to be sure they're operating properly.

Fire extinguishers
Purchase an "ABC" dry chemical extinguisher for your kitchen and every level of your home and learn how to use it "This will cover the most common types of fires in a home," says Tess Benham, program manager at the National Safety Council. These include wood and paper fires, grease and oil fires and electrical fires.

Carbon monoxide detectors
Install these battery-operated devices outside sleeping areas—especially if your home uses fuel-burning appliances—to help protect you from deadly carbon monoxide gas.

First aid kitBe prepared in the event of an injury with a well-stocked first aid kit. Purchase a kit or put one together on your own. The American Red Cross offers a full list of first aid supplies that are important to have in your home.

Emergency kit
Have the proper items ready in case of severe weather or a natural disaster. "This kit should include food and supplies to keep your family comfortable for 72 hours," Benham says. The Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests this list of emergency supplies to keep on hand.

A Basic Emergency Supply Kit could include the following recommended items:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps

Protective supplies
If you're planning to make home improvements, Benham also recommends purchasing proper personal protective equipment, including gloves, safety goggles, hearing protection and dust masks.
When you're shopping for safety products, always look for an independent testing laboratory's mark of approval to be sure the product meets established safety standards.

Contact Jason Shroot at 714-988-3325 jason@diversifiedinsurancequotes

www.jasonsellsinsurance.com

4 Remodeling Projects That May Pay Off

If you’re planning to remodel a home office and hoping to recoup your investment when you sell your home, you could be disappointed. Jason Shroot recently read that according to the Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report 2011-2012 from Remodeling magazine you'll recover slightly less than 43 percent of your money for this project. But upgrade your exterior with fiber-cement siding and you might see a return of 78 percent in terms of increased home value.

For many homeowners, how an improvement affects a home's resale value is a critical factor in deciding whether the project goes forward. Here are four investments that paid off from this year's report:

Replacement Projects: On average, replacing things like flooring, countertops, fixtures and cabinets returns 64 percent of the project costs upon sale, compared to large scale remodeling jobs, which return 57 percent. Replacements typically cost less and are appealing to buyers because they are important indicators of home maintenance.

New Siding, Windows & Doors: These projects enhance curb appeal and have some of the biggest payoffs when you sell.

Remodeled Attic Space: Creating a bedroom in a previously unused area pays a 72.5 percent return on the investment, largely because the project adds living space without expanding a home's footprint.

Kitchen Facelifts: These minor remodeling projects often include new cabinet doors, hardware, countertops and appliances—and typically return more than 72 percent of the investment.

One add-on that doesn't pay off well is a sunroom addition. While a pleasant sunroom may be your family's favorite relaxation spot, this project typically returns less than 46 percent of your investment.

In addition to payback rates, the report cites other considerations for homeowners who are planning a home improvement. For example, recognize that adding a room may provide you with more space but may result in increased household heating and cooling bills. Enlarging a bathroom at the expense of a bedroom may make perfect sense for your family, but be seen as a lost room by a buyer. Elaborate remodeling projects that are out of sync with the value of the surrounding homes may also be a negative in the eyes of potential buyers.


Before Starting Your Next Renovation Project Please Contact Jason Shroot, Your Local Insurance Agent at 714-988-3325 or jason@diversifiedinsurancequotes.com

Is Your Pet Walker or Groomer Insured? Tell Them To Get Covered Here..!

Standard markets can provide coverage for pet service operations.

The coverage can be written on businessowners policies or commercial package policies. It can also be written by attaching a business endorsement to a homeowners policy.

This approach can satisfy many of the coverage concerns. However, there are unique exposures that standard policies may not cover.

"Most dog walkers and pet sitters are emerging businesses operated by individuals, and many of these people are not aware of the need to secure insurance," states Jason Shroot with JasonSellsInsurace.com.  These individuals typically love animals. They may care for the animal at the animal's home or at the sitter's home. More and more, these micro-businesses are becoming aware of the need for insurance.


Someone who goes into a customer's home to provide pet care services faces many of the same exposures as individuals and businesses that do housecleaning and provide other in-home services. A frequent cause of claims is when the pet sitter or dog walker loses keys. If a key can't be found, the lock may have to be replaced. The pet sitter may cause property damage or be accused of stealing items that belong to the pet's owner.

Additional exposures arise because the animal is a living creature. Jason Shrot says, "Because of weather, illness, car trouble, or other factors, the pet sitter or dog walker may not get to the customer's house in a timely manner, and the pet may be deprived of food and water or medicine. In other cases, it may injure itself, become ill, or cause damage to property."Individuals who perform dog walking services also have liability exposures because they are responsible for controlling the animal. If a dog being walked bites or injures a third party in some other way, the dog walker could be found negligent and responsible for the damages.
Professional liability coverage is also needed but may be easily overlooked.

Groomers do not have to be licensed, but there are a variety of training programs through which they can be certified. The best groomers (and the most desirable from an insurance standpoint) are highly trained and certified. A groomer’s training and experience is a major consideration in the underwriting process. We offer professional liability coverage for groomers and recommend that they buy it.” The major exposure for any pet care facility or pet care provider is injury to (or death of) an animal while in the facility’s care, custody, or control.” Groomers, trainers, and other pet service providers must have professional liability coverage, as well as veterinary expense coverage.

Lost pet reward and recovery coverage is another important option to consider.
Mobile groomers drive specially equipped vans to their customer’s location and wash and/or groom the pet in the van. Mobile groomers face essentially the same exposures as groomers who work in stores or kennels, but they also have auto-related exposures. Mobile groomers have customized vans with permanent fixtures that need to be covered in case of accident or theft. These businesses also need to ensure that they have downtime coverage and business income coverage in the event the equipment is vandalized or breaks down. And, they need protection in the case of loss or injury to the pet.”

For Your Pet-Related Business To Be Properly Insured Please Contact Jason Shroot at www.jasonsellsinsurance.com or 714.988.3325.