Are you an Albany area homeowner and wondering how you can reduce the cost of your home insurance premiums? Making upgrades to your home is a good way that you can win the favor of insurers and reduce your rates. The roof is a key area you should focus on when making insurance-reducing upgrades. The roof is your home’s last line of defense during a storm, and the materials that your roof is made of determine how well your roof will stand up to stress over time. Make your home safer and your insurance premiums lower with the following impact resistant roofing materials.

Class 4 Roofing Materials

Roofing materials are categorized into classes that measure their impact resistance. Class 4 materials are the sturdiest and can qualify you for the best discounts on your homeowner’s insurance. Class 4 materials are highly resistant to hail and should protect your roof from cracking during a storm.

In the order of strength, Class 4 roofing materials include asphalt, wood shake, metal, and synthetic shingles. Of these materials, asphalt is the strongest material you can purchase.

Class 3 Roofing Materials

If Class 4 roofing materials are cost prohibitive, you may opt for Class 3 roofing materials. While these materials won’t impress your insurers as much as Class 4 materials, you may still qualify for a substantial discount. The two Class 3 roofing materials you can choose from are concrete or clay.

Qualifying for Your Discount

Before spending all of your money on upgrading your roof, contact your New York insurer to determine what documentation you need to obtain to qualify for a credit on your homeowner’s insurance. An experienced contractor can help you identify and select Class 4 and Class 3 roofing materials for you house.

If you are between policies or searching for your first homeowner’s insurance policy, an independent agent in the Albany area can help you find a carrier with generous credits for roof upgrades. Independent agents like us carry policies from multiple insurance companies and can help you obtain the best plan to reduce the price of your homeowner’s insurance.

Did you ever think about insuring your most prized possessions? Well, if you are a “car person”, you of course have insurance for your automobile. However, if you are into collecting smaller items, you may have a possible financial disaster on your hands. What would you do if your prized collectibles were destroyed in a fire, stolen or otherwise lost? Not only would you lose the items themselves, but you would lose the equity you have in them—possibly harming your overall financial standing.

Luckily, there are forms of collectibles insurance available that can protect you from these types of disasters. If you own extensive collections of nearly any type of item in Albany, Schenectady, or Saratoga Springs, New York, you may want to look into one of these types of insurance policy.

One question that comes up time and again is “What does a collectibles insurance policy cover, anyway?” Well, this is not a simple question, and as such there is not a simple answer. The policy can be adjusted to cover nearly anything. If you have specific needs, the best thing to do is to get in touch with an independent agent.

Working with an independent agent makes sense, especially when you have a more complex type of policy such as one that covers collectibles. An independent agent can look through all the different options and make sure you find one that will keep you well covered and keep you from spending more than you have to. If you work with us, we can provide live comparative rate quotes from multiple insurance companies. This is one benefit that you won’t find just anywhere. Comparing rates in this way is the absolute best way to insure your collectibles are covered and you get a great rate too.

New York residents in Albany or Saratoga Springs will find that it is sometimes necessary to obtain additional coverage to protect personal assets, savings and property from large losses. Excess liability coverage is a great way to provide more protection in certain situations.

What the Insurance Covers

Most homeowners policies and auto policies will provide some general liability coverage. That coverage will meet or exceed the state standards, but it might not be enough to pay for all medical expenses and property damage that occurs in the event of an accident. Excess liability is the type of coverage that provides a greater amount of protection when an accident is caused by the vehicle owner or the homeowner.

The insurance covers basic liability needs, but offers great amount of funds in case an accident occurs. It will help pay for medical expenses, property repairs or the replacement of property if the cause of the accident was the fault of the vehicle or homeowner.

Who Needs Coverage

Not every resident of Schenectady will need additional liability coverage. While it might not be necessary for every individual or family, it is useful when a basic plan has gaps in protection or when the amount of funds provided in the event of an accident are not enough to pay for basic problems. The state minimum requirements are only a basic protection, but it is not always enough to pay for medical costs, repairs or other expenses that are related to accidents, car crashes or falls on a personal property.

Getting excess liability coverage is useful in certain situations. The key is recognizing when it is appropriate to protect personal assets and when it is not the right coverage for the situation. An independent agent can help if you are not sure about the appropriate amount of liability coverage you need.