Tuesday, March 31, 2009

First Home Insurance - What First Time Homeowners Need to Know

For the first time homeowner one of the most important things they need is that first home insurance policy. This is without a doubt the most expensive purchase for most people and protecting that asset from natural disasters and other unforeseen hazards is an important piece of mind.

For those who think that homeowners insurance is not needed the coverage you get can be had at a very reasonable rate. In fact if you are obtaining a mortgage you will be required to have some form of home insurance if you wish to close as it is a requirement of all lenders.

Most home insurance policies are the same and offer standard coverage for the following things.

1. Covers losses caused by damage to the structure of your home - Any damage to the structure of your home caused by lightning, fire, hailstorm, snow storm, break ins, vandalism, as well as plumbing leaks or faulty electrical problems is covered. One thing new homeowners need to know is that flood, earthquake, and in some cases wind damage are not covered by standard homeowners insurance. This type of coverage has to be purchased separately.

2. Covers the loss or damage to the contents of the home - Home insurance will help cover the cost of paying for any items within the home that are damaged. Furniture, appliances, electronics, clothes, and the like are normally covered up to 50% to 75% of the homes structural coverage.

3. Covers temporary living expenses - If your home is Regwdciop damaged or destroyed homeowners insurance would cover the cost of your temporary housing.

4. Covers personal liability - If anyone has an accident or gets hurt on your property you insurance will pay for their medical bills. If they decide to sue you for damages your legal and any judgment/settlement will be covered.

Throughout the insurance industry there are eight home insurance policy types. These include HO-1, HO-2, HO-3, HO-4, HO-5, HO-6, and HO-8. HO-3 is the one most opted for. It offer comprehensive coverage and is closely followed by HO-4. HO-5, HO-6, are for condominium owners and HO-8 is for older homes. HO-1, HO-2 offers limited coverage.

Getting quotes and purchasing your first home insurance policy is not difficult if you understand how homeowners insurance works. For the first time home buyer doing a little research beforehand can help streamline the whole process.

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Measuring Windows For Treatments

Measuring windows for treatments is a Teerlsnyxpke important first step in order to have window curtains and blinds that fit well and look great. You do need the right tools to measure the window properly. For example, you shouldn't just extend your arms to say the window is this wide or this long. Nor should you use a length of string. The correct tool to use is a steel measuring tape with both metric and imperial measurements. Cloth tapes tend to sag in the middle so that you really don't get an accurate measurement. Also, when using a steel measuring tape, measure to the nearest 1/8 inch.

Never generalize about the size of windows. For example, if you have two windows in a room that look to be about the same size, always measure and be sure. One may be slightly larger than the other and you won't notice it until you put up the window treatments and it shows right up.

You also have to decide what kinds of window treatments you want to have. For example, do you want to hang curtains from a rod. If so, do you want the rod to extend past the window facings or be right at the edge of the window. If you decide to have blinds, you need to know whether you want them mounted inside or outside the facing. Blinds mounted inside the casing need to have a certain depth in order to sit flush with the window. When measuring for blinds, you do have to measure in three places - not just the length and width. Measure from inside the casing to the outside, the height of the window from top to bottom and the width of the window. For outside mount blinds, you have to measure from the outside of the window casing.

Then there are arched windows. These are really difficult to measure. The easiest way is to measure the width of the window base and half that number for the height. Since you may have difficulty getting the blinds in the actual measurement. You should attach a drawing of the window with your measurements so that the manufacturer will have an idea of what you are looking for.

For more information on href="windowtreatmentsinfo.com/">choosing window treatments, href="windowtreatmentsinfo.com/window-decorating-tips.html">window decorating tips and related topics, visit WindowTreatmentsInfo.com