Why should I get home insurance on my property?

Your home is a vital asset and the place where you and your family will live. Due to the importance of a home, those that are in the Oviedo, FL area need to make sure that their home is properly covered by insurance. There are several reasons why you should get a home insurance policy on your property. 

Protects Valuable Investment

Your home is likely the most significant and most valuable investment that you will ever own. Because of this, it is extremely important that you make sure you and your home are adequately covered by insurance. With a home insurance policy in place, it will make sure that you have the coverage necessary to replace property if it is damaged.

Gives Liability Coverage

Another benefit of having a home insurance policy is that it will provide you with liability protection. If you happen to have a guest over to your home that is injured while on your property, you will likely be found liable to some extent. When you have a good home insurance policy in place, you will receive the necessary coverage against these types of accidents. 

Ensures Compliance

Finally, whenever you take out a mortgage to purchase a home, you will likely be required to carry home insurance on the property. Further, if you live in a home association community, the bylaws could require that you carry home insurance. When you get a quality home insurance policy on your home, this will help to ensure that you comply with all similar requirements.

If you own a property in the Oviedo, FL area, you should reach out to the Karla Salmon Insurance agency to learn more about your home insurance options. The team at Karla Salmon Insurance will help you to find a policy that provides you with the right level of protection.

How to Protect Your Vehicle

With the help of auto insurance, you will protect your vehicle in the event of an accident. But how do you protect your vehicle in other instances? At Karla Salmon Insurance, we desire to help you protect your Oviedo, FL vehicle at all times of the year, regardless of the situation.

Regular Car Washes

It may sound simple, but a regular car wash helps remove the invisible pollution your car collects. Additionally, the humid air often contains salt because of the ocean, which may start to corrode the underside of your vehicle. 

Watch Where You Park

Whenever possible, try to park under a solid structure. This includes your garage or an overhang when at work. During heavy rain and wind storms, falling objects are a significant problem, so parking under protection will help you prevent damage from weather-related issues. 

Window Sun Blocks

Putting up window shades when you’re parked does more than just reduce the temperature inside of your vehicle. It also protects the interior fabric of your vehicle. Over time the areas of your car exposed to intense sunlight will begin to fade in color. So whether you have cloth or leather, it is vital to protect the interior of your vehicle with window sun blocks and shades. 

Wheel Locks

One of the better ways to protect your wheels is to install a wheel lock. The wheel lock makes it more difficult for someone to remove the wheel from your vehicle. It’s an easy upgrade that instantly offers added protection. 

By taking advantage of these tips and tricks, you’ll extend the life of your vehicle. If you’re on the market for new auto insurance, our team at Karla Salmon Insurance will help you find the right insurance options for your Oviedo, FL vehicle. 

Weathering the Storm with the Right Commercial Insurance

When you live and work in the Oviedo, FL area, you can expect to live through a hurricane every few years. While it might seem like the upheaval that comes with preparing and cleaning up after an extreme weather system only causes havoc for your business, there is a way that Karla Salmon Insurance can minimize the impact on your company with commercial business interruption coverage.

Ask About Business Interruption Coverage

This is part of your standard commercial insurance policy, but you may wish to expand the circumstances listed for when you can file a claim on it. If your store has to close due to a covered peril, this form of coverage kicks in to keep your company afloat.

Pay Your Bills Even when the Store is Closed

Just because you can’t open your doors, that doesn’t mean your vendors don’t expect to get paid. Your business interruption coverage will allow you to stay up to date on all your bills and maintain your reputation within the business community. This coverage can also help if the city needs to conduct emergency repairs right outside your door, preventing you from conducting business.

Resume Business as Usual After the Clean Up

Even if a hurricane significantly damages your community, that doesn’t mean you have to go into the red to recover. Once the evacuation order is lifted, your parking lot is cleaned up, the power restored, and the worst of the damage repaired, all you have to do it start the operation back up again. Give Karla Salmon Insurance a call today and ask how a commercial insurance policy with business interruption coverage can help your Oviedo, FL business survive a catastrophic weather event. We look forward to hearing from you.

Should Antiques and Collectibles Be Insured Separately?

The agents at Karla Salmon Insurance offer a variety of insurance policies to cover your every need. If you live in the Oviedo, FL area and own antiques or collectibles, it’s important that you know how to insure them against theft or damage. While some types of property may be included in a traditional homeowner’s policy, items that are irreplaceable or that hold significant value should be insured accordingly.

Make Sure You Have Adequate Coverage for Your Property

To make sure you have adequate coverage for your personal possessions, you need to have a full inventory of what you own. In some cases, a video inventory that shows an item’s serial number is beneficial in helping your insurance agent set a value to your property. A complete insurance audit will ensure that you are fully protected against financial loss in the event of theft or damage to your personal property.

Insure Antiques and Collectibles Separately

Antiques and collectibles can sometimes hold great value over and above a person’s sentimental connection. A separate policy can be written for specific antiques or collectibles if their value is exceptionally high. To insure an item separately, an appraiser will be needed to set an exact value so you can be compensated if it is ever stolen or damaged.

Residents of Oviedo, FL are encouraged to call the office of Karla Salmon Insurance if they have questions or concerns about an existing homeowner’s policy and whether or not it covers their antiques and other collectibles. Call today to schedule an appointment! This will allow you to protect your family heirlooms and collectibles to the fullest extent possible.

Does Auto Insurance Cover Everything?

In Oviedo, FL you must have minimum coverage for personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability (PDL) with your auto insurance. Since the state is a "no-fault" insurance state, your insurer will pay medical costs up to the policy limit, even if you caused the accident.

PIP insurance will also cover your child and members of the household, your child riding on a school bus, you as a pedestrian or cyclist, and passengers in your car who don’ have a car or their own PIP insurance. Your PIP insurance will also cover you if you are in someone else’s car during an accident. PDL only covers accidents if you cause the damage to someone else’s property.

With just the minimum coverage, only your medical bills will be covered, and insurance will pay for damage to other people’s property. If you only have the minimum coverage, your auto insurance will not cover any damages to your car, whether or not they are the result of an accident. It’s also important to note your policy limits. The minimum limit for PIP is $10,000 and for PDL is $10,000. If damages or expenses go beyond that, you are responsible.

Since auto insurance does not cover everything, you can get additional coverage through your agent at Karla Salmon Insurance. This coverage can include collision and comprehensive insurance, which can protect your car in the event of an accident or if it’s damaged by something else, such as vandalism. You may be required to purchase these protections if you are financing your car. Bodily injury liability will help protect you if you are being sued after an accident. Even with Florida being a no-fault state, it can still happen.

Contact Karla Salmon Insurance, serving Oviedo, FL, to get a quote on auto insurance to suit your coverage needs.

 

In What Cases is Commercial Insurance Required?

Commercial insurance is something that all business owners can benefit from having but is it required by law?

For those in the Oviedo, FL area, the agents with Karla Salmon Insurance can help you determine if you have to have a commercial policy or if you can get by covering your business with another type of insurance.

For starters, it is a good idea to learn what commercial insurance is. Commercial policies are taken out to protect business owners from theft, destruction of property, disasters, employee injury, lawsuits, and more. This type of policy can only be taken out on businesses and cannot be used to cover other things. If you have a business, it is always a good idea to make sure it is covered in some way or other by an insurance policy. In some cases, your company may be covered by your property insurance, your homeowner’s insurance if it is a home-based business and more.

Generally, the only time you would be required to have an insurance policy on a business is if you owe money on the property. If you owe on the building that the business is housed in or if you have taken out a loan to pay for the goods to stock the store, you are likely going to be required by your lender to have some insurance in place to protect the investors. Also, this is to help make back the initial loan amount should something happen to your business. If you own a business outright, you are not required to have insurance, but it is always smarter to have a policy and not need to use it than it is to go without a policy and need one.

For those in the Oviedo, FL area, the agents with Karla Salmon Insurance can help you find the right policy.

3 Facts About Home Insurance You Need To Know

At Karla Salmon Insurance, we offer quotes for home insurance among many other lines of business. Home insurance provides coverage in case of damage to a home’s interior or exterior, loss or damage to property in the home, and liability coverage for accidents on the property. However, every home insurance policy has a liability limit. In case of an unfortunate situation, you will only be compensated that amount.

Facts About Home Insurance

1. A home insurance Policy is not a Mortgage Insurance

Mortgage insurance protects your lender from losing money in case you default because of illness or death. It offers a guarantee that you will pay the mortgage in full. While the purpose of home insurance is to protect homeowners, mortgage insurance protects the lenders.

2. A Home Insurance Policy Is Not a Home Warranty

A home warranty is an additional coverage to help with repairs and replacements. Home warranties cover specifics such as plumbing and electronics’ repair. Home warranties are diverse depending on your budget and situation. Even though both home insurance and home warranties cover you against unforeseen problems, home warranties are used to offer coverage that isn’t offered by home insurance. Home insurance, for example, doesn’t cover normal wear and tear.

3. Home Insurance Doesn’t Always Cover Natural Disasters

Acts of God’ such as floods, earthquakes, lightning, and strong winds aren’t usually covered by standard home insurance. For such insurance, you may need to buy additional coverage. It is crucial to talk to your insurance provider about it and find out which natural disaster if any, they cover.

Karla Salmon Insurance Agency in Oviedo, FL believes in personalizing our clients’ needs and working with them to find the right insurance policy for them. Our team is experienced, knowledgeable, and always willing to help.

Contact us or visit us in Oviedo, FL to get a free quote. Our agents are ready to work with you and help you get started on a home insurance policy.

The Importance of Never Allowing Your Auto Insurance to Lapse

Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself in a situation where it is hard to pay your bills. If you are facing such a case, your auto insurance is one of the bills that you should ensure you pay on time, every month. Here at Karla Salmon Insurance, serving the greater Oviedo, FL area, we know how devastating an auto insurance lapse can be. Here are a few of the reasons why you want to avoid a lapse in your auto insurance. 

Your Vehicle Is Not Insured

One of the biggest reasons why you want to avoid a lapse in auto insurance coverage is because your vehicle is not insured if your auto insurance coverage lapses. If you are in an auto accident, you will have to pay for all of the damage done to your car and the other driver’s car out of your own pocket. 

Your Registration May Be Suspended

In the state of Florida, you are required to carry minimum coverage auto insurance to register your car. If your auto insurance coverage lapses, your registration can be revoked. This can cause you to get pulled over and face a traffic ticket. 

You May Face Higher Auto Insurance Rates in the Future

The last reason you want to ensure your auto insurance policy never lapses is because your auto insurance rates can be higher if you do not have continuous auto insurance. If you have one or more lapses in coverage, you are considered an at-risk driver and many insurers will increase your rates. Maintaining coverage helps to keep your rates lower. 

Auto insurance is something every driver needs. If you are looking for a new auto insurance policy, turn to Karla Salmon Insurance, serving the greater Oviedo, FL area. We can help find you the best policy for your budget and needs. Give us a call today to get started. 

Will Commercial Insurance Cover Cyber Fraud?

While we may be used to hearing about the major hacks in the cases of big businesses, there’s another threat out there for all business owners that may not be as readily apparent. When it comes to small businesses, cyber fraud has never been more prevalent. As the risks grow, commercial insurance policy owners in Oviedo, FL need to become aware of just how devastating it may be to go through a hack, and whether or not they have enough insurance protection to cover it. 

Cyber Fraud and Commercial Insurance 

The short answer is that commercial insurance will cover cyber fraud if an owner experiences a hack. The long answer is that most business owners don’t have enough protection when it comes to covering all their potential losses. There are many ways that business owners may be held liable when it comes to cyber theft. It’s not just about criminals stealing credit card data anymore. If a hacker is able to get into your system and steal the personal details of your customers, they may commit identity theft in the form of anything from medical to financial fraud. You may be sued as the responsible party for all of the damages your customers sustained, which can instantly wipe out profits or savings. 

Call Karla Salmon Insurance 

For more information about how you can better customize your insurance policy, give Karla Salmon Insurance a call today. It’s our mission to help you find the right coverage based on the risks that you face every day. We’ll ask you questions about your current security to get a sense of how you can make your organization safer from hackers. For more information about how we help business owners in Oviedo, FL, give us a call today! 

The 4 Types of Home Insurance All New Homeowners Should Have

It’s important to remember that all homeowners insurance policies are different. However, there are some basic types of home insurance that all homeowners should make sure they have. They are as follows:

Dwelling coverage

This is the main coverage type that you’ll get in most any home insurance policy. As the name suggests, it protects the dwelling or structure of your home. This includes all walls, floors, ceilings, and built-in appliances

Contents coverage

The word “contents” is an insurance term that refers to all items in your home that are not part of the dwelling or structure. For example, the contents of your home include your clothing, your furniture, your kitchen appliances, and all other products and items.

Personal liability coverage

Of course, you’ll want to have personal liability coverage as well. This type of coverage is a bit different. It covers you in the event that you or your property causes bodily harm and injury to someone else or damage to someone else’s property.

Other optional types of home insurance

There are other optional types of home insurance available as well. You’ll want to discuss these types of insurance with your insurance agent to see if they’re applicable to you and your home and family. These other types of insurance include coverage for valuables such as jewelry, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, law insurance or ordinance insurance, and more.

Need Home Insurance? Contact Karla Salmon Insurance Today

If you are a new homeowner, Karla Salmon Insurance can help you find the homeowners insurance plan you’ve been looking for! There are many options available for all different budgets and coverage options. Give us a call today, or stop by one of our local offices to learn more about your home insurance options!