Home Insurance

Winter Storm Checklist

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As the temperatures continue to drop, the chances of a strong winter storm increase.  Are you and your family prepared?  At Front Range Insurance Services of Littleton, CO, we want our clients to and their homes to stay warm and well-protected all season long.  Use this checklist to ensure that you and your home are ready for the next blast of cold weather.

Protecting Yourself During a Storm

While it may not be possible to avoid a winter storm, you can prepare yourself for it in advance with an emergency kit including:

  • One gallon of water and non-perishable food per person for at least three days.
  • Flashlight, radio, and cell-phone charger.
  • Medical supplies and prescription medications.
  • Sanitation items including hand sanitizer, paper towels, and plastic bags.
  • Warm clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags to use should you lose power.

Protecting Your Home During a Storm

You can also prepare your home in advance of a winter storm:

  • Check smoke alarm batteries and ensure that everyone in the family knows how to use the fire extinguisher.
  • Insulate water pipes and allow faucets to drip to avoid freezing pipes.
  • Have a contractor check your roof’s structural ability to withstand the accumulation of heavy ice and snow.
  • Winterize your home by replacing weather stripping under doors, insulating walls and attics, and caulking windows.
  • Have the heating system and chimney professionally cleaned and inspected.
  • Clear the roof and gutters of debris, leaves, and branches.

By keeping an emergency supply kit handy and performing regular winter maintenance on your home, you will have peace of mind knowing your home is ready for the next winter storm.  In the event that your home is damaged during a winter storm, the professional agents at Front Range Insurance Services of Littleton, CO are here to help.

What Does Your Home Need in the Fall?

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Here at Front Range Insurance Services in Littleton, CO, we know the importance of getting your home ready for the winter.  As such, we have devised a short checklist of things that you need to do to keep your home protected in the colder months.

You might not think about this, but caring for your shrubs and trees is an important aspect of winterizing your home.  They need to be properly pruned to avoid any limbs or entire trees from falling during winter storms.

Rake the leaves and get them off the ground.  While they might appear to be beautiful, they can inhibit growth in the spring.

Clean your down spouts and gutters.  DO this after most of the leaves have hit the ground.  During rain or snow storms, gutters that are clogged can lead to water and/or snow piling up and this can damage your siding and/or roof.

Make any necessary exterior repairs.  Walk around your home and look for signs of damage to things like the foundation, siding and roof.  If you spot any issues, make sure to get these taken care of before the cold weather hits.

Check outside your home for even the tiniest of gaps.  Mice are tiny critters and they get cold too.  They will take advantage of any accessible gaps to create a nice, warm place for themselves.  If you find any gaps, make sure to fill them before it gets cold.

Check your driveway and any stairs, railings and walkways for winter safety.  When everything is snow covered, just walking from the car to the door can be a challenge.  Make sure the drive is in good shape for easier shoveling and any stairs or walkways are even and the railways are sturdy enough to get a good grip on in case of a slip.

Save money by packing yourself

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When you’re moving, packing can be a huge expense.  Even if you choose not to hire help, there are a lot of costs involved in buying boxes, packing tape, and securing everything in a truck.  If you’re planning a big move, then read through this list of ways to save money.

 

  1. Avoid buying boxes.  If you’re moving locally, it might make more sense to move items in multiple trips instead of moving them in one big move.  Not only will this unpacking more manageable, it will also let you reuse boxes and other moving supplies.  Also consider using other containers, such as large buckets, plastic storage boxes, and laundry baskets to avoid buying cardboard boxes.
  2. Sell your stuff.  If you’re moving across the country, then you’ll probably pay per pound to move your stuff.  Consider if the cost of every item in your house to move it.  If you wouldn’t pay that much to keep the item, or if it’s cheaper to buy a new one when you arrive, sell or donate it.  Purging your home in this fashion can shave thousands of pounds off of your move.
  3. Use your towels and washcloths.  Instead of packing these separately, place a washcloth between your plates and bowls instead of packing paper.  Use bath towels as small moving blankets for lamps and photo frames.  Sheets and blankets can be used to protect large items of furniture.

Of course, make sure you remember to give the agents at Front Range Insurance Services a call before your big move.  They can help you update your policy so that it’s ready as soon as you move in.

Littleton, CO: Protect Your Home From Emergencies

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Living in Littleton, CO can be a beautiful thing. There are gorgeous waters and sandy beaches, along with swaying palm trees, warm weather, and that brilliantly sunny, blue sky. It’s a picture-perfect, postcard kind of place. Still, even the best places can have bad weather from time to time, and Littleton is no exception. With the risk of tornadoes, hurricanes, and severe thunderstorms, it’s a good idea to make sure your house is ready for any kind of emergency that could occur.

One of the ways you can do that is to make sure you and your loved ones can see to get around safely in an emergency where the power goes out. Flashlights, battery operated lanterns, and flameless candles all work as guides to move around safely in the dark. By keeping these items and extra batteries stored within easy reach in each room, you can quickly find what you need. You may also want to have a battery operated or hand-crank radio, to get news and information about what might have caused the power outage.

Another thing you can do to protect your home from emergencies is make sure your homeowners’ policy is up to date. While that won’t stop a problem from happening, it can keep you from experiencing too much financial harm when you have to make repairs to your home after a hurricane, fire, or other type of event. When you get a home insurance policy from Front Range Insurance Services, you also get the peace of mind and personal service that comes from working with a local agent and company. That can be the best choice for any Littleton homeowner who wants to make sure they’re protected and that their home is ready for any emergency that may come their way.

Get Your Furnace and Fireplace Ready for Winter

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With fall here, winter will soon come. Few places see a longer or harsher winter than Colorado, which makes getting your home ready for winter especially important if you live here. We at Front Range Insurance Services have compiled a short list of things you can do to get your house ready for the coming cold.

Servicing Your Home

Before winter comes, and you start turning on the heat regularly, every part of your home’s heating system should be serviced. Specifically, you ought to have a professional:

  • inspect your home’s furnace to ensure it’s suited for another season of use
  • clean out your home’s air ducts, so your furnace can work efficiently
  • clean your home’s chimney if it has one, to reduce the risk of chimney fires

Many homeowners overlook these things. Taking care of them now will help ensure you’re home will be safe and warm all winter long, though.

Insuring Your Home

In addition to servicing your home’s heating system, it’s also a good idea to review your homeowners insurance policy in the fall. If you’ve installed a new wood stove or had a wood-burning fireplace changed to a gas one, you might need to adjust your insurance coverage.

For help seeing whether any new furnace, wood stove or fireplace is covered under your homeowners insurance policy, contact us at Front Range Insurance Services. Even if we didn’t initially help you purchase the policy, our independent insurance agents can review its coverages for you. If it no longer provides the protection you need, they can also help you shop around for a new policy. To reach agents at our office, contact us through our website.