Home Inventory Lists: What You Need to Know

Posted on December 20, 2021December 18, 2021 by admin

Homeowner’s insurance offers a level of protection for all of your personal belongings, including your home. Although it may seem like a huge and unnecessary task, creating an inventory list of your assets can ensure you receive full compensation in the event a file needs to be claimed. Alta Vista Insurance Agency wants to share with Vista, CA homeowners a little bit about home inventory lists.

What Is a Home Inventory List Exactly?

A home inventory is just a list of your personal belongings. This list needs to be as detailed as possible. For instance, you should include make and model, date of purchase, amount paid, serial numbers, etc. If possible, include a purchase receipt, as this makes it easier to identify the value of your losses in the event of a monsoon or fire.

When Should You Make a Home Inventory List?

If you have yet to create a home inventory list, now is the perfect time to do so. You never know when something unexpected could occur, so having a home inventory list created and ready to go will help speed up the claims process. Ideally, you should update this list at least once annually. The best approach, though, is to simply remove and add items as you sell them and buy them.

Where Should You Keep Your Home Inventory List?

You have to keep in mind that an event that could potentially damage your personal belongings could also damage your home inventory list. While there is nothing wrong with keeping a copy of the list at home and/or with you, it is a good idea to keep a copy of the list in the cloud and/or in a safe deposit box.

Whether you have recently purchased a home or have been living in your Vista, CA home for some time, let Alta Vista Insurance Agency ensure you have sufficient homeowner’s insurance coverage for your needs.

Do home-based businesses need commercial insurance?

Posted on November 15, 2021October 11, 2021 by admin

Home-based businesses are growing in popularity. Half of all businesses in the US are home-based and if you count businesses that don’t have employees, it goes over 60%. This brings with it many new challenges for businesses and it is more important than ever that you understand how commercial insurance can protect your business and how inadequate non-commercial insurance is. At Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA, we understand business risk and how it can be mitigated with commercial insurance.

Property insurance

If your business is located in your home, you may think your home insurance offers you the coverage you need. It will supply some very basic coverage but not for anything that is particular to your business. While it might cover a computer, desk, and copier, it won’t cover any specialized tools or machinery relating to your specialized business. You also won’t have the coverage for the inventory and raw materials your business requires.

Commercial liability insurance

If you are meeting with clients or customers in your home and they are injured, your home insurance won’t cover them. If vendors come to your home, you also won’t be covered for any injury they sustain. Home liability insurance won’t cover any people who visit for business reasons, only personal reasons. An injury can lead to a legal suit and a judgment against you and it could be enough to torpedo your business for good without the right insurance.

Commercial auto insurance

If you are using your personal vehicle for business, you will not be covered if you have an accident where you are at fault. It is important to get commercial auto insurance for any vehicle you use for business purposes.

Contact Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA when you are ready to discuss your commercial insurance needs.

Property Insurance FAQs

Posted on October 15, 2021October 11, 2021 by admin

If you own properties, you know how much time and resources it has taken you to accumulate your assets. With this in mind, you may not want anything to happen to your valuables. As such, investing in property insurance from Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA, is the best decision you can make.

Do you have questions about property insurance? Worry not. We have put together a property insurance FAQs section to help you understand this coverage in detail.

What does property insurance cover?

This coverage protects your assets against loss or damage from perils like fire, theft, vandalism, and other risks included in your policy. Property insurance shields your buildings, equipment, inventories, and other assets from damages or losses that can inflict significant financial losses on your business.

Do you want peace of mind? Do you want to keep financial disturbances away from your assets? Investing in property insurance should be your number one priority. While property insurance doesn’t prevent risks from happening, it ensures you are not alone when catastrophes strike.

What does property insurance exclude?

Like other insurance coverages, property insurance doesn’t cover you against all risks — it has exceptions and exclusions. Typical property insurance doesn’t cover damage or loss from:

Floods and earthquakes
Employee theft
Intentional acts
Damage from neglect
Product defects due to manufacturing errors
Equipment breakdowns

Who needs property insurance?

Like general liability insurance, property insurance isn’t mandatory, but you must invest in it to protect your assets. Whether online or physical, all businesses should invest in property insurance to ensure they don’t start from scratch when the unthinkable strikes.

Invest in property insurance today!

Would you like to invest in property insurance in Vista, CA, and its environs? Look no further than Alta Vista Insurance Agency. Since we understand that the asset portfolio of one policyholder differs from the other, we provide personalized property insurance coverage to fit your individual needs.

How Does Renters’ Insurance Work?

Posted on September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 by admin

When you are renting a home, you always need to keep renters’ insurance in order to protect yourself and your wallet. If you rent and don’t yet have renters’ insurance, give us a call now at Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA.

Coverage for Your Belongings

If you have a home full of items, you aren’t alone. We all like to have our things around us, and it can be upsetting not to. If there were an incident that harmed your belongings, ruining or destroying them, your renters’ insurance policy would help you to pay for replacements for everything lost. This can help you significantly by getting you back on your feet financially after a disaster or other incident.

Coverage for Your Liability

If you rent a home, you don’t own it, so there are certain things that you don’t have to insure, such as the dwelling itself. However, since you are living in it, you can be held liable for someone else’s injuries if they should have an accident in your home. This can be unlimited amounts of medical bills, even if the accident wasn’t that bad. With your renters’ insurance, these bills get paid by the policy up to the maximum amount on the policy.

Protection for Yourself

If something major like a disaster happened that caused serious damage to your rented home, you don’t have to live in it while it’s being fixed. A home that is uninhabitable may be your only option if you can’t afford to pay to live somewhere else while the repairs are being completed. However, your renters’ insurance policy will pay for you to do so.

Protect Your Home

If you rent and don’t have a renters’ policy yet, contact us right away at Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA to speak to an agent.

How Does Umbrella Insurance Work?

Posted on August 16, 2021August 8, 2021 by admin

Umbrella insurance is a unique type of insurance that is helpful in a number of situations. To find out more about how it works, call us today at Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA and talk with an agent.

Home Insurance

If you already have a home insurance policy, you may know some of the coverage types it includes as well as some of the amounts. However, many people don’t pay much attention to the amount of liability coverage they have. The typical home insurance policy has a small amount of liability coverage, but it often isn’t enough to pay the bills if there were a serious accident that occurred for the third party inside your home. To get more of this coverage, you can get an umbrella policy. It adds more liability coverage to the coverage you already have through your home insurance policy.

Auto Insurance

Just as an umbrella policy adds to the liability of your home insurance, it also adds liability coverage to your auto policy. Serious auto accidents can cause enormous amounts in medical and property damage bills. If you don’t have much coverage, you are simply responsible for the overage. But with umbrella insurance, you get a higher amount of liability coverage.

An Umbrella Insurance Policy

Once an accident happens, your home or auto policy, depending on where the accident happens, will pay for the resulting bills that you are liable for. Once your home or auto policy is maxed out, the rest of the amount you owe is paid for by your umbrella insurance. This can save you financially after an accident that results in serious injuries.

Get Your Umbrella Coverage

If you already have an auto and home policy and need more liability coverage, consider getting an umbrella policy. Contact us at Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA to find out more.

Flood Insurance Explained

Posted on July 30, 2021August 8, 2021 by admin

You might think that your home is safe from floods because you have never seen anything more than a puddle in your yard. Unfortunately, every home is at risk of floods. Floods are unpredictable and can happen near the coast and in dry areas. According to FEMA, about 99% of all American counties have been ravaged by floods since 1996!

And here is another problem. When floods strike in Vista, CA, your home insurance doesn’t protect your home. Unfortunately, no amount of sandbags can hold back flooding. For this reason, you need a stand-alone flood insurance policy from Alta Vista Insurance Agency for optimal protection.

Is flood insurance mandatory?

Although no law in Texas requires flood insurance, if your home or business is mortgage-financed, your lender may require you to purchase flood insurance if you live in a flood-risk zone. In contrast, persons living in low-risk areas may see flood insurance as an unnecessary expense, but flood insurance cushions you from dipping into your savings when floods strike.

What does flood insurance cover?

Whether it’s flash flooding or hurricane flooding, water causes extensive damage to your home. To put this in perspective, a one-inch rise in water levels results in repairs to the tune of $25,000 and above!

When you buy flood insurance, it protects the below:

Building: This covers electrical and plumbing systems, furnaces, carpets, detached garages, and other fixed appliances.
Contents: Covers personal items like furniture, electronics, curtains, ovens, and so forth.

Where to buy flood insurance

You can buy flood insurance from NFIP. This coverage has a 30-day waiting period and covers your building up to $250,000 and contents up to $100,000. Besides, you can purchase flood insurance from private carriers. And the beauty of private flood insurance is that it provides better coverage than NFIP.

Buy flood insurance today!

Are you in Vista, CA, looking for flood insurance? Please get in touch with Alta Vista Insurance Agency for an affordable quote.

Is condo insurance in Vista a good investment?

Posted on June 14, 2021June 11, 2021 by admin

If you are in the Vista, CA area, you will find that owning a home provides many advantages. This includes having a stable place to live and benefiting from long-term price appreciation. If you decide to purchase a home here, getting the right insurance is important. For condo owners, having a condo insurance plan is a good investment due to the valuable coverages it provides.

Coverage Protects Assets

A key reason that you will want to have a condo insurance plan is that it can protect your assets. If you are going to purchase a condo, you will be making a major investment that needs protection. With the insurance policy, you are going to have the right coverage in place to ensure you can repair your condo if there is damage or another incident that results in a loss.

Liability Coverage

You should also get condo insurance as it will give you liability protection. Condo owners could face liability claims if a leak or other mechanical flaw in their property causes damage to another unit or public parts of the property. Further, you face liability risk if a guest in your condo gets hurt. This risk can always be mitigated by getting a condo insurance plan for your property.

Condo owners in the Vista, CA area need to take their ownership and insurance needs seriously. As you are looking for a new condo insurance plan in this part of California, a great option is to work with Alta Vista Insurance Agency. You will have a lot of important choices to make when looking for condo insurance and Alta Vista Insurance Agency can be quite helpful. The team can address your questions and concerns while providing any support needed to choose an appropriate policy.

Who should get a health insurance plan in Vista?

Posted on May 31, 2021May 31, 2021 by admin

If you are in the Vista, CA area, there are many forms of insurance that you should consider obtaining. One of the most important forms of coverage to consider getting is health insurance. This coverage can help ensure that you have access to affordable healthcare. There are several situations when someone here should get a health insurance plan.

When Looking for Access to Care

The main situation when someone should get health insurance is when they are looking for access to affordable care. Seeing a doctor, getting prescription medication, and receiving more significant medical care when needed is important. If you have a health insurance plan, you will have access to affordable care when you need it. This can help to save you money and stay healthy.

When Looking to Comply with Law

While it is important to have health insurance to ensure you have access to care. You may also need coverage to comply with the law. For the past several years, all people have been required by law to carry health insurance. If you do not have evidence of coverage throughout the year, you could be penalized. These penalties are frequently applied at the end of the year when you file a tax return and need to provide evidence of coverage.

Having health insurance in the Vista, CA area is always critical. As you are looking for a health insurance plan, you will quickly find that there are many options to consider. If you are in the market for a new health insurance plan, calling Alta Vista Insurance Agency can be very helpful. The Alta Vista Insurance Agency team understands the value and importance of this coverage and can offer the support you need to choose a new policy.

Required Auto Insurance in California

Posted on April 29, 2021April 29, 2021 by admin

In California, everyone must register their vehicle within 20 days of coming into the state. And it has to be insured at all times. This required insurance includes several different types of insurance coverage for motorists. However, all of the required coverage still leaves some gaps, and many vehicle owners choose to add to the minimum required insurance.

Liability Coverage

Part of the required coverage for vehicles is liability coverage. This includes a required minimum amount of coverage for bodily injury liability for one injured person in an accident that you caused. There is another higher amount required for all of the injured people in an accident that you caused. In addition, there is property damage liability coverage required for damage that you cause to another party’s vehicle or building during an accident. However, all three of these numbers are relatively low, and it’s a good idea to get more coverage than just the bare minimum for liability coverage.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

If you were in an accident that a motorist causes without auto insurance, uninsured motorist coverage pays for the resulting bills up to its maximum. This coverage includes a required minimum for each person who is injured in this accident. A higher amount is required for everyone who has a bodily injury from an accident. This coverage also includes a small amount required for property damage when an uninsured motorist causes damage to your property.

Get Your Auto Insurance

No one wants to get a ticket and fees, so it’s important to keep auto insurance at all times. If you need auto insurance, contact us at Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA.

Life insurance FAQs

Posted on March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by admin

When it comes to life insurance, most people don’t think much about it until someone brings it to their attention. For many people, that is when you find out you are getting some through your employer as a benefit. When you decide to start thinking about the future and creating a financial plan to get you there, life insurance may fit that plan. Having a financial advisor or a trusted insurance agent is a good place to start. At Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA, we are a full-service independent agency.

When should I start buying life insurance?

The obvious answer is as soon as you can afford it. The younger and healthier you are, the less you will pay for a policy. If you are buying term insurance, you should buy a term long enough to get you through the years when you will have the greatest need. Whole life lasts for your whole life, but it will be priced best if you take out the policy when you are young.

What other benefit does life insurance have beyond the death benefit?

If you have a whole life policy, it accrues cash value. If you need it, you may be able to borrow against that cash value. You may also be able to use the cash value to pay the premium if you are going through a tough time.

Do I need to buy life insurance if I get some from work?

This is a thorny question, and the answer is probably yes. You may not be getting as much from work as you really need, and if you change jobs, you may not be able to take your life insurance with you. Having your own life insurance will guarantee you are never without coverage.

Contact Alta Vista Insurance Agency in Vista, CA for your life insurance needs.