Friday, June 13, 2008

Do You Have The Right Amount Of Insurance On Your Home?

Recently, the Arizona Department of Insurance issued a press release on Wildfire Awareness.  While forest wildfires won’t impact those of us in the city, the information is important to all homeowners.

1. Do you have the right amount of insurance?  Marshall Swift/Boeckh, one of the national leading companies in property valuation, estimates that 66% of US homes are underinsured by an average of 18%.  You can get a list of replacement cost estimators at the AZ Department of Insurance website or visit my site at InsuranceRenegade.com for an online form.

2. Do you have the right type of insurance?  Flood and earthquake isn’t covered in your homeowner policy.  Do you operate a business out of your home?  Do you have replacement cost on your home and contents?  Do you have inflation guard?  Do you need to appraise any unique items for proper coverage? Etc.  Visit floodsmart.gov for consumer information on flood insurance.

3. Do you keep an inventory of your property?  If you have a claim, will you remember everything you own and will you be able to quickly itemize it for your adjuster?  You can try this free home inventory tool from the Insurance Information Institute.  You can also walk around your home with a video camera and record a video tour.  Technology has made it easy to store either of these electronically online so if there’s a loss you can easily retrieve it.

4. Check your smoke alarms and dryer vent hoses.  Change the batteries at least once per year in all smoke detectors.  Clean out your dryer vent hose to avoid a fire.  Practice an evacuation plan in case there is a fire.

I always recommend consumers visit the Arizona Department of Insurance website.  There is a wealth of information to help you protect yourself.

		Written By:  Matt Fox President - Fox Insurance Services, LLC (480) 699-7222 InsuranceRenegade.com
Click Here for an “Instant Callback” to speak with our office about your protection!

Other Articles Related to Insurance:
Common Home Insurance Coverage Misconceptions
Monsoons Make Arizona Homebuyers Rethink Toscana

Posted by Matt Fox on June 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Common Home Insurance Coverage Misconceptions

I’m constantly amazed (and I don’t know why still) at how many people don’t know what’s covered and what’s not covered under their homeowner policy.  When someone calls us for a quote, I have a list of questions to go through to make recommendations and make sure someone isn’t paying for something they don’t need or want.  Often people tell us they have something covered and then when I point out in their policy it’s not, they’re shocked.  Here are a few of these common items that are NOT covered under your home insurance policy:

• ATVs & motorcycles. They have their own policy.  There isn’t any coverage for these on your home insurance, even when they’re parked in your garage.  If they’re stolen, you’re paying out of pocket to replace them.
   
• “Replacement cost” on home.  Chances are you’ll never have a total loss of your home.  If you do your home insurance will only pay up to the ‘dwelling’ limits plus a little extra, usually 20%-50%, to replace your home.  Anything above and beyond is your responsibility.  There are a few companies that offer guaranteed replacement cost but most people don’t have it, ask your agent if it’s available.
   
• Boats. They have their own policy, and are in the same category as ATVs & motorcycles above but you may have up to $1500 in coverage depending on the insurance company.
   
• Home based business.  If you’re self employed and have business “stuff” at your home, there is very little coverage for the “stuff.”
   
• Jewelry, silverware, guns.  There is a small amount of coverage for these items for theft in the basic homeowner policy.  It’s usually around $1000-$1500 max.  If you have more you can increase the limit or buy a ‘floater’ policy.
   
• Building code.  Your home policy says it will replace the home to similar construction standards when it was originally built.  Older homes were built with older building codes.  If your home is a total loss, and in some partial losses, you’ll have to pay the increased to upgrade your home for the new building codes.  For example, Scottsdale requires fire sprinklers in all new homes.  You would have to pay to put the fire sprinkler system throughout your home.

There are many other small items that aren’t as common but may affect you.  Call your agent.  Ask what’s covered and what’s not covered.  If there’s something you’re afraid of losing, ask your agent.  Remember, the cost of insurance is the premium you pay plus the cost of any unpaid claims.

		Written By:  Matt Fox President  - Fox Insurance Services, LLC (480) 699-7222 InsuranceRenegade.com
Click Here for an “Instant Callback” to speak with our office about your protection!

Posted by Matt Fox on May 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Friday, August 03, 2007

Monsoons Make Arizona Homebuyers Rethink Toscana

Yes, the monsoons are back!  Over the past week or so, many areas of the Valley have seen some pretty major flooding.  Even the national news channels have shown stories of flooded AZ streets and people being rescued from their cars (remember Arizona's Stupid Motorist Law!).  As I drove through several Mesa neighborhoods earlier this week (trying to avoid the backed up traffic on major streets due to flooding), there were kids in their swimsuits standing near puddles on the corners, waiting for cars to come by and splash them!  Neighborhoods parks (retention basins) were flooded so badly they literally looked like lakes.  Kids were playing in the water on rafts and tubes.  Many teenagers had their quads out, driving along the edge of the 'lake' pulling their friends through the water on tubes.  It looks like fun, but I'm way too old for that!  I wanted to get a picture of some of the older kids in my neighborhood to post here, but my teenager wouldn't let me because she knew some of the kids and said it would 'be way too embarrassing"!

While the monsoon floods are fun for Arizona kids, homeowners don't find flooding quite as entertaining.  Drainage is something homeowners always need to be concerned with, and it's something that should definitely be considered when purchasing real estate.  This week, Phoenix, AZ residents of Toscana found out the hard way just how important drainage really is, even when buying a luxury condo.  A BlogArizona reader sent me the following email with questions about the recent Toscana floods:

"...I have heard from a local AZ friend that the garages in the Toscana development have flooded during the recent rains, causing a total loss for the cars parked there. I was considering a unit in the development.

Do you or your readers know if this is true? And what went wrong? And what needs to be done? And what would be the repercussions to the development.

Unfortunately for many, it's true - the underground parking garages at Toscana flooded and destroyed several luxury cars.  Toscana's HOA is refusing to accept any responsibility as of right now and is telling residents to check with their automobile insurance companies for coverage.  The HOA says the flood was an act of God that could not have been prevented.  However, many residents are already threatening lawsuits, stating that the floods could have been prevented with proper drainage.  I'm neither a Toscana resident or a lawyer, but it seems to me the developers (Statesman) not only could have, but should have foreseen monsoon flooding in an underground parking garage.  Monsoons come every year, and proper drainage is a basic requirement for any project or development.  It will take some time, and a bunch of fighting between the residents, the developer and the HOA before it's clear who will pay for the flood damage.  But I personally find it hard to believe that either the developer or the HOA can totally escape liability for this drainage problem.

Here's a local news story about the flooded parking garage at Toscana, and here are some videos about the Toscana flooding.

Written By: Shannon Hubbard Realtor®-Investor Great American Realty, Inc. Cell: (480) 695-6672 Email me

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on August 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool?

Due to the hot climate, many houses in Arizona have swimming pools.  When buying a home, some people see a swimming pool as a plus while others consider it a drawback.  There are several factors you should consider when buying a home with a swimming pool:

Safety - Even if you do NOT have small children yourself, safety is always a concern when you have a swimming pool.  You might have friends and/or relatives with children, or you might just have to worry about a neighbor kid wandering in your backyard.  Be sure to consider the cost of adding a fence if you're buying a home with an unfenced pool.  Also, there's more to Arizona's Pool Barrier Laws than just having a fence, so be sure to check and comply with local rules.

Financial Cost - You should expect both planned and unplanned repairs when you own a pool.  Over time, pumps stop working and vacuum equipment wears out.  In addition to the repair and maintenance costs, there will also be chemicals to buy, along with increased water and electric bills.

Time and effort to maintain - Even a so-called 'self-cleaning' pool takes time and effort to maintain, especially during the Arizona monsoon season!  So be sure you're willing to commit the time and effort necessary to properly maintain a pool.  An improperly maintained swimming pool will be seen as a liability to potential buyers.

Here's a more detailed article about swimming pool maintenance (written by my favorite home inspector, of course!).  And if you don't have a swimming pool at home but want to cool off over the summer, most of the Valley's junior high schools have swimming pools that are open to the public during the summer.  Here's a list of swimming pools at Mesa junior high schools.

Written By: Shannon Hubbard Realtor®-Investor Great American Realty, Inc. Cell: (480) 695-6672 Email me

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on June 9, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Friday, April 13, 2007

BlogArizona.com Welcomes the Arizona Mortgage Guru!

Those who read BlogArizona.com regularly have probably noticed that I myself have been a blog mute over the past few months!  To the many people who read BlogArizona.com each day, I sincerely apologize for my absence.  Of course, there's no excuse to neglect your blog :)   But I will say (in my defense and in defense of the AZ real estate market in general) that I've been crazy busy lately!  No matter what the newspaper or other media may say, BUYERS ARE BACK TO THE ARIZONA REAL ESTATE MARKET!  That's why I haven't blogged lately!

Now that we've established that the Arizona "real estate bubble" is still not bursting, I want to welcome Shailesh Ghimire to BlogArizona.com.  Shailesh is the Arizona Mortgage Guru and a local Home Loan Expert.  Shailesh and his wife Aimee are a team at CTX Mortgage, serving the Greater Phoenix area.

If you've read Shailesh's first BlogArizona post or visited his blog, I think you'll agree that Shailesh will make a great addition to BlogArizona.com.  I have no doubt that his posts will add interesting and current content that BlogArizona readers will enjoy.

I also want to say that while I haven't posted much lately, I have been working on some new upgrades/features for BlogArizona. These improvements will be added over time, and that's all I'm saying so you'll have to keep checking back to find out what they are!  BlogArizona.com is also looking to add new Contributors.  Here's more information if you or someone you know is interested.

Written By: Shannon Hubbard Realtor®-Investor Great American Realty, Inc. Cell: (480) 695-6672 Email me

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on April 13, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Arizona Traffic School is Educational, But Not Fun!

I recently had the privilege of attending Arizona Traffic School.  I say it was a privilege because by going to the school, my ticket will be dismissed, I will not get any points on my license and my insurance company will not raise my rates (at least not because of my ticket!).  Another bonus, I only paid $135 for Traffic School, which is considerably less than my ticket would have been.  But you can only go to Traffic School every 2 years.

While it was a pretty long and boring day, I actually learned quite a bit (you might even say that I am now a recovering speeder!).  I learned more than just where all the red-light/speed cameras in Mesa are located (there are 13 total, soon to be increased to 43, and there are 4 cameras on Country Club alone!).  I also learned that the Valley is a dangerous place to drive!  In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, three of the top four cities in the nation for red-light running collisions are located in Arizona:

1. Phoenix
2. Memphis, TN
3. Mesa
4. Tucson

Phoenix has more than twice as many red-light running collisions as #2 Memphis.  That's scary!  Phoenix is also #1 in the nation for fatalities at railroad crossings, perhaps because we have the most dangerous railroad crossing in the entire nation.  It's the one at the 3-way intersection of 19th Ave., McDowell & Grand Avenue.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the five most dangerous intersections in Phoenix are:

1. 19th Ave. & Indian School Rd.
2. 7th St. & McDowell Rd.
3. 19th Ave. & Camelback Rd.
4. 51st Ave. & Thomas Rd.
5. 67th Ave. & Indian School Rd.

According to ADOT, the five most dangerous intersections in Mesa are:

1. Country Club Dr. & Southern Ave.
2. Gilbert Rd. & University Dr.
3. Broadway & Mesa Dr.
4. Broadway & Dobson
5. US60 & Val Vista

One of the other scary statistics I learned is that an estimated 46% of Arizona drivers do not carry insurance.  It's probably even higher.  That's basically one out of every two cars on the road.  You don't want to get hit by someone without insurance, but you don't want to get hit by someone with insurance either.  Even those who carry the Arizona required minimum insurance only have $15,000 per person or $30,000 per accident in coverage, plus $10,000 in property damage coverage.  Although $10,000 will not replace most cars on the road, that's what Arizona law requires.  And $15,000 won't pay very many medical bills either.  In a bad accident, $15,000 might buy you a ride to the hospital and one day in intensive care.  So if you have assets or even if you don't, be sure you have insurance coverage for uninsured and under-insured motorists.

The other really sobering fact I learned is that 4 out of 5 child safety seats are incorrectly installed.  That's a bunch of kids that are not properly protected for no good reason.  Fire Departments have free classes and will usually even have somebody to help you check your car seat.  Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert & Scottsdale Fire Departments all have full time people to help.  If you cannot afford a car seat, the Fire Department will help you get one so there is no excuse.  Arizona requires children under 5 years old to be in a 5-point harness (I think there might be an exception if your child is over a certain weight, but I'm not sure).  There is also a new phone # you can call either to get a car seat, or to report someone else for driving around without their kid in a car seat.  The number is 1-800-505-BABY.

If you live or drive in Tempe, you should be aware that people are getting speeding tickets in school zones at night.  Yes, the speed limit signs in those school zones apparently read "when school is in session" instead of giving specific hours for lower speeds like many cities do.  So even night school counts.

Here's something else pretty crazy.  When you come from another state, you don't even have to take a test to get an Arizona drivers license anymore.  And your Arizona license will be good until your 65th birthday!  Of course, you will have to go get a new picture and (I think) an eye test every 12 years!

Here's the moral of the story (you knew there had to be one!).  All of us, myself included, can make the roads a safer place with a little effort.  We just need to slow down, stop at red lights and pay a little more attention to driving, and a little less attention to our cell phones!

Written By: Shannon Hubbard Realtor®-Investor Great American Realty, Inc. Cell: (480) 695-6672 Email me

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on March 5, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Official Launch of BlogArizona.com!

Today is BlogArizona.com's official launch date!  We have been working for several months now to add features and get the site ready...so check it out!  There's plenty to see while you are here:

• Read up-to-date articles written by Arizona real estate professionals
• Make a comment!
• Search Arizona MLS
• Use our mortgage calculators
• Make a comment!
• Take our poll
• Check today's mortgage rates
• Join our Frequent Blogger Club
• Find out how much your home is worth
• Make a comment!
• Interview a real estate professional
• Ask an Expert
• Suggest an article
• Read the daily cartoon
• Make a comment (Okay, I know...you get the idea now!)
• Set-up an automatic reminder for your new home 1-year warranty inspection
• Tell-a-friend about BlogArizona.com
• Read 'Today in History'
• Add a free FSBO listing
• Buy fun & unique real estate gifts in our online store
• Search our archives
• Buy or sell moving boxes

Best of all...you can find out what the heck a blog is!  And don't forget to make a comment while you're here (Did I mention that already?!).

Check back with us regularly for the latest Arizona real estate news and trends.  Thanks for visiting!

the BlogMaster

Posted by BlogArizona BlogMaster on July 31, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, May 08, 2005

AZ Dept. of Real Estate Helps Home Buyers & Sellers

The Arizona Department of Real Estate has created a publication to help guide home buyers and sellers through the process more smoothly.  In addition to providing information about the Arizona Department of Real Estate, "Arizona Real Estate and You (a Consumer's Guide)" also contains a wealth of other information:

• choosing a real estate broker
• preparing to sell your home
• disclosure
• buying a home
• the offer, purchase contract and counter-offers
• negotiating the deal
• the escrow period
• home financing and different types of mortgages, VA & FHA loans
• the home inspection, appraisal, home warranty, survey, pest inspection and final walk-through
• other investigations to make during the inspection period
• taking title
• closing the deal
• where to go for additional information

This guide contains some very helpful information, especially for first time Arizona home buyers and sellers.  I would also suggest that all Arizona buyers (and sellers, too!) go to the AZ Assoc. of Realtorsâ website to read "The Arizona Dept. of Real Estate Buyer Advisory".  This document helps guide the buyer through the paperwork aspect of a real estate transaction, as well as providing a more in depth look at the entire inspection process.  It includes a list of many possible inspections and investigations that a buyer should make during the inspection period, both with regard to the property and the surrounding area.  In addition to environmental inspections, it advises buyers to check out everything about a property, including but not limited to schools, homeowner associations & CC&R's, expansive soil, airports, property insurance claims history, sex offenders, etc.  In fact, the information in this advisory is so important that it is referred to in the new 2005 Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract (the most commonly used Arizona real estate contract...I will be blogging about the changes to this new contract in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back!).

The Arizona Department of Real Estate's website also has other consumer information that all buyers and sellers should read.  Buying or selling a home is a very important transaction.  While it is essential to hire a knowledgeable real estate agent to represent your interests, it is equally important for the buyer and seller to be informed and educated about the process.  Remember...knowledge is power!

Written By: Shannon Hubbard Realtor-Investor Great American Realty, Inc. Cell: (480) 695-6672 Email me

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on May 8, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Add Your Company Name & Logo to a Product in BlogArizona.com's Online Store!

Attention real estate agents & mortgage lenders!!
You may now customize most of the products in BlogArizona.com's Online store.  Add your company name, logo and contact info to a variety of real estate gift items.  Your clients and co-workers will love a unique, customized gift from BlogArizona.com!  (sample #1, sample #2).

No minimum order.  $35 one-time set-up charge per product.  Once it's set up, others in your office may also order as many or as few as they would like.

Email us with the following information:

1.  Name of Product you wish to customize
2.  Quantity you expect to purchase
3.  Attach the artwork you want to add (.jpg, .png or .gif only), and provide a short explanation of how you want it to look.

We will respond within 48 hours.  Thank you!

the BlogMaster

Posted by BlogAdmin on January 12, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Welcome to the blogosphere!

Welcome to BlogArizona.com...an Arizona Real Estate Blog!!  Feel free to look around...you won't believe how much you'll find to do here!

• Read up-to-date articles written by Arizona real estate professionals
• Make a comment
• Search Arizona MLS
• Use our mortgage calculators
• Take our poll
• Check todays mortgage rates
• Join our Frequent Blogger Club
• Find out how much your home is worth
• Interview a real estate professional
• Ask an Expert
• Suggest an article
• Read the daily cartoon
• Set-up an automatic reminder for your new home 1-year warranty inspection
• Tell-a-friend about BlogArizona.com
• Read 'Today in History'
• Add a free FSBO listing
• Buy fun & unique real estate gifts in our online store
• Search our archives
• Buy or sell moving boxes

But best of all...you can find out what a blog is!

Check back with us regularly for the latest Arizona real estate news and trends.  And don't miss our Official Launch date on July 31, 2005!

Thank you for visiting!

the BlogMaster

Posted by BlogArizona BlogMaster on January 11, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack