Going on vacation?

With kids home for February vacation week, many families are taking trips. Although Winnie and Phinn aren’t going anywhere this break, they do have some tips to help protect your home while you’re away!

1. Keep the fact you’re going away to a minimum. With social network sites like Facebook, Twitter (and even blogs!) sharing information with the world, it may not just be your friends who know when you are leaving.
2. Consider purchasing some light timers. They are very inexpensive at home improvement stores and allow you to program your lights while you’re away. Putting them in rooms that face the road, or in areas that are easily seen from outside will give the impression that someone is home.
3. Leave a car in the driveway. Leaving a car in the driveway will also give the impression that someone is home.
4. Have a neighbor or friend clear snow from your car and walkways. Plus having them pull in your driveway will look like someone is coming and going to your house.
5. Have someone collect the mail or ask the post office to hold your mail. Nothing says “I’m not home” like a paper and mail box overflowing.
6. If you are going away for an extended trip, it might be a good idea to turn your water off. Especially with all the cold weather we have had lately, you don’t want to come home to burst pipes.
7. Hide any valuable items like jewelry or expensive electronics. Consider a safe deposit box.
8. Unplug any appliances. They could become a fire hazard if you’re not around.
9. Don’t forget to arrange pet care! Winnie and Phinn might not be able to go with you, but they still need love and attention when you’re gone.

Vacations are meant to relax and enjoy and if you follow these helpful tips time won’t be wasted worrying about your home while you are gone. Winnie and Phinn are jealous but they will be enjoying their “staycation” and have plenty of playtime in the snow.

Until next time…

Do you have your umbrella?

With all this wild New England weather we’re having, do you have an umbrella? No, not the umbrella to protect you from getting wet, an liability umbrella!

Whatever policy you purchase, whether it is a homeowners, personal auto, or even your business insurance, should contain a liability section. This limit provides coverage for bodily injury, personal injury or property damage. Typical limits on a homeowners policy are $300,000, and for automobile a split limit of $100,000/$300,000. (Winnie and Phinn will explain split limits in another post!) Although these limits seem like quite a lot of money, if you have a catastrophic accident, you’ll be surprised how quickly this money can be spent.

An umbrella policy provides excess limits in addition to your primary policies. The lowest umbrella you can get is $1,000,000, and you can buy limits higher if you’d like. This policy steps in if your primary, or “underlying” limits are exhausted. If you have $500,000, and have $700,000 in losses, the umbrella would drop down to provide that additional $200,000. The only cost that you would pay out of pocket would be the deductible for this policy, which is typically $250.

Winnie and Phinn hope they’ve explained a little bit better what an umbrella is, and the protection it provides, however they still suggest you call Coffey Insurance today if you have any questions!

Until next time…

Old man winter strikes again...

With the light snow flurry this morning it seemed appropriate to discuss the safety measures you can take for your home in the winter. Here in New England we certainly aren’t out of the woods yet for more snow this winter and usually towards the end of winter when spring is around the corner we experience many short “thaws”. Similar to the weather we had last week when we were able to enjoy a few days in the mid 50’s! It was perfect weather to chop up and get rid of that ice that has been frozen solid for weeks! However it is the freezing, thawing and refreezing cycle that can cause problems with your home. Winter is an important time of the year to make sure you are taking the proper measures to winterize your property and keep it safe to avoid insurance losses. Below Winnie and Phinn are going to share with you some simple and important steps you can take at home.

Winnie and Phinn love the snow!! I think they miss being able to tear around the yard and roll in the nice green grass but that doesn’t stop them from jumping in the snow banks and eating all that fluffy “white stuff” :)

Here are a few photos of them enjoying the snow!

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III.org), Winnie and Phinn thought these were helpful winter tips they would like to share to help protect you and your property:

· Clear the walkways and entrances of your home from snow and ice to ensure the safety of yourself and guests.

· Watch for ice dams near gutter downspouts. It is important to keep gutters clean of leaves and debris so melting snow can flow freely. Ice dams can cause water problems inside your house.

· Heat your house to a minimum of 65 degrees. Remember the temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is much colder than the temperature inside your home.

· Identify the location for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.

· If you have an attached garage it is a good idea to keep the garage doors closed for extra insulation.

· Check your yard for ice build up on tree limbs, watch for dead, damaged or dangerous branches that could break and fall because of ice, snow or wind and damage your house, a car, or injure someone walking near your property.

· Use caution with fireplaces, wood stoves and electric heaters, watch them closely and make sure they are working properly.

· Going on vacation? Ask a neighbor to check the house regularly. If there is a problem with frozen pipes or water leakage, attending to it quickly could mean far less damage.

· If you plan to be away for an extended period of time, have the water system drained by a professional to keep pipes from freezing or bursting.

Most homeowners policies cover damage from frozen pipes and ice dams. If have any questions regarding your policy and/or coverage please feel free to ask your agent at Coffey Insurance. It is important to make sure you understand your coverage.

In the event of a loss caused by anything mentioned above, the most important thing is to call The Coffey Insurance Agency as soon as possible. Our agency can help you set up the claim, as well as help you understand the claim process and act as your contact with the company. With our team working hard with the claims department of your carrier, we can help ensure that your claim will be handled quickly, correctly, and with as little hassle as possible.

Well Winnie and Phinn have just headed out for their lunch time walk but they hope everyone stays warm and safe with their winter tips!

Until next time…

Welcome!

Introducing the Coffey Insurance Blog!

We are excited to start this blog and share helpful tips and recommendations for your insurance needs along with some fun and humor of everyday life! :) The Coffey Insurance Agency was established in 1958 by Conrad J. Coffey and since the beginning we have had the same core set of goals, to be the right people, providing the right coverage and offering the right price to our clients. We strive to provide customer service excellence and offer competitive rates to guarantee our clients the best price!

We would like to introduce our mascots and loving pets Lady Winifred and Phineas. They are 1 ½ year old brother and sister Old English Sheepdogs, flown to join our family from a wonderful breeder in the Mid-west. Winnie and Phinn were born in June 2010 and officially journeyed to New Hampshire in September 2010. Throughout our blog Winnie and Phinn will be giving helpful insurance tips and supplying their “paw of approval”.

Here are some photos from Winnie and Phinn’s arrival!

To give a little background about the breed here are some facts about Old English Sheepdogs. We think they are the best breed ever…but of course our opinions are slightly biased! :) Sheepdogs are described as a friendly and “clown” like dog. They yearn to be part of the family and are great with children. Sheepdogs have a strong herding instinct and they need calm and confident leadership, they do best with clear rules and commands. They may be a little lazy, but don’t think they are couch potatoes because they are a very active breed and love daily walks, runs and exercise. Their cute shaggy look might melt your heart but don’t be fooled of the maintenance sheepdog’s coats require consistent grooming and attention! They have coarse long hair that needs to be brushed at least weekly to avoid mats…that are no fun for dogs or owners! :( Many owners have their own grooming tables at home to brush in between professional grooming.

Running around the yard!

It has been great watching Winnie and Phinn grow and see their personalities develop. Having littermates in the family definitely adds to the fun! We have learned that Winnie wears the pants in the relationship she rules the roost with Phinn. If we didn’t separate them at meal times Ms. Winnie would probably never share a bite with her dear brother Phinn. She also likes to get first dibs on most things especially stuffed toys and if they last long enough Phinn will get a turn. They love, love, love to chase each other all over the yard and sometimes when we are not looking play tag in and out of the shrubs!

Relaxing after a game of tag.

Winnie and Phinn sometimes take a break from their hard lives of daily naps and sun basking to join us for a days work at the Coffey Insurance Agency. They love taking trips to our seacoast office which is located at 410 The Hill in downtown Portsmouth. Phinn especially loves to take a walk down Market St. when he first arrives to stretch his legs and give free licks and kisses to anyone that stops to pat him. I suspect he is aware of his cuteness! :) He often enjoys yummy treats and fresh drinks of water from the great dog friendly shops downtown. Winnie our number one secretary loves to spend the day with Jay at our Nashua location at 2 Wellman Ave. She often settles down for a snooze in his office at the foot of his desk and we have wake her up from her long winter’s nap to remind her the phone is ringing!

Winnie at work with Jay.

We look forward to having our friends and followers check back to our blog frequently! Winnie and Phinn have many interesting things they would like to share! Are there any insurance topics you'd like to learn more about? If so, leave Winnie and Phinn a comment below!

Until next time…