4 Ways Commercial Insurance Increases Your Business Opportunities

Your commercial insurance policies protect your Buena Vista, VA business from a range of potential threats. However, these contracts do more than help you through hard times. Here are some of the ways the policies offered by Stonewall Grace Insurance can actually help you make more money.

  • With the right insurance policies, your customers know that their investments can be recouped if a problem occurs. This makes them more likely to buy from you. Having an insurance policy also validates your business, which means potential buyers will trust you more than your non-insured competition.
  • Lenders look at a lot of criteria when deciding if you’re worth the risk. Having the right combination of insurance policies shows that you’re serious about protecting your financial status, which means you’re more likely to pay them back. Having an active policy could make the difference between getting the funds you need and being denied.
  • When working with other independent contractors, your insurance policy continues to protect your interests. If you’re seeking a partnership with a more established contractor, your insurance policies might convince them to give you a chance.
  • Starting a new business venture can stretch your resources beyond their limits. With a good insurance strategy, your expansions are protected against a variety of potential misfortunes. That means you, your partners, and your investors can rest assured that your investments are protected. That could help you convince them to accept some of your riskier ideas.

Find the perfect commercial insurance strategy for your Buena Vista, VA business with the experts at Stonewall Grace Insurance. Contact our representatives for a personalized assessment of your insurance needs.

What Does Renters Insurance Protect?

Do you rent a home, condo, or apartment in Buena Vista, VA? If so, you may want to consider protecting your valuables with renters insurance. A good policy will give you peace of mind knowing that if anything were to happen, you’re covered. Read on to learn about what renters insurance covers.

Renters Insurance and Fire

If a fire were to break out in your rental unit, this is your responsibility. You will not be able to recover any losses without the right insurance protection. This means you will lose everything damaged in the fire unless you are adequately covered.

Renters Insurance and Theft

Property crimes happen all the time in the United States. In order to protect your valuables in the event of a burglary, you’ll need renters insurance to recoup your losses after your deductible is paid.

Renters Insurance and Liability Claims

Accidents are typically unforeseen events. A guest could fall down the stairs, get bit by your dog, or suffer an injury by slipping on your wet kitchen floor. If an accident were to occur and the injured party decides to sue, you will be left in the cold without a renters insurance policy. This policy will help you with any litigation claims made against you by an injured party.

At Stonewall Grace Insurance, serving the Buena Vista, VA area, we are here to help you find the right renter’s insurance policy for the right price. We will answer all of your questions and concerns and help you compare various quotes. To find the right renters insurance, contact Stonewall Grace Insurance today at 866-446-5056 to compare renters insurance quotes.

 

 

Is My Home Underinsured?

If you wonder if your home might be underinsured, it probably is. Estimates are that up to two-thirds of American homes are either not insured or underinsured. Many homeowners are completely unaware of the risk and do not know how easy it is to do something about this problem.

To find out if you are underinsured you can simply call an agent at Stonewall Grace Insurance serving Buena Vista, VA, and the nearby communities. Have your agent conduct an insurance review. Help by collecting the data needed about the contents of your home and its measurements so that an accurate calculation can be made to determine the total replacement cost.

Why is replacement-cost insurance a good idea?

There are a few ways to value a home based on different accounting techniques.

There is the book value of the home, which is the purchase price less the depreciation that has been taken since buying it. Deducting depreciation makes the value of the home go down over time (for tax purposes) when the real value actually is probably going up.

There is the actual value that the home could sell for on the open market. Then, there is the replacement value. Replacement value, if calculated correctly at current prices, is always the higher valuation of these three methods.

Insuring a home for replacement value allows a person who lost their entire house to more easily get back to the same lifestyle and quality level of what was lost.

Adjusting for Inflation

To have adequate home insurance, it is important to adjust for inflation. This calculation takes into consideration the average percentage cost that prices go up.

Loss of Use

Loss of use is when your home is damaged so badly that it is not possible to live in it during the time when it is being repaired or rebuilt. This insurance is in addition to the amount needed to rebuild the home. It covers the expenses you have living somewhere else while the reconstruction is underway.

Summary

Work with your agent at Stonewall Grace Insurance in Buena Vista, VA. Call (866) 446-5056 to get a home insurance quote. Get home insurance for replacement value that is adjustable each year for inflation and has coverage for loss of use. When you do this, you will be in the group of one-third of all American homeowners that have their home adequately insured.

Can Lifestyle Changes Affect your Auto Insurance Coverage?

Changes in your lifestyle can have an effect on your health, finances, relationships, and auto insurance coverage. Lifestyle changes like marriage, divorce or retirement can affect the cost and coverage of your policy. If you’ve recently gone through some lifestyle changes, talk to your Stonewall Grace Insurance agent to see if you should update your policy. Here are just a few ways lifestyle changes can alter your auto insurance coverage.

Marriage

If you’ve recently gotten married, you may qualify for a discount on your auto insurance coverage. Many insurers reduce insurance rates to married couples. If both of you have good driving records, you can save money on auto insurance by adding your spouse to your policy. This could help offset the cost of increasing coverage if your spouse needs additional protection.

If your spouse has his or her own car, you can get discounted auto insurance via a multi-car policy. If one of you owns a home in Buena Vista VA, you can bundle your home and auto insurance to save on auto insurance costs.

Divorce

On the flip side, divorce could cost you more in auto insurance costs as you would lose both your married and multi-car discounts.

Retirement

Retirement may make you eligible for reduced auto insurance rates due to driving less often and needing less coverage. The less you drive, the lower your risk of having an accident. If you’re a safe driver, you may also qualify for a senior discount on your policy. Some companies give new retirees a break on costs as well. If you complete a defensive driving course (now that you have the time), you could get another reduction on insurance costs.

To learn more about auto insurance options and costs, contact Stonewall Grace Insurance in Buena Vista, VA.  

What is Senior Market Insurance?

Insurance can be difficult to traverse at any age but especially in later years. For those that are of the senior age group, senior market insurance is a subset of typical insurance that is geared specifically toward this age group. For those that live in the Buena Vista, VA area, the agents with Stonewall Grace Insurance can help you to find the right insurance for you no matter your age.

Put as simply as possible, senior market insurance are those insurance coverages that are geared toward what one would typically classify as a senior. This means special insurance coverages that are geared toward those that are around the age of 65 or older. This type of insurance may be special health insurance coverages, life insurance, and more that are all specifically tailored toward older individuals. This type of coverage may have lower deductibles, may tailor to specialists, and more.

For those that are considered seniors, these coverages may also cost less and may even work with things like Medicare and Medicaid dependent on what coverages you have already. This type of coverage is fantastic for those older individuals that may need more coverage but that may not have the ability to use normal coverages. If you are a senior, this type of policy is going to be great for those that do need different coverage than typical policies or that may need something that is going to work with their current Medicare coverages. For those that live in the Buena Vista, VA area and need a bit more help understanding this type of insurance, the agents with Stonewall Grace Insurance can help you to understand and find the coverage that is going to work best for you and for your specific insurance needs and coverages.

Life and disability insurance when you are first starting out

When you begin your first job out of college or trade school, marry, and start a family, the last thing you are likely to think about is dying or suffering a permanent disability that might prevent you from working. But, as Stonewall Grace Insurance, serving Buena Vista, VA notes, death and injury can happen to everyone, even the young and the vigorous, as well as the old and infirm.

A life and disability insurance policy will provide, if nothing else, peace of mind that if something does happen to you, your family will be taken care of. Your not being around or being unable to work, with the attendant medical bills a disability implies, will result in a lot of financial obligations. If you have bought a house, the payout from insurance policy will help with the mortgage. Your children’s education can be taken care of. Of course, your final expenses, including the cost of a funeral and settling any debts, such as a car note or credit card balance, can be dealt with as well.

No one likes to think about death or injury at a young age, which means that younger people often do not even think about life and disability insurance until they are older. Sadly, your younger years are the perfect time to get such a policy. Your premiums are likely to be much lower than if you wait until you are middle-aged or even elderly.

For more information on the life and disability insurance and how such an investment may be suitable for you, feel free to contact Stonewall Grace Insurance serving Buena Vista.

When Is Commercial Auto Insurance Necessary?

Commercial auto insurance in Buena Vista, VA is a policy that is designed for vehicles used for business purposes. Depending on the business, you could need higher liability insurance or additional coverage add-ons to be fully protected. Personal drivers don’t have many of the same car insurance concerns that business do, so they need a different policy.

Businesses will usually have higher liability issues and need higher liability insurance requirements, since businesses will deal with work equipment, employees, and passengers. You need a commercial insurance policy if you are using a vehicle to transport people or goods for a fee, or if you are using your vehicle to perform a service.

A commercial auto insurance policy will generally cover many of the same major things that private individuals purchase, but it will usually have higher limits. There are more add-ons as well that are suited for commercial driving. Coverage will include employees, the business, and equipment. An agent at Stonewall Grace Insurance can help you determine how much coverage you need.

You must meet the state’s liability insurance requirements and these coverage limits may be higher than for regular vehicles. If you don’t own the vehicles you are using for commercial purposes, then you may also have to have collision and comprehensive coverage, which could be required by your lender. There are also other types of insurance to consider. Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage will help protect you if you are involved in an accident with a person who doesn’t have enough insurance or no insurance at all. Personal effects insurance can provide coverage if your or an employee’s personal belongings are stolen. This coverage is usually only up to a certain amount. Emergency roadside insurance can help if you are stranded on the side of the road and can include tire changes, fuel delivery, and battery services.

Contact Stonewall Grace Insurance, serving Buena Vista, VA, to get a quote on commercial auto insurance. 

 

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Electrical Fires?

Homeowners insurance is designed to cover a variety of mishaps that can happen to a home such as wind or hail damage and lightning strikes to name a few. But does it cover electrical fires? In some cases, yes, it will while it won’t in others. Electrical fires have multiple causes and they have to be investigated to find out the cause and if it’s covered by the policy. If the cause is something that isn’t covered by the policy, a homeowner winds up paying out of their own pocket to repair the damage, if possible.

The methods used for wiring homes has changed greatly over the decades along with materials. Not every home has been upgraded properly through the years, resulting in a home that has wiring that’s out of code. One type of wiring setup known as knob and tube may or may not be covered by a policy. The risks of an electrical fire from this type of setup are well-known and the wiring should have been replaced at some point. However, because this kind of wiring was in common use up until the 1950’s, many homes still have it in their walls simply because there was never a need to replace it. 

Aluminum wiring rose in popularity as the drawbacks to the knob and tube wiring became apparent. It weighs less than copper while transmitting the same amount of electricity, making it an attractive alternative. However, connections in older aluminum wiring systems are known to corrode and cause a fire if not caught in time. A homeowners policy may exclude this type of wiring from coverage as well.

Contact Stonewall Grace Insurance to find out about getting a policy that covers electrical fires and other unusual situations. The agency serves the Buena Vista, VA, area and can help homeowners who have older wiring systems find a policy to suit their needs. 

3 Tips for Purchasing Renters Insurance in Buena Vista, VA

There’s no question that Buena Vista, VA is a great place to live, work and play. If you are living here and renting a house or property, you need to take steps to protect it. One of the best ways to do this is by purchasing renters insurance with the help of Stonewall Grace Insurance.

Believe it or not, this process doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. Keep reading to find some helpful tips about buying renters insurance.

Compare Quotes

One of the first things you should do when purchasing renters insurance is to compare quotes. Take some time to get quotes from several different insurance companies and then compare them line by line to see which one offers the most value. This will pay off and help you make the most of the money you spend on the policy.

Bundle

Another important tip to help ensure you get the best renters insurance policy is to bundle your other policies. For example, do you already have car insurance or life insurance with another company? If so, see if they can give you a discount by adding your renter’s policy, too. In many cases, this can help you save a significant amount of money on all of your premiums.

Use a Reputable Agent

One of the best things you can do when buying renters insurance is to use the services of a reputable agent. They will be able to review your needs and ensure you get the policy that best suits you. In the long run, this will help you get the coverage you need for a price you can afford.

If you are ready to purchase renter’s insurance in Buena Vista, VA, contact Stonewall Grace Insurance. They can help you get a policy that meets your needs.

Do I Need Comprehensive Coverage?

Your car is a very important asset and may be a necessity in order for you to get to and from work and other places you need to be. When you are looking for insurance on your car, you will likely find that Buena Vista, VA car owners are only required by law to carry liability insurance. While a basic liability insurance policy is all that is required by law, it often does not provide enough coverage. Instead, you may need to get comprehensive coverage. 

Required By Lender or Lessor

If you have purchased the vehicle using a loan, or are leasing the vehicle, you will undoubtedly need to have a full comprehensive insurance policy. Lenders and lessors will want to make sure that their collateral is properly protected. The comprehensive policy will provide you with protection against theft, vandalism, and a variety of other issues. 

Big Investment 

Another reason why you will need to have a fully comprehensive policy is that it is a big investment when you buy a car. Next to the home that you buy, your car is the biggest purchase an investment that you will ever make. Due to this, you will want to make sure that you have it properly protected. Getting a full collision and comprehensive policy will ensure that you have the necessary insurance coverage that you need to protect your vehicle.

When you are looking for an insurance policy in the Buena Vista, VA area, you should speak with the Stonewall Grace Insurance company. When meeting with the team at Stonewall Grace Insurance, you will receive feedback and support to fully understand your insurance needs. This will help to ensure that you are able to pick a policy that will give you enough protection and peace of mind.