Tips for Decorating Your Dining Room

When it comes to decorating your house on a budget, there are several tips for you to keep in mind. From shopping at thrift stores to going online and doing your shopping, there are more than enough strategies you can follow to help you save money. And best of all, when you take advantage of these strategies, you will be able to select from a vast selection of decorations. Let’s take a quick look at the best tips you can follow for decorating your dining room. 

What look are you going for?

You need to decide beforehand the type of look you are going for before you actually go shopping. For example, if you are wanting to achieve a Tuscan look, then it is helpful to know this as you are shopping both at brick and mortar stores or online. If you are shopping online, you can, of course, take advantage of keywords. When doing an online search for dining room decorations, type in the phrase ‘Tuscan dining room’ and this will give you a massive search results list of stores that sell this type of decoration. 

Select dining room furniture

Some furniture pieces are meant for living room areas while others are meant for dining rooms. This is why it is so important to select dining room furniture when you are wanting to decorate this area of your home. Dining room furniture is designed for the activities that take place in a dining room, so make sure you shop for this type of furniture when you start on your decoration endeavor. 

To learn more about decorating your dining room, as well as about home insurance, please contact Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc serving the Pismo Beach, CA area. 

Keeping Your House Safe While on Vacation

While you may imagine that most burglaries in Pismo Beach, CA take place under the cover of darkness, the fact is that most burglaries take place during the day, when people tend NOT to be home. If you’re on vacation, leaving your house unoccupied around the clock, it becomes even more of a target.

Criminals tend to watch certain neighborhoods and houses, looking for the perfect target.  For an unsuspecting family on vacation, an unprotected house is vulnerable to thieves. To avoid coming home to such a scenario, there are a few precautionary measures you can take.

1.  Hire a House Sitter

There are people who make careers out of house sitting in Pismo Beach CA. These people live in your house, take in your mail, set your security alarm, and many will even take care of your pets. The charge is typically a flat daily rate which is worth it for peace of mind and robbery prevention.

2.  Ask a Friend to Stay Over

If you can’t find a professional house sitter in your area who is available for your next vacation, ask a friend or family member to stay in your house. Have a nephew in college who could use the extra money? A friend who could use a change of scenery?  Reach out and see what kind of feedback you get.

3.  Ask Neighbors to Keep an Eye Out

If having someone stay at the property while you’re away doesn’t work out, ask a neighbor to grab your mail for you and to keep an eye on your house for anything out of the ordinary. Let them know you will gladly return the favor.

You work hard for your belongings. At Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc, we work hard for you, too. Protect your property with excellent home insurance coverage. Our agents are ready to answer all of your questions at Neff & Associates Insurance Services today.

Benefits of Trimming Away Dead Growth in the Autumn Months

During the summer months, it is easy to let your landscaping go. It is so hot that you may not want to get out and prune shrubs or trim trees. However, when it begins to cool, it is time to get caught up again. There are also many benefits to trimming away dead growth in the autumn months. Here are a couple of those benefits.

Can Prevent Water Obstructions

One of the big benefits to trimming away dead growth is that you can prevent water obstructions. You can ensure dead leaves don’t clog your home’s gutters or the channels in the street that guides water to the sewer. Gutter clogs can damage the gutters, your roof and your siding. Street obstructions can cause street flooding. Trimming away dead growth prevents both.

Prevent Hazards From Falling Limbs

The other benefit to trimming away dead growth is that it can prevent hazards due to falling limbs. Falling tree branches or limbs can damage your home or any property underneath. This can be costly to replace or can even total a car parked underneath. Getting rid of dead or damaged branches prevents this issue from happening.

Trimming away dead growth in the autumn months can keep your home safe, minimizing the chance that you will have to file a homeowner’s insurance claim because of it. And speaking of homeowner’s insurance, autumn is a great time to take a look at your policy and ensure it covers everything you need it to. If your policy doesn’t meet your needs, it may be time to start pricing out a new one. If you need help with your homeowners policy, contact Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc, serving the Pismo Beach, CA area. Get help with your policy limits or get a quote today.

Understanding Home Insurance in Pismo Beach

Home insurance normally comes with a lot of papers full of words people never read. While this is perfectly normal, it can also make people feel confused about what they’re getting, and shocked when they do file a claim. Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc serves Pismo Beach, CA and wants you to learn more about it all. 

More Coverage Is Better Coverage 

Your home is likely the single most expensive purchase you’ve made, so losing it to a pile of property damage bills is not the relationships you want to the place where you live. While more coverage is certainly more expensive, that price you pay comes with the benefit of knowing you have somewhere to go (both literally and figuratively) in even the worst situations. Most people don’t have the money to pay for a catastrophe, and it just makes more sense to exercise precaution than hope everything will work out. 

Smaller Companies Can Do More 

Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc sees customers for who they are, not as a policy number or premium bill. When you have the chance to know the person on the other end of the phone, it can make you more likely to be more proactive because you have someone to talk to. When you want straightforward advice and tips, calling our agents can ensure that you get the information you’re looking for and not a sales pitch. It can also be a priceless feeling to know that someone else can take over during what will most certainly be a difficult time trying to get a home back in order. Call us today to find out more about how we do it, and what we can do for the people of Pismo Beach, CA. 

What to Know When Buying Homeowner’s

Purchasing a homeowner’s policy in Pismo Beach, CA protects a person’s investment. In many cases, it’s required by the resident’s mortgage company. It’s a smart idea to have homeowner’s insurance even after your home is paid off. And you there’s more you should know prior to purchasing a policy.

1. Get a Policy Based on the Home’s Value

The policy amount is dependent upon the home’s value. You need coverage that will not only cover damages done to the home itself and the property, but you’ll want to get a policy to cover all of the possessions inside the home as well.

2. Read the Guidelines Thoroughly

When you’re researching and comparing, look at the coverage and restrictions. Sometimes, certain events aren’t covered under a standard policy, and you may require additional coverage. You may experience an emergency that’s not covered if you don’t understand the options thoroughly.

3. Insurance Combined with Escrow

In some cases, the lender requires the homeowner’s policy to be paid through escrow. This is particularly the case with individuals who are at a high risk for not paying monthly payments. It’s sometimes beneficial since the homeowner doesn’t have to worry about when a payment is due. A forgotten or missed payment could cause a lapse in coverage, which is prevented when the payment is made at the same time as the person’s monthly mortgage payment.

4. Know the Minimums

Contact your mortgage company and inquire about the insurance coverage required and the minimums. Discuss with your Pismo Beach, CA agent what’s required by law. This helps determine the bare minimum, and then you can build from there.

To receive a quote or discuss with an agent the ideal homeowner’s insurance policy for you, contact Neff and Associates, serving Pismo Beach, today at 805-773-1710. Our friendly insurance agents will be able to go over you options and help you decide on the right policy to meet your needs.

Increase Closet Space With These Tips

Whether living in a small, one bedroom apartment or a five bedroom home, chances are you wish you had more closet space. While renovating for more closet space likely isn’t an option, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks available for you to take advantage of. At Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc, we want you to take full advantage of your living space, so do so with these different closet space saving tips within your Pismo Beach, CA home. 

Ditch What You Don’t Need

This is step one in clearing out your closet and increasing space. You probably have all sorts of items i your closet you no longer need. It is time to sift through the closet and streamline everything. Look at the clothing you have hanging up. Think about the last time you wore it. If you can’t remember, it means you don’t wear it enough to actually warrant saving it. Donate the clothing or sell it to a second-hand store. 

Take Advantage of the Door

The door is an area of your closet you need to take advantage of . Pick up a shelving unit for the door and it instantly increases your closet space. This includes shoe racks to hangers and hooks. You can decide what you need to place on the door, but whatever it is, you’ll substantially increase your closet space. 

Use the Corners

The corners of a closet are often lost and wasted space. Instead, use a corner shelving unit for this. Plenty of smaller items can go right here without trouble. So, if you have smaller jewelry boxes or items you want easy access to, make sure to grab a corner shelving unit. It will make your closet storage life much easier. 

Homeowners’ Spring Cleaning Tips

The arrival of Spring offers the perfect opportunity for some home maintenance and spring cleaning. It is always wise to use preventive measures to help maintain your property and home the whole year. Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc., serving Pismo Beach, CA offers a few suggestions to help make this spring a safe one.

Outside your home:

  • Repair uneven, broken or cracked walkways and driveways to avoid falls
  • Trim all bushes and trees so they’re safely away from utility wires
  • Cut down any dead trees on your property
  • Clean out all downspouts and gutters to avoid debris accumulation
  • Store all gas and oil for tools and lawn equipment in a locked, vented area

Inside your home:

  • Use fluorescent bulbs instead of high-intensity bulbs. 
  • Make sure that all the light bulbs in your fixtures are the right wattage suggested by the manufacturer
  • Inspect all smoke detectors, and make sure that you have a detector on every floor. Change batteries annually, and test them every month
  • Remove all lint, dust, and fabric material from under your dryer and in the dryer exhaust duct 
  • Replace or clean your furnace filter
  • Make sure you check the water heater for corrosion and leaks
  • Make sure a professional inspects the air conditioning system like the manufacturer recommends
  • Fill and have accessible a fire extinguisher, and check it to make sure it is ready for operation and filled
  • Make sure your extension cords, fuse boxes, and outlets aren’t overloaded. Check for potential fire hazards such as loose fitting plugs or frayed wires.

Finally, Don’t get caught without the level of homeowners insurance coverage you need. Contact us at Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc. today to learn about more ways to protect your home and your family. 

Top Power Outage Essentials

Power outages are more than just an inconvenience, they can change your way of life for hours or even days. Neff & Associates Insurance Services, Inc wants to help you prepare in case of an outage in the Pismo Beach, CA area.

Light Sources

Keep flashlights in several convenient locations within your home. Also, keep a few battery-operated lanterns on hand. These will provide more light than a handheld flashlight. Candles make a suitable source of light in a pinch, but battery-powered light sources are much safer.

Radio

Keep a small battery-operated radio around in case the power fails; this way you can continue to receive updates on the outage. Be sure to keep plenty of batteries around to power your radio and flashlights.

Washing/Bathroom Facilities

If you have a well or septic system, you will need to get creative during an outage. Stock plenty of water—not only for drinking but also for washing and using the restroom. Homeowners with well pumps and septic systems will not be able to run water or flush toilets when the power is out. A good stock of water jugs will get you through an outage, and pouring water into a toilet will force it to flush when there is no power to your well pump.

Sustenance

Keep food on hand that has a significant shelf life and can be eaten with minimal preparation. Protein bars, canned tuna, beans, peanut butter, crackers, and dehydrated fruits can each help provide the carbs, fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins to keep your energy up during the outage.

For more information on how to prepare for a power outage or to find out which types of losses due to an outage may be covered by your homeowners’ insurance policy, call Neff & Associates Insurance Services, Inc today.

Insurance Tips For Your Home Based Business

When you live in Pismo Beach, California and your business is based inside the home, it is important to pay attention to insurance. Your homeowner’s insurance isn’t going to be the only type of policy that is required. There may be several add-ons that you need to consider for coverage and potentially additional policies. This will help to provide financial stability for you as well as your business.

Thing about the various things that go along with your business. You may have:

  • Large inventory
  • Clients visiting
  • Several employees
  • Computers with important data

All of these need to be considered as it is going to help establish what type of business you need.

For example, if you have a large inventory of merchandise, business property coverage can be critical so that you are protected against loss. If you have clients visiting you all the time, general liability coverage may be needed. You will also want to consider data compromise coverage, especially because there are more hackers targeting small businesses than ever before.

The minute you start to hire employees for your home-based business in California, you want to have employment practices liability coverage to protect you against wrongful termination suits and more.

You may also need to consider business interruption coverage so that if there is a fire or tornado, business income could be provided during this time.

All sorts of coverage is out there for your home-based business area when you are looking to purchase insurance, it can be advantageous down with an insurance agent.

Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc is here to help you make smarter decisions about your home-based business, especially when it comes to insurance. Call now and let one of our knowledgeable ages help you every step of the way.

 

 

BBQ In California While Being Safe Around Your Home

If you are going to BBQ at your home in Pismo Beach, it is important to be safe at all times. Your grill is going to be located just outside your home, and if precautions aren’t taken, the smoke and flames that are at your grill could easily affect your home in a negative way.

It doesn’t matter whether you use a charcoal or a gas grill. There are going to be flames periodically, and you want to keep these away from your house. Otherwise, a small fire at your grill could easily take over your entire home. Keep the grill at least 20 feet away and you will reduce any risk of incident.

Gas and charcoal grills alike need to be constantly attended to while in use. You always want to be at the grill, and having a fire extinguisher nearby is a good idea as well.

Clean the grill sufficiently before you turn on the heat. If you have any kind of grease on the burners, it can cause a flare-up and the flames could get higher than you anticipate. It’s also a good idea to empty the grease trap at the bottom periodically so that you don’t encounter additional smoke.

Keep small children away from the grill as well as anything that may be flammable.

Before you put your grill away for the day, be sure that you clean it. It needs to be cool before you clean, such as allowing the briquettes to cool down before you dispose of them. If you cook with gas, turn the gas about to the off position, and don’t cover the grill until everything is completely cool.

Call Neff & Associates today to learn more about homeowners insurance and how best to protect your home in Pismo Beach, California.