The first day of fall is officially here! In Illinois, that means cooler temperatures, changing leaves, football weekends, pumpkin patches, and the reminder that winter really isn’t that far away.
While most of us are thinking about swapping out summer clothes, decorating the house, or getting the yard ready for colder weather, fall is also a great time to give your insurance coverage a quick seasonal checkup.
At Langlois Insurance Agency, we believe insurance shouldn’t be something you only think about when there’s a claim. Taking a few minutes to review your coverage before the seasons change can help make sure your home, vehicles, and family are properly protected.
1. Get Your Home Ready for Fall and Winter
Illinois weather can change quickly. Fall is the perfect time to take care of basic home maintenance before freezing temperatures, snow, and ice arrive.
Clean leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts, inspect your roof for missing or damaged shingles, check windows and doors for drafts, and make sure outdoor faucets and plumbing are prepared for freezing temperatures.
It’s also a good time to test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries if needed.
From wind and hail to frozen pipes and falling trees, colder months can bring a different set of risks for Illinois homeowners.
2. Review Your Homeowners Insurance Coverage
Have you made improvements to your home this year? Finished a basement? Remodeled a kitchen? Added a deck, shed, pool, or other structure?
Changes to your home may mean changes should be made to your homeowners insurance.
It’s also important to periodically review your dwelling coverage and replacement cost. Construction costs can change significantly over time, and the amount you paid for your house isn’t necessarily the amount it would cost to rebuild it after a major covered loss.
A trusted insurance agent at Langlois Insurance Agency can help you review your homeowners policy and determine whether your current coverage still makes sense.
3. Don’t Forget About Your Auto Insurance
Fall driving in Illinois brings its own challenges. Days become shorter, wet leaves can make roads slippery, deer activity increases, and before we know it, we’ll be dealing with freezing temperatures, ice, and snow.
This is a good time to make sure your vehicles are properly insured and that you understand your auto insurance deductibles, liability limits, comprehensive coverage, and collision coverage.
And if you have a newer driver heading to school, a college student with a vehicle, or you’ve recently purchased or replaced a car, make sure your insurance agent at Langlois Insurance Agency knows about those changes.
4. Take a Look at Your Liability Protection
Fall often means gatherings, football parties, bonfires, Halloween visitors, and friends and family spending more time at your home.
That makes this a great time to review your personal liability coverage.
For many families, a personal umbrella insurance policy can provide an additional layer of liability protection above the limits of their underlying home and auto policies. Umbrella insurance can be especially worth discussing if you have significant assets or exposures such as a swimming pool, teenage drivers, recreational vehicles, or rental properties.
5. Fall Is Also a Great Time to Review Your Life Insurance
Insurance isn’t only about protecting the things you own. It’s also about protecting the people who depend on you.
If you’ve gotten married, welcomed a child, purchased a home, changed jobs, experienced a significant income change, or simply haven’t reviewed your life insurance in several years, now is a good time to take another look.
Ask yourself one important question:
If something unexpected happened to me, would my family have enough financial protection in place?
Life insurance needs can change throughout different stages of life. A quick conversation with a licensed insurance professional at Langlois Insurrance Agency can help you determine whether your current coverage still fits your family’s needs.
Start Fall With an Insurance Checkup
You don’t necessarily need to change your insurance every year. In fact, sometimes a review simply confirms that you’re already in a good place.
But insurance shouldn’t be a “set it and forget it” purchase, either.
As we welcome another beautiful Illinois fall, take a few minutes to make sure the coverage protecting your home, vehicles, assets, and family has kept up with your life.
Langlois Insurance Agency has been helping individuals and families protect what matters most for more than 40 years. As a locally owned, family insurance agency, we’re proud to serve our neighbors throughout the Lincoln-Way area and surrounding Illinois communities.
Have a question about your homeowners, auto, umbrella, business, or life insurance?
Call Langlois Insurance Agency at 815-485-2106. We always love hearing from our customers and would be happy to help review your insurance coverage.
The information provided in this blog is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered insurance or legal advice. Insurance coverage, exclusions, limits, and eligibility vary by policy and carrier. Always review your specific policy and discuss your individual insurance needs with a licensed insurance professional.