Shepard Insurance Group

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, every year 150 home fires start with holiday lights and other decorative lighting. And another 260 home fires begin with Christmas trees. Before you start stringing up lights check out these tips:

✔Make sure you're using lights that have been safety tested and are appropriate for the way they'll be used (indoor or outdoor usage).
✔Check all of your lights, especially older ones, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections and toss any damaged sets. Inspect your extension cords as well.
✔Consider a programmable timer to your strings of lights to ensure lights are not accidentally left on.
✔Always look up before decorating outdoors. Never raise ladders or extend objects into or near power lines.
✔Always turn off lights when you are not home.
✔Use extension cords that are rated to carry the electrical loads connected to them.
✔To reduce the risk of fire, don’t overload a circuit.

Regularly scheduled maintenance for your home can help you avoid costly repairs. Creating a punch list of things to do in the early Spring and Fall will help you avoid unfortunate damage.

Learn how you can maintain your Spring and Fall punch list.

Semi-Annual Homeowner Maintenance | Preventible As a homeowner, it is important to keep up with home maintenance, and reading the following tips can help you prevent costly repairs in the future.

Elsa, Henri, and Ida are long past, but the recovery from the flood claims linger. This creates a substantial hurdle for the real estate market. Insurance companies are working hard to understand climate change, and water damage is at the fore front. Here's what you need to know.

Water Damage Claims | Shepard Insurance Group Weather Related Storms in 2020 Impacting 2021 Home Insurance Rates. Premium rate increases are no small change.The $21 Billion claim weather disasters in 2020 have the home insurance providers reacting. And it is not small potatoes!