What is Replacement Value?

Replacement value is the cost of a brand-new replacement for a lost, stolen, or damaged item.

If you have Replacement Cost Value (RCV) coverage, your policy will pay the cost of a brand-new replacement. If you have Actual Cash Value (ACV) coverage, you’ll get the cost of your replacement or repairs up to the depreciated value of your asset. At Green Family Insurance Inc., serving Springfield and all of Central Illinois, we write insurance for the replacement value of cars, homes, boats, and personal property of all kinds.

What’s the difference?

Let’s consider the story of two families, the Smiths and the Joneses.

Both families experienced $25,000 worth of hail damage to their roofs. The Smiths have Replacement Cost Value (RCV) coverage, and the Joneses have Actual Cash Value (ACV) coverage.

Let’s suppose both families have a $1,000 deductible. The Smiths will receive $24,000 for roof repairs and replacement. That’s the $25,000 in damage minus the $1,000 deductible. The Joneses won’t. Suppose their roof was already 20 years old, and the shingles were rated to last just 25 years. And let’s suppose they paid $10,000 for their roof 20 years ago.

The value of their roof would have already depreciated $8,000 over the last 20 years. (The math is $10,000 minus depreciation of 1/25 of the original roof cost times the roof’s age.)

Even if the roof is repaired, it would only be worth $2,000. Their insurance policy has a $1,000 deductible, so they would only get $1,000.

Some of your possessions become more valuable with age, but most of them don’t. In most situations, you want to be sure that your insurance covers replacement value, not depreciated value.

Wherever you live in Central Illinois, Green Family Insurance Inc. can ensure you get the coverage you need. Call us today!

Things home insurance covers and some it doesn’t

Home insurance provides a variety of different types of coverage. It protects your home, its content, offers liability coverage, and loss of use. At Green Family Insurance Inc. in Illinois, we encourage our customers to read their home insurance policy so that they are fully aware of the coverage and the exclusions. 

Home Insurance Coverage

Property

Home insurance covers your home from a variety of perils. It also covers other structures on your property. This includes sheds, garages, decks, and porches. 

Content

The things that you own are covered by your content coverage. It is most often figured at half of the value of the building itself. You have the option of choosing the value of the items today or what it would cost to replace them. It is important that you have a home inventory and appraisals for any of your more valuable items. 

Floods

Traditional home insurance does not cover floods that are caused by surface water. If your pipes burst, that will be covered but if the creek overflows it isn’t covered. You can however get flood insurance to provide the protection you need. 

Earth movement

Earth movement is not covered by home insurance. This includes earthquakes, sinkholes, mudslides, and landslides. You can however get coverage with an endorsement or an additional policy. 

Some dogs

Not all dogs are covered by your home insurance. When you get a new dog, you should talk to your insurance agent to determine if your dog will be covered. 

Damage due to owner neglect

If your home is damaged by neglect, the insurance won’t pay for it. You need to maintain your home. 

We Are Here To Help

When you need exceptional service and the choices provided by an independent insurance agent at Green Family Insurance Inc. in Illinois we are here to help. Give our office a call or stop by. 

Home Insurance: Who Needs it and Why?

If you live in the state of Illinois and are thinking of becoming a homeowner, you might wonder whether you need homeowner’s insurance. Our team of insurance experts at Green Family Insurance Inc can provide you with a guide. Here we talk about the reasons homeowner’s insurance might be a good idea, and who it would benefit.

What factors determine home insurance?

  • Location: Some states require you to have home insurance, but the state of Illinois is not one of those states.

  • Construction: This refers to the materials that your house was built out of.

  • Age of the house: Is your house newly built, or is it an older house with upgrades?

  • Replacement costs: This means how much it will cost to rebuild the same house. This is usually assessed by an appraiser.

  • Swimming pool: If you have a swimming pool, costs might be higher because of the extra liability of owning a swimming pool.

  • Home-based business: a home-based business usually has more equipment that needs to be covered, so the cost might be higher to cover the extra equipment.

  • Coverage: The type of coverage and the policy that you choose will determine how much the homeowner’s insurance will cost.

Even if homeowner’s insurance is not required by the state of Illinois, your lender still might require you to purchase it before you sign with them.

What is covered by standard homeowner’s policies?

  • Personal property coverage

  • Personal liability and medical payment to others

  • Dwelling (property damage to home)

  • Wind/ hail

  • Hurricane damage

  • Additional living expenses/ loss of rent

  • Damage from tornados

Give Us A Call

Stop by or contact us here at Green Family Insurance Inc. in Illinois if you have any insurance needs, questions, or concerns.

Benefits of comprehensive homeowner’s insurance

The team at Green Family Insurance Inc. is here to serve the insurance needs of the state of Illinois. If you are living in this state and would like to learn more about how to protect your home, give us a call today!

Why comprehensive home protection is the right choice for many

A comprehensive home policy provides a lot more than your simple basic policy. If it’s time for you to review your policy, you may be surprised at all of the options that are now available. In fact, we encourage all of our clients to review their policies on a regular basis. As your home appreciates and as you build more equity, your insurance needs will also change. Don’t wait to find out that your current policy no longer provides the coverage you need!

With a comprehensive policy, you can enjoy features and benefits such as reimbursement if you are displaced. If your house becomes uninhabitable due to a covered event, your homeowner’s policy can help defray the cost of alternative housing. This can be a great relief when you are dealing with a catastrophic event that causes severe damage to your home and displaces your family.

Our homes are likely the largest financial investment that we make in our lifetimes, and it only makes sense to protect this asset now and well into the future!

Protect your home today!

Green Family Insurance Inc. is here to provide residents living in the state of Illinois with all of their insurance needs. If you want to learn more about how you can protect your home, give our office a call today!

Illinois Residents: Why Homeowners Insurance is Essential

If you’re a resident of Illinois, you know what a wonderful state it is to live in.  Homeownership can be one of the greatest accomplishments of a person’s life — and it should be treated like the huge investment that it is. 

Homeowners Insurance in Illinois

As an Illinois resident, you’ve most likely experienced the storm seasons that can cause damage to homes and anything else in its path. In order to protect yourself from this kind of natural, unpredictable damage, maintaining a quality homeowner’s insurance policy is essential. 

If you’ve owned your home for a few years or more, the team at Green Family Insurance Inc. always recommends doing a full review to ensure you have the coverage you need to protect your assets.

In the event of a loss, homeowner’s insurance will ensure that you are financially covered. Meaning, if any damage occurs to the actual home and your belongings inside the home, insurance will often cover the financial loss associated with damages. 

Because we can’t predict damage or other unforeseen events, insurance provides the peace of mind that "just in case" something does happen, you won’t suffer a huge financial loss to complete repairs and otherwise rectify the situation.

Whether someone is injured on your property or your home is damaged in a fire or storm, insurance protects you as the owner. Financial support is key in these scenarios, so make sure you are covered. 

As a homeowner, it’s still your responsibility to verify that your homeowner’s insurance offers the coverage you need. Reach out to Green Family Insurance Inc. and together, we can review your policy, identify any gaps in your coverage, and get you the updated policy you need. We’re just one phone call away!

How divorce affects your home insurance

Divorce raises many questions that can leave you more frustrated, sad, stressed, and confused. One of the main questions is what happens to your homeowner’s insurance policy and whether you will change ownership after the divorce or not. Fortunately, you don’t need to make any significant changes if you live in your Illinois home after the divorce as the primary policyholder.

If your spouse is leaving with some belongings, changes will have to be made.

If the court ordered a split of the family property, you might need to make changes to your contents coverage and remove the items departing with your spouse. Your Illinois insurance company will also need to adjust your rates accordingly. At Green Family Insurance Inc., we specifically go through your entire policy and ensure that it is correctly updated.

Your rates may go up.

Your rates could go up based on the discounts you received before the divorce. For instance, if you and your partner received discounts for combining multiple policies for auto and home, you may end up losing the discount if you buy a separate policy and fail to bundle again.

You can unlist your spouse if you are the primary policyholder.

If you want to remove your ex-spouse from your policy, you can do so by providing the divorce decree to your insurance company. However, if the court requires the two of you to live in the same house, it’s best to keep the coverage the way it is.

You cannot make any changes to the policy if you are not the primary policyholder.

If your spouse was the primary policyholder, you might want to request them to remove their names and make you the primary policyholder. If that seems impossible, you can still keep them and make the payments on their behalf.

If you are separating from your spouse, take your time, and learn the changes that need to be made. Our agents at Green Family Insurance Inc. are also available and willing to help. Feel free to ask any questions. We are only a call away!

Is it time to upgrade your home insurance policy?

Home insurance renewal is often automatic, and the previous policy simply rolls over to a new term. Unfortunately, this process can leave you underinsured in the event of a covered incident. If you have owned your home for several years or more, it’s time for a complete policy review. The team at Green Family Insurance Inc. is here to guide residents in the state of Illinois. We can assist you with your annual policy review and help identify any gaps that there may be in your policy. Many clients are surprised by their need for a new policy or coverage levels.

Avoid Being Underinsured

Having a homeowner’s policy that doesn’t fully meet the needs of you and your family can cause many problems if you should experience loss or damage from a covered event. In most areas of Illinois, home values increase on a reasonably regular basis, and it’s important that your coverage keeps pace. Without adequate insurance, you can be the responsible party for the cost of repair or replacement if your home is damaged in a covered event. This situation is easy to prevent with a regular review of your home insurance policy. An increase in coverage may also be necessary if you have made significant improvements to your home, with projects such as putting in a new kitchen or updating the bathrooms in your house. Don’t let an inadequate policy cause you headaches down the road!

Is it time to review your home insurance policy for completeness? The team at Green Family Insurance Inc. serves the state of Illinois and is here to meet all of your home insurance needs. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment for a complete policy review. You’ll be glad you did!