Lower Your Homeowner’s Insurance

Below are some steps to reduce your insurance premium without losing coverage. I thought this might be helpful to many East Orlando homeowners, so I copy and pasted the article below:

5 Ways to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance
By TC Thorn

1. Shop around and compare
Just because you’ve been with the same insurance company for a while, that doesn’t mean you have to stay with them. In this day and age, it’s easy to use the Internet to compare rates and coverage between different companies. Call insurers or browse their web sites to see what they are offering for homeowners in your area. You can also contact your state insurance department, which may list the prices of the major insurers in your state.
2. Ask about discounts based on loyalty.
If you never ask your insurance company for a discount, you’ll never get one. But if you’ve been a customer for more than three years, you might be able to negotiate a 5% discount on your premium. Some insurers will give you a 10% discount if you’ve been with them more than six years. Don’t be afraid to let them know you’re shopping around and comparing them with other insurers. It’s very likely they’ll be willing to lower their rates a bit to keep you on board.
In addition, some insurance companies will cut your rates if you’re over 55, so make sure and contact them if you’ve had a birthday and reached this magic number. You could get a discount of as much as 10-15%.
3. Home security can lead to a discount.
Another way you might qualify for a discount is if you’ve installed a home security system. Insurers know this means you’re less likely to be the victim of a crime, so they’re less likely to have to make a big pay out to you. You don’t necessarily have to install a big alarm system with lots of gizmos and sirens. You may be able to get a discount simply by letting the insurance company know you’ve added smoke detectors, dead-bolt locks, locks for your windows, timers for your lights, and motion-sensing outdoor lights.
4. Raise your deductible for a smaller monthly payment.
Homeowners insurance has many of the same rules as car insurance, and one of them is that if you’re willing to pay a higher deductible (this means the amount you’re willing to pay yourself in the event of a break-in, fire, natural disaster, etc.), they’ll charge you less each month. Simply increasing your deductible from $500 to $1,000 can cut your premium by 25%.
5. Bundle your insurance plans.
Many companies will offer a 5-15% discount if you use them for all your insurance needs (i.e. homeowners insurance and auto insurance). This will likely turn out to be cheaper than having separate policies for everything you want to insure.
Visit the author’s home security web site for more information on homeowners insurance.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TC_Thorn

Avalon Park 1st Readers Club

Due to budget cuts, I have more or else eliminated my trips to Starbucks and have had to make due with my best at-home interpretation- Prattbucks. However, as a special holiday treat, I visited our local Starbucks at Timber Springs (just outside Avalon Park) and noticed a bulletin… we have a local reading group that meets at Starbucks monthly.

This month’s book discussion is about The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. Come and discuss this book and make some new friends tomorrow, Sunday the 21st, at 6pm. For more information, click on the following link:

Avalon Park 1st Reader’s Club

Cover Florida Health Insurance Begins January 5th

Well, something is better than nothing, I suppose. Six health insurance companies have partnered with Florida to offer qualifying residents low cost insurance. There are a range of plans from which to choose costing around $50-$300 per month. These plans offer fewer benefits and higher deductibles so you will have to shop to see which plan works for your needs.

For information about these low cost health insurance plans, click on the link below:

Cover Florida Health Insurance

East Orlando Single Family Home Sales for November 2008

Postal Code 32828	09/2008	10/2008	11/2008
Number of Sales	47	40	43
Median Sales Price	$236,000	$231,500	$232,750
Median Sales Price per Sq Ft	$101	$101	$94
Active Listings	563	560	566
New Listings	100	102	89
Median Days on Market	102	90	94

EAST ORLANDO HOME BUYERS:
There are still plenty of homes currently listed at or below current market value, and with rates below 6%, now is the perfect time to buy in East Orlando. Email me at WaterfordLakes@yahoo.com and lets go over the figures to find you the most home for the least amount of money!

EAST ORLANDO HOME SELLERS:
If you are serious about selling, contact me for a free comparative market analysis of your home. Let me sell your home at a discounted brokerage fee and a listing agreement of 90 days. Just mention that you are a www.EastOrlandoLife.com reader. If you are unsatisfied with my performance, you may cancel our listing agreement at any time- no charge to you whatsoever.
My promise to you is to provide you with personalized service, consistent contact, and to do what it takes to reach our ultimate goal- to get your home sold!

Holiday Gift Ideas Around East Orlando Under $25

Here are some low cost gift ideas, all available at Waterford Town Lakes Center. Please feel free to share your gift ideas in the comment section below!

Chocolates:  Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

  These sugar-free favorites are $18.50

Christmas Ornament:  Hallmark

  Many Disney ornaments from which to choose. Tinkerbell is $15.00

Hat and Scarf:  Claire’s

     Lots for the girl on your list at this store! Hat and Scarf with jewel pendant are $12.00 each

Pedicure Set:  Ulta

  Ladies can keep their feet looking their best. $18.74

Sandisk Cruzer:  Best Buy

  Back up and Transport your computer files with ease! $24.99

Avalon Park Aglow Holiday Parade and Festival

Avalon Park’s annual winter festival opens today with a parade featuring Santa Claus!
Your family and friends are invited to enjoy the festivities begining at 4pm. Hot apple cider, amusement rides, live music, and great food will be available! A fireworks show will begin at 9p.m.

Breakfast with Santa at Waterford Lakes Town Center

The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County will host its Eleventh Annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 7:30am-11:00am in the Waterford Lakes Town Center.
In addition to Santa, the event will feature an all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast with juice, coffee, and hot chocolate. Various orchestras, chorus teams, and dance teams will be performing from local schools. For an additional charge children can have their photo taken with Santa and create their own plaster masterpiece.

One hundred percent of the funds raised from this event are returned to the community through our service leadership programs.

Wristbands for Breakfast with Santa are $5 for adults and $3 for children and can be pre-ordered from any Kiwanis member, through any school Kiwanis club (K-Kids in elementary schools, Builders Club in middle schools, Key Club in high schools, and Circle K Club at UCF), or by calling 321-229-2642.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. For more information on the East Orange County Kiwanis Club, visit http://www.eastorangecountykiwanis.org/.

$10 Off Coupon for Macy’s

Below is a link for a $10 off coupon to use at Macy’s. The coupon is good for a $25 purchase tomorrow, Saturday December 6th, until 1:oo pm only.

Macy’s Store Coupon

Waterford Lakes, East Orlando Florida, Homes Sales for November 2008

 

Address	Sq. Ft.	Listing price	Sold date	Sold price
404 Lexingdale Dr.	2050	210,000	11/21	185,000
512 Sherburn Ct.	2356	199,000	11/24	197,000
675 Lakehaven Dr.	2751	250,000	11/25	250,000
13537 Ivy Brooke Ln.	2110	252,000	11/06	252,000

For more information regarding real estate in East Orlando, please contact me via email at : Your East Orlando Real Estate Agent – Waterford Lakes