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Home Renovations & Insurance

Home renovations can be a great way to build value in your home and make it your own. However, you can get so busy with renovations and the day-to-day details of life that you may forget to inform your insurance company, which could have serious implications. As many as 64% of ...

About those Earthquake Drills...!

So, really, when was the last time you did an earthquake drill? 1 year ago? 5 years ago? More!? It may seem redundant, but we swear we learn something new every time we engage with an earthquake drill. When the ground starts to shake, what do you do? If it involves a ...

If a tree falls on your house, are you covered?

Standard homeowners insurance covers different kinds of tree disasters! If a tree hits your home or other insured structure, such as a detached garage, your standard homeowners insurance policy covers the damage to the structure, as well as any damage to the contents. This is true for trees felled by ...

A jolting reminder!

Were you woken up by that earthquake this morning!? We certainly were! Did you know Santa Rosa actually has a fault beneath it that's approximately one-quarter mile wide one mile long? Dubbed the Rodgers Creek Fault, until recently its exact location was obscured by urban development. In the image ...

We're not on the other side of wildfire season yet!

These cooler, gray mornings and turning trees have it feeling like fall! While the cooler temperatures may give the impression of lessening fire risk, we just want to remind you that we're not on the other side of wildfire season just yet. "The Dixie and Caldor fires continue ...

Your Financial Go-Bag

A quick checklist to get your financial ducks in a row in case of a disaster. Include this as part of your larger disaster preparedness plan for your household. We recommend storing these important documents either in a safety deposit box, an external drive or on the ...

10 hikes to take this Labor Day Weekend in Sonoma County

Our hearts are heavy with the losses experienced in the Dixie and Caldor fires. We thought we all could use a little levity in this week's blog, especially with a holiday weekend approaching and these shockingly clear skies. Provided the skies remain clear of smoke during another heartbreaking wildfire season, ...

"Watch Duty", A Community Wildfire App

Have you heard of the new app, Watch Duty? We've been hearing whispers about it from friends and community members alike. Developed specifically for those of us in Sonoma, Lake, and Napa counties, it's built to facilitate telecommunications and alerts regarding wildfire activity of all sizes. From the ...

Protect Your Lungs from Wildfire Smoke

Wildfire smoke can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It can make you cough and wheeze, and can make it hard to breathe. If you have asthma or another lung disease, or heart disease, inhaling wildfire smoke can be especially harmful. Staying indoors and reducing physical activity are the ...

Tips to help keep your car running properly in the summer heat

This summer, drivers in the U.S. are taking more long trips than they were before the pandemic, according to the Maryland Transportation Institute. While the high temperatures of summer—on their own—can pose a threat to your vehicle’s working condition, hazards are heightened when more vehicles ...

Leaving Your Home During Fire Season

There's plenty of articles discussing how to avoid fires during your summer travel plans, but what about for those of us that live in these fire prone regions? How can we feel comfortable leaving our home, full of our belongings, during fire season? 1. Bring the absolute essentials with you. ...

How to Avoid the Leading Cause of Home Damage

For most of us, when we think about the causes of severe water damage to our homes, we think about extreme weather like a hurricane or torrential rains. But the unfortunate reality is that extensive damage is often the result of ordinary household plumbing systems and appliances that fail – and ...