If you own a house in North Carolina, you can protect your investment and your finances by covering it with a suitable homeowners insurance policy. North Carolina homeowners insurance can cover:

• Property damage: Your policy’s dwelling insurance covers the structure of your home, while its contents insurance covers your personal property.  
• Extra living expenses due to displacement: Your policy’s loss of use insurance covers your extra living expenses if you are forced to seek alternate accommodations due to damage to your home caused by a covered event.
• Costs related to liability lawsuits: Your policy’s homeowners liability insurance covers expenses related to personal liability lawsuits if you or a member of your household accidentally cause someone else to suffer injuries, property damage, financial losses, or other harm.

A local independent insurance agent can offer advice about how much coverage is sufficient in each category and can help you rest assured that the policy you choose is one that offers the protection you want at a competitive price.

In North Carolina, all vehicle owners must carry a car insurance policy that meets or exceeds the state’s minimum coverage requirements. This means your policy must include:

• Auto liability insurance: This covers other people’s property damage if you are at fault for a collision. Your policy needs to provide, at a minimum:
  • Bodily injury liability coverage: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability coverage: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist insurance (UM): This can pay for property damage and medical bills that exceed what your PIP insurance can cover if you are in a collision caused by an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver. Your policy needs to include, at a minimum:
  • UM bodily injury coverage: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident
  • UM property damage coverage: $25,000 per accident

In addition to the required coverage mentioned above, your insurance company is likely to offer several options such as collision insurance, comprehensive insurance, medical payments, gap insurance, and towing and roadside assistance. Talk to a local independent insurance agent to learn more.

No matter how large or small your business, a business insurance policy can offer beneficial protection. Many small business owners have the option of buying coverage either through a business owners policy (BOP) or a traditional business insurance policy package.

• Business owners policy: Small, low-risk businesses often qualify for a BOP. These policies are the least expensive option, but only provide general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and business interruption insurance and have relatively low coverage limits.
• Business insurance policy package: Medium- and large-sized companies and businesses with high liability risks will need to obtain coverage through a business insurance policy package. Business owners can tailor their insurance to their company’s specific coverage needs by picking and choosing from a wide variety of liability, property, and other commercial insurance products.

If you are among the many business owners in North Carolina, you can consult a local independent insurance agent for help finding suitable coverage at a competitive price.

If an employee gets hurt on the job or is diagnosed with occupational illnesses, workers’ compensation insurance can help by covering their medical treatment, disability pay, vocational rehabilitation, and other related expenses.

With very few exceptions, all North Carolina businesses that have at least three employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. If your business operations involve the use or presence of radiation, you must carry this coverage regardless of how many employees you have.

Policies may be purchased from a commercial insurance provider that is authorized to write workers’ compensation policies in North Carolina. With approval, qualified businesses may self-insure. A local independent insurance agent can help you find a plan.

Naturally, nobody likes to think about dying, but if you have family that depends on you, the financial impact your death could have on them is something to consider.

By purchasing life insurance, you can ensure that those you leave behind are taken care of. Depending on your life situation, you may want to purchase a small policy that is sufficient to settle your estate and cover your burial costs, or you may want to purchase a large policy that will ensure that your spouse and children can live comfortably for years in the absence of your income.

Whatever your reasons for buying life insurance, an independent agent can help you decide the type of policy that is best for you and can provide you with customized quotes from competing insurers. That way, you can be sure you are getting the coverage you want at a price you can afford. Talk to a local independent insurance agent to learn more.

There are a few landlords and rental agencies in North Carolina that require tenants to have renters insurance. However, this coverage is, more often than not, optional.

Regardless of whether you are required to carry it, renters insurance is almost always a good idea. This surprisingly affordable coverage is designed to shield you from financial losses related to things like property damage, theft, displacement, and liability lawsuits.

In North Carolina, the average renters insurance policy costs just $157 a year. That is only $13 a month for the peace of mind a policy can offer you. Talk to a local independent insurance agent to learn more about what renters insurance can do for you.

Umbrella insurance is secondary insurance designed to significantly boost the liability protections provided by the policies you already have. Because coverage does not kick in unless your primary insurance’s liability coverage has been exhausted, umbrella policies are usually very affordable.

Umbrella policies are available for individuals and businesses in North Carolina. Personal umbrella insurance policies are typically sold in million-dollar increments at a cost of about $200 to $300 a year for every million dollars in coverage purchased. Commercial umbrella insurance policies typically cost about $500 a year for every million dollars in coverage purchased.

Talk to a local independent insurance agent to get more information about umbrella insurance.

Some of the damaging hazards most likely to affect residents of North Carolina include:

• Severe weather: Such as windstorms, thunderstorms, tropical storms, hurricanes, and harsh winter weather
• Falling objects: Such as uprooted trees, fallen branches, and hailstones
• Fires: Including flames, smoke, and damage caused by firefighting efforts
• Floods: Around 14% of properties in North Carolina are at risk for flood damage
• Property crimes: Such as burglary, vandalism, and arson

Independent agents live and work in your community so they are aware of the risks you face as a property owner in your North Carolina city. Talk to an independent insurance agent near you for help ensuring that you are suitably covered against all potential risks.

More than 600,000 properties in North Carolina have a risk of sustaining significant flood damage over the next 30 years. However, most homeowners, renters, and business insurance policies exclude coverage for damage caused by floods, even when the flooding is the direct result of a covered hurricane or tropical storm.

The good news is that North Carolina residents can protect themselves by supplementing their property coverage with flood insurance. Affordable policies are available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a program administered by FEMA.

Unless your property is located in a flood zone and you are still paying on a mortgage, flood insurance is optional. When deciding whether or not to purchase a policy, consider that the average compensation per flood claim in North Carolina is $24,600. Talk to an independent insurance agent about getting flood coverage for your home.

Insurance agents who live and work in your community are aware of the risks you face as a resident of your North Carolina city. That’s why it pays to work with someone local rather than shopping for coverage through a website.

Local independent agents are available to ensure that you are covered by suitable policies and that you are getting your coverage at a competitive price.

Talk to an independent insurance agent near you to learn more about your insurance coverage options and to start comparing customized quotes from some of the best insurance companies in North Carolina. With nearly 700 independent agencies located throughout the state, it should be easy to find an experienced agent near you.