We have the best property insurance companies
We have multiple carriers that can insure your home with the best coverage and the best prices. Companies like ASI, Nationwide, Travelers, American Modern, Encompass & more!
As a local home insurance brokerage we cover all the details, get you all the savings and ensure the customer to agent experience you deserve.
Why use a local home owners insurance agent?
Our agency specializes in saving money on home owners insurance in the so that you can put more money in your pockets instead of giving to an insurance company.
Watch the video below
In the video below Adam, agent owner of Blue Bridge, talks about how we have access to the best home insurance companies and how we can get you a great deal on home insurance regardless of your situation.
High-value home insurance
If your home is well above the median house price and you're having a hard time finding insurance at a reasonable rate.
We have insurance carriers who specialize for high value homes have a simple underwriting process to make sure your high value gets high pay out in the event of a claim.
Homeowners insurance for rental property
We have carriers that can bundle rental home insurance up to 36 rental properties to give you the convenience of having all your rental insurance coverages in one place.
Other agencies would never come close to allowing so many rentals on a personal line. This is what sets us apart from all the other home insurance agencies out there.
Empty house insurance
Sometimes things happen and for one reason or another houses have to be vacated. Just because it needs to be vacated does not mean it can't be insured.
With other home insurance agencies you will be hard pressed to find someone who will insure a truly vacant home. However we have carriers who have reasonable rates that can also get you the home insurance coverage you need.
Home insurance even if your home is damaged
So your home is damaged by fire and for some reason or another your home insurance gets dropped without the repairs getting complete. What are you going to do? Believe it or not, we can help.
We have a carrier who will actually insure damaged homes up to a certain extent. I want my agency to truly be a one stop shop for all your home insurance needs.
Get the best property insurance companies for home owners.
Home is the place where you feel secure, safe and make memories. So why not properly protect what protects you? Of course lowering your insurance premium is great, but I have found that it is actually less expensive to pay more in premium and get properly covered then to save a few bucks by skimming on coverage and pay the price later when a claim arises.
With that being said, here are my top tips for homeowners like you in whether you are shopping for a home or currently have a home and are looking to get learn how to get the best insurance coverages at the best price. We have the best insurance companies to get insurance from to protect home owners like you.
These tips are just numbered for organization purposes and not necessarily level of importance. Also, implantation of these tips and their results depend on the carrier you are inquiring about as everyone has different underwriting process and also varies from state to state.
So, in short some may or may not apply. These tips are just my thoughts of how I would approach buying home insurance, it is up to you to do your own research and make the best decision for your situation.
Location affects your home insurance premium
For anyone that knows about real-estate they have certainly heard the phrase "location, location, location". However, this also applies to the home insurance world as well.
For instance, insurance companies want you to be close to a fire station and typically the closer you are to the local fire department the lower your rate will be. The same applies to fire hydrants. The reason for this is basically to reduce the amount of damage as much as possible.
The further the distance from the fire station or hydrant the more time a fire has to cause more damage. I would also make sure before you buy a property to see if it is in a flood zone or not. Flood insurance is only offered by specific carriers and most of the time it is not cheap. It is a substantial additional cost just for being in a flood zone.
Is it a good idea to have earthquake coverage?
This is a tricky endorsement that requires a bit of thought and research on the consumer's part.
For sake of simplicity I will talk about 2 important factors when making a decision on whether to add this endorsement. First, is the deductible. Typically insurance companies have about 5-25% deductibles depending on the company.
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For example, if you have the median house coverage of about $550,000 it means your deductible is approximately between $27,500-$137,000. Obviously this means that the insurance company will only start paying if the damage is worth more than the deductible.
So, for minor damages that occur during an earthquake the insurance company would not pay anything. If you are going to opt into earthquake coverage, please make sure your deductible is affordable and makes sense.
2nd, is premium. Expect to pay about 2-3 times as much or more in annual premium then your ordinary home insurance policy.
So make sure that it makes sense and fits comfortably in your budget. However, in my career, I have yet to see an earthquake policy pay out anything.
Now if you live in one of those expensive houses on the mountain and have a significant threat of land/mudslides or have a similar situation then I actually would recommend looking into earthquake insurance.
So again, if you just need that peace of mind and are willing to pay or have money to pay more than Earthquake might not be a bad idea to add as an endorsement. Do your research and ask a professional to see what your situation needs. Fore more info click here to reach out to your local agent.
Water damage coverages are not all the same
Home insurance policies and what they cover are not all the same. This means that not only do you have the responsibility as a homeowner to save money on premium but you also need to make sure about what the policies cover and don't cover.
For instance some companies cover water damage as result from a hose or sprinkler leaking into your basement while others don't cover that. From what I have seen in my career, water damage claims and wind/hail claims are neck in neck in claim frequency.
So look into the proximity of water damage coverages in your home insurance policy so that there are no surprises that will cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. One point I want to quickly mention is that flooding from rain or snow runoff is not considered as water damage but is considered flood damage which is not covered under your home insurance policy. For more information contact a local home owners insurance with Blue Bridge by clicking here.
Equipment breakdown endorsement
This is an endorsement that you have to inquire about and is not built into the policy automatically. Typically this is a cheap endorsement that covers appliances (meaning AC, Furnace, Fridge, etc.) if they break down you can claim it with a much smaller deductible and it usually does not raise premium if this endorsement is used.
I would only recommend this endorsement if your appliances are fairly new as it doesn't cover appliances that break due to normal wear and tear or are just old. If this endorsement is available with your current carrier and you have new appliances it is a good option.
In my opinion it is far better and cheaper than those expensive home warranties that you are promised when you purchase a house. So if you have an older home and especially older appliances then maybe this wouldn't be the best coverage to add.
Does a wood stove or fireplace affect my home insurance premium?
Insurance companies are not a fan of houses that have wood fireplaces and stoves. As a result, if your house has one, you're most likely paying more in premium because of it.
The obvious reason is because it is a fire hazard if used. So regardless if you use it or not the insurance regards it as a hazard. Then how do you fix it? Convert to a gas fireplace or seal it. If you have a wood stove then just sell it or junk it if you would like.
Most likely you will have to show a picture showing that it has been corrected and they should adjust the premium accordingly. However, if it is something you absolutely have to have, I get it.
A lot of homes have these types of things. The rental property I bought last year had a wood stove in it and it was built in 1985.
You will just have to really find an insurance carrier that will accept it. But keep in mind you will have to pay a bit more premium. If you are shopping for a house or even if you have a house already keep this in mind.
What is personal liability coverage and what can affect it?
This is a very important part of your home owner insurance. This is what pays out in the event if someone tries to sue you due to dog bite, someone falls, other person's stuff gets damaged, swimming pool incidents, etc.
How much insurance should you have in personal liability then? Answer, it depends on how much your net worth is. Sometimes even another layer of protection we call an Umbrella policy is necessary to add to your policy.
If you have further questions I would talk to your current agent or you could even reach out to myself to see what is recommended in your situation.
Some things to consider, certain dog breeds may be restricted from the liability depending on the company and any claims arising from these breeds are not covered.
Also, pools and liability for them may be restricted as well depending on the provider. Most providers that do cover liability for pools have requirements such as having a 6 foot locking fence or a certain pool cover. For more information on this please contact me by clicking here.
Is my fence automatically covered under my home insurance policy?
This one is pretty cut and dry. Check if the home insurance policy covers the fence of the property.
Some carriers may require the fence to be connected to the structure of the house to be automatically covered.
Some carriers may require it be listed separately with its own coverage amount and deductible which will require additional premium.
It might be worth looking into if you live in a windy area and you have a relatively expensive fence.
Are my outbuildings automatically covered under my home insurance policy?
Same principle when it comes to your outbuilding as with the fence. Most of the time you need to list it separately on your home policy with its own coverage amount and deductible which will require additional premium.
However, some carriers do provide automatic coverages for outbuildings at no additional cost but only up to a few thousand.
Is my roof age affecting my home insurance rate
This primarily has to do with wind/hail coverages. The older your roof is the more restrictions an insurer carrier will place on coverages and/or loss settlement. For instance they might change the loss settlement from replacement cost to actual cash value (replacement cost minus depreciation) . Maybe they don't even cover anything if your roof is in rough shape.
Or they might make you have a high deductible. This applies not only to older roofs but also roofs that might be in need of repairs as well. If you have replaced or repaired your roof recently, odds are that you could save money on your home insurance premium if you let your insurance provider know.
If you're shopping for your house keep this in mind as this will save you money when shopping for insurance. I would say that if you live next to the mouth of the canyon with all constant wind or some similar situation you might want to get some great wind and hail coverage.
What a coinsurance clause and how does it work for home owners insurance?
First, what is it? It's an agreement between the insurer and you in which you agree to carry insurance to an amount equal to a specific percentage of the property's replacement cost. This is very important as this clause affects how much the insurance company will pay out in the event of a claim. If you don't satisfy the requirements of this clause the insurance company will penalize you.
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For example, let's say your insurer has an 80% coinsurance clause for property. Let's also say that you have a house that has a replacement cost of $800,000 and a $1000 deductible. This means according to the agreement you must insure the property for at least $640,000 in order to still satisfy the coinsurance requirements.
Then what happens if you drop below that %80? Let's say you're trying to save a few bucks in premium and only wanted to insure it for $400,000. In the event of a total loss of the property, in this case how much do you think the insurer will pay at $400,000 in coverage minus a $1000 deductible? First thought is $399,000 right? Incorrect, the answer is that the company will actually only pay you $249,000 because of penalties.
The formula for this is if you take the insurance carried ($400K) and divide it by required insurance amount ($648K) this gives you %62.5 percent. This is the percentage of the coverage the company will actually pay because you fail to meet the requirements. In this case ($400K x %62.5 = $250K) then minus the $1000 deductible leaves you with $249,000 in actual pay out. So skimming a few bucks in annual premium in this case costs you hundreds of thousands in the end.
I personally recommend purchasing insurance that covers %100 replacement and even going a step further to see if there is an endorsement that gives you even more than %100 just in case costs of building supplies go up. If you have any questions about this feel free to reach out. 385-467-3060
How does switching work if I have an escrow account?
We can definitely take care of that. If you provide us your mortgage information such as loan #, mortgagee clause and mortgagee address we will notify the mortgage company of the switch. We will also add them as mortgagee on your policy per your loan agreement.
Also, since your prior carrier paid in full you will get the refund of unused premium from your carrier since it is your money and you are the insured. With the refund you can use it to pay your new balance with your new policy. Email me by clicking here for more information.
Our home insurance coverage
At Blue Bridge Insurance Solutions we understand that home insurance is definitely not one size fits all. We tailor our services to match your different needs. If your home is high value, a rental, vacant or even damaged we can get coverage for you at a reasonable price.
Our quoting process is extremely simple and we make sure to provide a reconstruction cost estimator with every quote to show exactly what your home costs to rebuild so we can provide adequate home insurance coverage. Since we are a local Utah home insurance agency we know the different types of coverages needed for our clients when it comes to sewer and drain water back up, wind, wildfire and other coverages.
Wind Insurance Coverage
Whether it be blowing off your siding or roof shingles. This coverage is what helps you replace it. Also fences are big ones that I see that are damaged by wind.
However not all insurance companies cover fences and rarely are they automatically included in the policy. Some carriers require you to schedule your fences separately with a different deductible which costs a little more in premium.
I definitely recommend taking a look at your policy and making sure that you have proper wind coverage on your home, fence and outbuildings. Especially if you live next to any canyons in Utah that have a constant wind tunnel effect.
Hail Insurance Coverage
Hail coverage is another essential part of your home insurance coverage. Naturally this covers any damage to siding, roofing, outbuilding and other things as a result of a hail storm.
Typically the deductible for wind is the same deductible for hail. I would say most companies issue hail coverage with $1,500 deductible. Obviously the higher the deductible the more you save on home insurance premium. With most companies you can only adjust your wind & hail deductible at renewal.
So I recommend if you want to play around with your deductible and see how much you save you will have to do it around when your policy renews.
Fire Damage Insurance Coverage
This is one of the most common things you need to consider when purchasing homeowners insurance in Utah. As the name suggests this covers any damage to your home in the event of a fire.
However, the one thing it does not cover is arson. A common question Utah home owners ask especially those that live across the 89 and in Cottonwood Canyon is if there is a wildfire would they be covered.
Yes, it would definitely be covered. However keep in mind that the further you live away from a fire station or even a fire hydrant the more you will pay in premium. The reason for this is because in the event of a fire it takes longer for the fire to be put out thus increasing the damage that could have been averted.
Also, keep in mind that home insurance carriers are starting to shy away from cabins for that reason. So when you are shopping for a cabin high in the mountain it is going to be very difficult and expensive to ensure it.
Water Damage Insurance Coverage
This is one of the more complicated parts of your homeowners insurance. Especially when it comes to understanding what is covered and what is not.
Honestly, a lot of people think that water damage coverage in homeowners insurance is all inclusive. It is definitely not.
For instance if you want water back up coverage for your sewer and drain in your basement you will have to purchase an endorsement for it that will cost additional premium as it is not automatically covered.
Another question I get a lot is does water damage covered under homeowners insurance include rain water? The answer is complicated.
If the rain water touches the ground first and then floods your home insurance companies consider that flooding and it is not covered. You will need to purchase flood insurance for that which I personally do not recommend.
However if rain water starts leaking through your roof and gets into your ceiling, walls, light fixtures and other things it is most likely covered.
However, before purchasing homeowners insurance in Utah be sure to check the different water damage coverages in your policy to be sure of what is and what is not covered.
Personal Property Insurance Coverage
This part of your Utah home owners insurance policy is typically built right into the policy. It covers all the contents of the home if the items are damaged or destroyed in the event of a covered loss occurring.
However, not everything is covered equally. For instance personal property insurance coverage limits coverage to money, jewelry, guns, business property and silverware among other things.
These things can be scheduled to your Utah home owners insurance under the personal property insurance section with a separate deductible and coverage.
This will result in more premium on your home insurance but it is worth it in a lot of cases especially if your spouse has a knack for losing expensive jewelry.
Personal Liability Insurance Coverage
This part of your home owner's insurance is also typically built into your policy. I would say this is one of the more overlooked yet most important parts of your policy.
This is what covers you if someone comes over to your property and gets hurt or something of theirs gets damaged or destroyed and they bring legal action against you.
Some things that can affect your premium and coverage is if you have a pool that is not covered or fence as well as a dog that is a breed not accepted by your insurance company which could result in you having to sign a liability waiver for that particular dog.
Utah personal liability insurance also follows you wherever you go. For example if your kids are in sports it might be good to have higher coverage just in case your child accidently causes severe injury to someone else's child.
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In short, personal liability coverage covers medical bills, legal expenses resulting from lawsuits, negligent acts by you or a household resident that causes property damage or bodily injury to another person and property damage and bodily injury caused by your pet.
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Some exclusions: liability arising out of business being done inside the home that should be on a commercial policy, injuries or damages to you and other household residents, intentional property damages and injuries to another person caused by you or a household resident.
Loss of Use Coverage
Loss of use insurance coverage also known as additional expense insurance is a very important part of your home insurance coverage in Utah.
What happens if your home is completely destroyed or damaged to the point where it is deemed unlivable until repaired or rebuilt completely?
This is where the loss of use coverage comes in. It pays for you to stay in a hotel, rental or temporary apartment until such reconstruction occurs. As you know rebuilding a home or apartment structure does not happen overnight and takes a lot of time.
I recommend looking into how much loss of use coverage you have so that you can access it if it is enough to get you through at least a year of waiting.
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What does loss of use cover specifically in Utah? It covers things like a temporary living space, moving costs, excess of normal groceries & restaurant bills, transportation fees, parking fees, laundry expenses, storage costs and pet boarding.
Identity Theft & Fraud Protection
Utah records show that almost 27,000 people fell victim to identity theft & fraud in 2021 alone. So what can be done about it?
Believe it or not your homeowners insurance has an endorsement that grants identity theft & fraud protection.
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If you fall victim to identity theft or fraud your homeowners could pay up to $25,000 with no deductible for name expenses incurred during the identity restoration process.
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Some name expenses include the following: reimbursement of some fee's involving medical identity fraud, travel expenses, replacement of government issued IDs, lost wages, reasonable attorney fees, identity resolution services and access to a consumer fraud specialist.
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Granted this endorsement is not automatically built into the policy therefore it is not free and has to be added manually. Typically the yearly premium for this endorsement is pretty cheap and is worth it in my opinion.
We have many different property insurance companies that specialize in Utah homes.
Even if your home is in rough shape, already has damage, is vacant or has lapsed coverage we have the carriers to get you covered quick without breaking the bank!