616Homes.com https://616homes.com/blog/tag/insurance/ 616 Homes - Grand Rapids Real Estate Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:09:11 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://616homes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/cropped-Sniply-1-32x32.jpg Insurance Archives - 616Homes.com https://616homes.com/blog/tag/insurance/ 32 32 121259007 Think Like an Investor, Even If This Is Your Forever Home https://616homes.com/blog/think-like-an-investor-even-if-this-is-your-forever-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/think-like-an-investor-even-if-this-is-your-forever-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What Would You Do If You Had to Move in 90 Days? https://616homes.com/blog/what-would-you-do-if-you-had-to-move-in-90-days/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-would-you-do-if-you-had-to-move-in-90-days/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why Some Homes Sell in Days and Others Sit for Months https://616homes.com/blog/why-some-homes-sell-in-days-and-others-sit-for-months/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-some-homes-sell-in-days-and-others-sit-for-months/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Buying a Home Starts Before House Hunting https://616homes.com/blog/buying-a-home-starts-before-house-hunting/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/buying-a-home-starts-before-house-hunting/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why Waiting for the Market to Settle Usually Costs More https://616homes.com/blog/why-waiting-for-the-market-to-settle-usually-costs-more/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-waiting-for-the-market-to-settle-usually-costs-more/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Presentation Beats Renovation: Why Clean, Staged, and Well-Positioned Homes Win https://616homes.com/blog/presentation-beats-renovation-why-clean-staged-and-well-positioned-homes-win/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/presentation-beats-renovation-why-clean-staged-and-well-positioned-homes-win/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The New Commute in Real Estate: How Remote Work Changed What “Location” Means https://616homes.com/blog/the-new-commute-in-real-estate-how-remote-work-changed-what-location-means/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-new-commute-in-real-estate-how-remote-work-changed-what-location-means/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Navigate a Changing Real Estate Market: The Market Isn’t Good or Bad — It’s Different https://616homes.com/blog/navigate-a-changing-real-estate-market-the-market-isnt-good-or-bad-its-different/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/navigate-a-changing-real-estate-market-the-market-isnt-good-or-bad-its-different/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Right Order to Make Home Decisions https://616homes.com/blog/the-right-order-to-make-home-decisions/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-right-order-to-make-home-decisions/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The 8 Seconds You’ll Love a Home https://616homes.com/blog/the-8-seconds-youll-love-a-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-8-seconds-youll-love-a-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Prepare Emotionally to Sell Your Home https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-prepare-emotionally-to-sell-your-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-prepare-emotionally-to-sell-your-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How Life Stages and Real Estate Decisions Matter More Than the Economy https://616homes.com/blog/how-life-stages-and-real-estate-decisions-matter-more-than-the-economy/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-life-stages-and-real-estate-decisions-matter-more-than-the-economy/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Renovate or Leave It Alone? How to Decide What Actually Pays Off https://616homes.com/blog/renovate-or-leave-it-alone-how-to-decide-what-actually-pays-off/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/renovate-or-leave-it-alone-how-to-decide-what-actually-pays-off/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Buyer-broker agreements: what buyers need to know now before touring https://616homes.com/blog/buyer-broker-agreements-what-buyers-need-to-know-now-before-touring/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/buyer-broker-agreements-what-buyers-need-to-know-now-before-touring/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Negotiation power is back for buyers: how to ask for credits, repairs, rate buydowns, and timelines without killing the deal https://616homes.com/blog/negotiation-power-is-back-for-buyers-how-to-ask-for-credits-repairs-rate-buydowns-and-timelines-without-killing-the-deal/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/negotiation-power-is-back-for-buyers-how-to-ask-for-credits-repairs-rate-buydowns-and-timelines-without-killing-the-deal/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Hidden Costs of Waiting to Buy (That No One Talks About) https://616homes.com/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-waiting-to-buy-that-no-one-talks-about/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-waiting-to-buy-that-no-one-talks-about/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Make Smart Home Decisions. Before you renovate, rent, refinance or sell. Read this! https://616homes.com/blog/make-smart-home-decisions-before-you-renovate-rent-refinance-or-sell-read-this/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/make-smart-home-decisions-before-you-renovate-rent-refinance-or-sell-read-this/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 2026 Housing Market Trends for Buyers and Sellers: What You Need to Know https://616homes.com/blog/2026-housing-market-trends-for-buyers-and-sellers-what-you-need-to-know/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/2026-housing-market-trends-for-buyers-and-sellers-what-you-need-to-know/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Homesteading Homes: The Next Big Trend for Home Buyers and Sellers https://616homes.com/blog/homesteading-homes-the-next-big-trend-for-home-buyers-and-sellers/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/homesteading-homes-the-next-big-trend-for-home-buyers-and-sellers/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why Real Estate Timing Matters More Than Waiting for Things to Settle https://616homes.com/blog/why-real-estate-timing-matters-more-than-waiting-for-things-to-settle/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-real-estate-timing-matters-more-than-waiting-for-things-to-settle/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Selling a Home in 2026: Why Presentation and Positioning Matter More Than Ever https://616homes.com/blog/selling-a-home-in-2026-why-presentation-and-positioning-matter-more-than-ever/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/selling-a-home-in-2026-why-presentation-and-positioning-matter-more-than-ever/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 High Interest Rate Home Buying: How Buyers and Sellers Can Win in Today’s Market https://616homes.com/blog/high-interest-rate-home-buying-how-buyers-and-sellers-can-win-in-todays-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/high-interest-rate-home-buying-how-buyers-and-sellers-can-win-in-todays-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Real Estate Revitalization Opportunities: How Abandoned Cities Are Becoming Prime Markets for Home Buyers, Sellers, and Investors https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-revitalization-opportunities-how-abandoned-cities-are-becoming-prime-markets-for-home-buyers-sellers-and-investors/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-revitalization-opportunities-how-abandoned-cities-are-becoming-prime-markets-for-home-buyers-sellers-and-investors/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Niche Real Estate Opportunities for Buyers and Sellers: How Life Transitions Are Shaping the Market https://616homes.com/blog/niche-real-estate-opportunities-for-buyers-and-sellers-how-life-transitions-are-shaping-the-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/niche-real-estate-opportunities-for-buyers-and-sellers-how-life-transitions-are-shaping-the-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Downsizing Homes for Buyers and Sellers: Smart Tips for a Smooth Transition https://616homes.com/blog/downsizing-homes-for-buyers-and-sellers-smart-tips-for-a-smooth-transition/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/downsizing-homes-for-buyers-and-sellers-smart-tips-for-a-smooth-transition/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why Every Buyer and Seller Needs a Home Walkthrough Checklist in Today’s Market https://616homes.com/blog/why-every-buyer-and-seller-needs-a-home-walkthrough-checklist-in-todays-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-every-buyer-and-seller-needs-a-home-walkthrough-checklist-in-todays-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Big Brokerage Shuffle: How Brokerage Consolidation Impacts Agents and Clients https://616homes.com/blog/the-big-brokerage-shuffle-how-brokerage-consolidation-impacts-agents-and-clients/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-big-brokerage-shuffle-how-brokerage-consolidation-impacts-agents-and-clients/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Lifetime Client Strategy for Real Estate Agents: Staying Top-of-Mind After the Sale https://616homes.com/blog/the-lifetime-client-strategy-for-real-estate-agents-staying-top-of-mind-after-the-sale/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-lifetime-client-strategy-for-real-estate-agents-staying-top-of-mind-after-the-sale/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Real Marketing Problem: Siloed Thinking in Real Estate Agents https://616homes.com/blog/the-real-marketing-problem-siloed-thinking-in-real-estate-agents/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-real-marketing-problem-siloed-thinking-in-real-estate-agents/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why Digital Marketing for Real Estate Agents Is Here to Stay and Why 3D Thinking Matters https://616homes.com/blog/why-digital-marketing-for-real-estate-agents-is-here-to-stay-and-why-3d-thinking-matters/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-digital-marketing-for-real-estate-agents-is-here-to-stay-and-why-3d-thinking-matters/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Buying a New Build? New Construction Home Trends Shaping Today’s Market https://616homes.com/blog/buying-a-new-build-new-construction-home-trends-shaping-todays-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/buying-a-new-build-new-construction-home-trends-shaping-todays-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Strategies for Real Estate Investing in a High Rate, High Insurance Market https://616homes.com/blog/strategies-for-real-estate-investing-in-a-high-rate-high-insurance-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/strategies-for-real-estate-investing-in-a-high-rate-high-insurance-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Holiday Curb Appeal Tips to Wow Buyers This Winter https://616homes.com/blog/holiday-curb-appeal-tips-to-wow-buyers-this-winter/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/holiday-curb-appeal-tips-to-wow-buyers-this-winter/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Cash Is King: Navigating a Housing Market Dominated by Cash Buyers https://616homes.com/blog/cash-is-king-navigating-a-housing-market-dominated-by-cash-buyers/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/cash-is-king-navigating-a-housing-market-dominated-by-cash-buyers/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Why High Mortgage Rates Aren’t Keeping Buyers Away (Yet) https://616homes.com/blog/why-high-mortgage-rates-arent-keeping-buyers-away-yet/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/why-high-mortgage-rates-arent-keeping-buyers-away-yet/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Holiday Home Staging: What to Add and What to Avoid https://616homes.com/blog/holiday-home-staging-what-to-add-and-what-to-avoid/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/holiday-home-staging-what-to-add-and-what-to-avoid/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Selling Your Home: How Higher Capital Gains Can Save You Thousands https://616homes.com/blog/selling-your-home-how-higher-capital-gains-can-save-you-thousands/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/selling-your-home-how-higher-capital-gains-can-save-you-thousands/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Make a Small Space Feel Bigger During the Holidays https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-a-small-space-feel-bigger-during-the-holidays/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-a-small-space-feel-bigger-during-the-holidays/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The True Cost of Buying a Home: What Buyers Forget to Budget For https://616homes.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-buying-a-home-what-buyers-forget-to-budget-for/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-buying-a-home-what-buyers-forget-to-budget-for/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Get Your Offer Accepted in a Competitive Market https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-get-your-offer-accepted-in-a-competitive-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-get-your-offer-accepted-in-a-competitive-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Real Estate Tax Tips for Sellers and Investors https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-tax-tips-for-sellers-and-investors/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-tax-tips-for-sellers-and-investors/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What to Expect During the Home Appraisal Process https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-expect-during-the-home-appraisal-process/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-expect-during-the-home-appraisal-process/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Home Buying Mistakes to Avoid in Today’s Market https://616homes.com/blog/home-buying-mistakes-to-avoid-in-todays-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/home-buying-mistakes-to-avoid-in-todays-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Getting Your Home Ready for Winter: What Every Homeowner Should Do https://616homes.com/blog/getting-your-home-ready-for-winter-what-every-homeowner-should-do/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/getting-your-home-ready-for-winter-what-every-homeowner-should-do/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Home Inspection Tips Every Buyer and Seller Should Know https://616homes.com/blog/home-inspection-tips-every-buyer-and-seller-should-know/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/home-inspection-tips-every-buyer-and-seller-should-know/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Using Home Equity to Move Up: Smart Strategies for Sellers https://616homes.com/blog/using-home-equity-to-move-up-smart-strategies-for-sellers/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/using-home-equity-to-move-up-smart-strategies-for-sellers/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Want to Start Investing in Real Estate? Here’s the Smartest Way to Begin https://616homes.com/blog/want-to-start-investing-in-real-estate-heres-the-smartest-way-to-begin/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/want-to-start-investing-in-real-estate-heres-the-smartest-way-to-begin/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How Rising Interest Rates Affect Your Monthly Payment and What Buyers Can Still Do to Lower It https://616homes.com/blog/how-rising-interest-rates-affect-your-monthly-payment-and-what-buyers-can-still-do-to-lower-it/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-rising-interest-rates-affect-your-monthly-payment-and-what-buyers-can-still-do-to-lower-it/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Best Time to Sell a House: Should You List Before the Holidays or Wait for Spring? https://616homes.com/blog/best-time-to-sell-a-house-should-you-list-before-the-holidays-or-wait-for-spring/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/best-time-to-sell-a-house-should-you-list-before-the-holidays-or-wait-for-spring/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What Is a Mortgage Rate Buydown And Can It Actually Save You Money? https://616homes.com/blog/what-is-a-mortgage-rate-buydown-and-can-it-actually-save-you-money/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-is-a-mortgage-rate-buydown-and-can-it-actually-save-you-money/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Smart Homes & Tech: What Buyers Are Looking For https://616homes.com/blog/smart-homes-tech-what-buyers-are-looking-for/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/smart-homes-tech-what-buyers-are-looking-for/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Haunted or Historic? How to Market Homes with a Spooky Past https://616homes.com/blog/haunted-or-historic-how-to-market-homes-with-a-spooky-past/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/haunted-or-historic-how-to-market-homes-with-a-spooky-past/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 First-Time Homebuyer Guide: What Costs Most People Overlook https://616homes.com/blog/first-time-homebuyer-guide-what-costs-most-people-overlook/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/first-time-homebuyer-guide-what-costs-most-people-overlook/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Win a Bidding War Without Overpaying https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-win-a-bidding-war-without-overpaying/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-win-a-bidding-war-without-overpaying/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Is It a Buyer’s Market or a Seller’s Market? 2025 Real Estate Trends https://616homes.com/blog/is-it-a-buyers-market-or-a-sellers-market-2025-real-estate-trends/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/is-it-a-buyers-market-or-a-sellers-market-2025-real-estate-trends/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Buy with Less Than 20% Down in Today’s Market https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-buy-with-less-than-20-down-in-todays-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-buy-with-less-than-20-down-in-todays-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What Lower Mortgage Rates Mean for Homebuyers Right Now https://616homes.com/blog/what-lower-mortgage-rates-mean-for-homebuyers-right-now/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-lower-mortgage-rates-mean-for-homebuyers-right-now/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Price Drops, Bidding Wars, and Mortgage Rate Madness: What’s Really Happening This Fall? https://616homes.com/blog/price-drops-bidding-wars-and-mortgage-rate-madness-whats-really-happening-this-fall/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/price-drops-bidding-wars-and-mortgage-rate-madness-whats-really-happening-this-fall/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Autumn Aesthetic: Why Fall Colors Help Sell Homes Faster https://616homes.com/blog/the-autumn-aesthetic-why-fall-colors-help-sell-homes-faster/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-autumn-aesthetic-why-fall-colors-help-sell-homes-faster/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Airbnb vs. Long-Term Rental Debate: What Makes Sense This Fall? https://616homes.com/blog/the-airbnb-vs-long-term-rental-debate-what-makes-sense-this-fall/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-airbnb-vs-long-term-rental-debate-what-makes-sense-this-fall/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How Gen Z Is Redefining Homeownership This Fall https://616homes.com/blog/how-gen-z-is-redefining-homeownership-this-fall/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-gen-z-is-redefining-homeownership-this-fall/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Is Fall the Best Time to Buy a Home? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Spring https://616homes.com/blog/is-fall-the-best-time-to-buy-a-home-heres-why-you-shouldnt-wait-for-spring/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/is-fall-the-best-time-to-buy-a-home-heres-why-you-shouldnt-wait-for-spring/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Football, Fire Pits & Front Porches: Fall Features Buyers Crave https://616homes.com/blog/football-fire-pits-front-porches-fall-features-buyers-crave/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/football-fire-pits-front-porches-fall-features-buyers-crave/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Your Fall Maintenance Checklist: Protect Your Investment Before Winter https://616homes.com/blog/your-fall-maintenance-checklist-protect-your-investment-before-winter/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/your-fall-maintenance-checklist-protect-your-investment-before-winter/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What Zillow Can’t Tell You This Fall (But a Local Agent Can) https://616homes.com/blog/what-zillow-cant-tell-you-this-fall-but-a-local-agent-can/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-zillow-cant-tell-you-this-fall-but-a-local-agent-can/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Smart Home, Smart Investment: Which Tech Increases Resale Value? https://616homes.com/blog/smart-home-smart-investment-which-tech-increases-resale-value/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/smart-home-smart-investment-which-tech-increases-resale-value/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Wellness Real Estate: The Rise of Health-Conscious Home Design https://616homes.com/blog/wellness-real-estate-the-rise-of-health-conscious-home-design/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/wellness-real-estate-the-rise-of-health-conscious-home-design/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Make a Small Home Feel Bigger (and Why Buyers Love It) https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-a-small-home-feel-bigger-and-why-buyers-love-it/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-a-small-home-feel-bigger-and-why-buyers-love-it/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Renovations That Actually Add Value to Your Home https://616homes.com/blog/renovations-that-actually-add-value-to-your-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/renovations-that-actually-add-value-to-your-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What’s Really Driving Today’s Real Estate Prices? https://616homes.com/blog/whats-really-driving-todays-real-estate-prices/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/whats-really-driving-todays-real-estate-prices/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How Long Does It Really Take to Buy or Sell a House? https://616homes.com/blog/how-long-does-it-really-take-to-buy-or-sell-a-house/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-long-does-it-really-take-to-buy-or-sell-a-house/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What’s the Difference Between a Buyer’s and Seller’s Market? https://616homes.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-buyers-and-sellers-market/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-buyers-and-sellers-market/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Do You Really Need 20% Down to Buy a Home? https://616homes.com/blog/do-you-really-need-20-down-to-buy-a-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/do-you-really-need-20-down-to-buy-a-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Minimalist Design in Real Estate: Does Less Sell for More? https://616homes.com/blog/minimalist-design-in-real-estate-does-less-sell-for-more/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/minimalist-design-in-real-estate-does-less-sell-for-more/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Using Light and Space to Your Advantage in Summer Listings https://616homes.com/blog/using-light-and-space-to-your-advantage-in-summer-listings/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/using-light-and-space-to-your-advantage-in-summer-listings/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas That Look Great All Season https://616homes.com/blog/low-maintenance-landscaping-ideas-that-look-great-all-season/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/low-maintenance-landscaping-ideas-that-look-great-all-season/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Sustainable Home Features That Add Real Value https://616homes.com/blog/sustainable-home-features-that-add-real-value/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/sustainable-home-features-that-add-real-value/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Should I Buy or Sell This Summer? Questions to Help You Decide https://616homes.com/blog/should-i-buy-or-sell-this-summer-questions-to-help-you-decide/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/should-i-buy-or-sell-this-summer-questions-to-help-you-decide/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Summer Staging Secrets to Make Buyers Fall in Love https://616homes.com/blog/summer-staging-secrets-to-make-buyers-fall-in-love/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/summer-staging-secrets-to-make-buyers-fall-in-love/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The Backyard is the New Living Room: Outdoor Trends for 2025 https://616homes.com/blog/the-backyard-is-the-new-living-room-outdoor-trends-for-2025/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-backyard-is-the-new-living-room-outdoor-trends-for-2025/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Make the Most of Your Outdoor Space This Summer https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-outdoor-space-this-summer/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-outdoor-space-this-summer/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Eco-Friendly Yard Ideas for a Greener Summer https://616homes.com/blog/eco-friendly-yard-ideas-for-a-greener-summer/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/eco-friendly-yard-ideas-for-a-greener-summer/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What to Know About the Housing Market This Summer https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-know-about-the-housing-market-this-summer/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-know-about-the-housing-market-this-summer/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How Interest Rates Impact Your Buying Power in 2025 https://616homes.com/blog/how-interest-rates-impact-your-buying-power-in-2025/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-interest-rates-impact-your-buying-power-in-2025/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Easy Summer Updates to Refresh Your Space Without Renovating https://616homes.com/blog/easy-summer-updates-to-refresh-your-space-without-renovating/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/easy-summer-updates-to-refresh-your-space-without-renovating/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Summer 2025 Interior Design Trends That Make Your Home Feel Fresh https://616homes.com/blog/summer-2025-interior-design-trends-that-make-your-home-feel-fresh/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/summer-2025-interior-design-trends-that-make-your-home-feel-fresh/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Real Estate Terms Explained: What You Need to Know Before You Dive In https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-terms-explained-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-dive-in/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/real-estate-terms-explained-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-dive-in/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Smart Home Essentials for Modern Living: Top Tech Upgrades for Today’s Homebuyers https://616homes.com/blog/smart-home-essentials-for-modern-living-top-tech-upgrades-for-todays-homebuyers/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/smart-home-essentials-for-modern-living-top-tech-upgrades-for-todays-homebuyers/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 What to Declutter Before You List Your Home https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-declutter-before-you-list-your-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/what-to-declutter-before-you-list-your-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Open Floor Plans or Cozy Corners? What Buyers Are Looking for in 2025 https://616homes.com/blog/open-floor-plans-or-cozy-corners-what-buyers-are-looking-for-in-2025/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/open-floor-plans-or-cozy-corners-what-buyers-are-looking-for-in-2025/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Spring Home Maintenance Checklist Every Homeowner Should Follow https://616homes.com/blog/spring-home-maintenance-checklist-every-homeowner-should-follow/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/spring-home-maintenance-checklist-every-homeowner-should-follow/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Turn a Fixer-Upper into a Goldmine: Spring Tips for First-Time Investors https://616homes.com/blog/turn-a-fixer-upper-into-a-goldmine-spring-tips-for-first-time-investors/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/turn-a-fixer-upper-into-a-goldmine-spring-tips-for-first-time-investors/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Maximize Your Airbnb or Short-Term Rental for Today’s Real Estate Trends https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-maximize-your-airbnb-or-short-term-rental-for-todays-real-estate-trends/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-maximize-your-airbnb-or-short-term-rental-for-todays-real-estate-trends/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Spring Cleaning Goes Green: Non-Toxic Products & DIY Hacks for a Healthier Home https://616homes.com/blog/spring-cleaning-goes-green-non-toxic-products-diy-hacks-for-a-healthier-home/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/spring-cleaning-goes-green-non-toxic-products-diy-hacks-for-a-healthier-home/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Eco-Friendly Spring Upgrades: Solar, Smart Tech, and Energy Efficiency https://616homes.com/blog/eco-friendly-spring-upgrades-solar-smart-tech-and-energy-efficiency/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/eco-friendly-spring-upgrades-solar-smart-tech-and-energy-efficiency/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Interior Refresh: 2025 Paint Color Trends for a Spring Home Makeover https://616homes.com/blog/interior-refresh-2025-paint-color-trends-for-a-spring-home-makeover/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/interior-refresh-2025-paint-color-trends-for-a-spring-home-makeover/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 The ROI of Outdoor Living: Patio, Pergola, and Landscaping Trends for 2025 https://616homes.com/blog/the-roi-of-outdoor-living-patio-pergola-and-landscaping-trends-for-2025/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/the-roi-of-outdoor-living-patio-pergola-and-landscaping-trends-for-2025/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 How to Stage Your Home to Sell This Spring in Grand Rapids https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-stage-your-home-to-sell-this-spring-checklist-inside/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/how-to-stage-your-home-to-sell-this-spring-checklist-inside/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Top 5 Home Features Buyers Want in Spring 2025 https://616homes.com/blog/top-5-home-features-buyers-want-in-spring-2025/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/top-5-home-features-buyers-want-in-spring-2025/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465 Is Spring the Best Time to Sell Your Home? Here’s Why Experts Say Yes https://616homes.com/blog/is-spring-the-best-time-to-sell-your-home-heres-why-experts-say-yes/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 14:14:34 +0000 Jamie Krier https://616homes.com/blog/is-spring-the-best-time-to-sell-your-home-heres-why-experts-say-yes/ 5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteors and John Mclane Do you really need meteor insurance, or does your homeowners policy already cover you? Assuming you're like us and live somewhere like Grand Rapids, Michigan as opposed to the Lunar Highlands of the Moon, is this really a serious question? It is a serious question -- albeit a very entertaining one as well. But how could you continue going through life without knowing the answer to questions like these?   Home and automobile insurance is a routine (let's be honest, boring) part of life for most people, but you can always find something unexpected and entertaining if you look hard enough. Jamie Krier of 616 Homes sat down with one of our good friends, Adam Gorbutt of Kenowa Insurance, to ask him a few off-the-wall questions about hypothetical insurance scenarios. We were hoping we would get some entertaining answers. And we did… Summarized below is our discussion with Adam about some “unusual” occurrences that your insurance policies very possibly might cover. We've affectionately named the list "5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Insurance Covered, Including Meteorites and John Mclane". And while some of the scenarios (okay most) may be unlikely, it doesn’t hurt to know what you're covered for, and it's always fun to ask an insurance guy difficult questions he's not used to.   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles It’s not particularly likely that an airplane or aircraft should need to make an emergency landing on your roof (fingers-crossed & knock-on-wood) . But who knows? I mean what if your neighbor was John Mclane from Die Hard? And what if the plot of Die Hard 6 calls for Mclane to use your house as an emergency landing pad for the hijacked 747 he just parachuted on and re-took control of. ftr_451_image

Photo credit: Alex Jilitsky / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Side note:  Did you know they’re actually making a Die Hard 6? Seriously. I had no idea. I jokingly referenced Die Hard 6 to Adam, and I didn't believe him when told me it's already filming. But check it out for yourself at ScreenRant.com.   Unfortunately, it looks like John Mclane isn't going to have much of a role in the movie. That being said, is it even worth watching?    Okay, sorry for the Die Hard tangent -- We did eventually get back to insurance. Back to the questions...   1. Airplanes, Blimps, and Space Shuttles (continued) 747's flown by John Mclane? What about blimps, helicopters and space shuttles? All very unlikely, of course, but let’s consider them all just for the sake of action movie hypotheticals. In the case of an accidental airplane, blimp, or spacecraft disaster, you WOULD likely be covered for all damage. As a bonus, you would also likely be eligible for reimbursements related to housing (i.e. hotels) and food costs while searching for your new abode.   2. Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites: So we just learned that we're most likely covered for man-made things falling out of the sky, but what about the extra-terrestrial? Oddly enough, would you believe that most insurance policies cover home damage in the event of galactic rock crashing into your house? But before we go any further, first let’s get our terminology straight. Are we talking about Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteoroids, or Meteorites? What's the difference?   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Name-That-Space-Rock ‘Name That Space Rock’ — describes the difference between all those flying rocks from space. Credit and copyright: Tim Lillis.[/caption]   Okay, so if a comet or asteroid hitting Earth is part of the conversation, we’re all in big trouble. So let's assume we’re talking about a meteorite... Most policies WILL cover you and give you the MAX limit on your dwelling coverage -- calculated as the amount of money it would cost to rebuild your house from the ground up. Again, as an added bonus (although would there really be any bonus if a meteorite hit your house?), if your home was rendered uninhabitable by the interstellar rock crashing through the center of your house, you could be covered for living expenses such as lodging and restaurant bills. Nice to know we're covered. But we were curious how rare this type of event really is. So we looked it up. Surprisingly enough, while a meteorite hitting Earth is a rare occurrence, it wasn't quite as rare as I thought.  Meteorite strikes have been documented as many as 10 times in Michigan, twice in Grand Rapids.   [caption id="attachment_462" align="alignnone" width="686"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Map-of-Meteors Source (chart): Meteoritical Bulletin Source (map):LunarMeteoriteHunter / Meteoritical Bulletin / Google Earth[/caption]   3. Riots, Explosions, and War "April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets tell me where were you?" -- A lyric from one of my favorite Sublime songs, written about the very sad and historic LA Riots of 1992. More info here (LA Riots - Wikipdedia) for those of you that don't remember, or you millennials who weren't even born yet. More important to our conversation, what kind of insurance protection (if any) did homeowners in LA have during the riots on that fateful day? More than likely, standard home and auto policies probably would've had them covered. And if your house is located in a slightly, shall we say unstable part of town, take comfort knowing that you too likely have coverage for any potential damage caused by riots or civil unrest. Scary to think about, but bricks through windows, explosions, and who knows what else, can certainly be expensive. It's good to know you'd be protected. However, it's interesting to note that in the case of actual war, it is unlikely your policy would provide any coverage. Unfortunately, war falls into an insurance gray area, and your bombed-out house probably would NOT be covered.   4. Flooding and Earthquakes This is one that baffles many people. Homeowners are reminded time and again that they need a separate rider on their home insurance policy for floods and earthquakes. Why would one of the more common scenarios for home damage in Michigan (flooding) not be covered by our normal homeowner's policy? Unfortunately, that’s just how home insurance policies are built. But did you know that your automobile might be covered? Depending on whether or not your policy includes comprehensive coverage, you could be completely reimbursed if a flood washes your car away, or fills the engine block with corrosive water. Comprehensive insurance coverage is not required by any state law, however, it may be a good idea to add it on for cases of fire, vandalism or theft, or colliding with an animal. And if you live in an area prone to flooding, it might be worth considering comprehensive insurance coverage even more so. Same is true if you live in an earthquake prone area, but fortunately we don’t have to worry too much about that in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although, let's not forget the 2015 Earthquake on May 2nd in Grand Rapids (that almost nobody felt). [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="437"]Grand-Rapids-Michigan-Earthquake The May 2nd, 2015 Earthquake in Grand Rapids, Michigan was less than memorable. In fact, most people reported feeling nothing.[/caption]   5. Missiles Another fascinating irregularity in the insurance world is that of missile coverage. Yes, you read that right, MISSILE coverage. It turns out, you WOULD more than likely be covered for missile strikes, as these technically fall under explosions. The curious question here is, if your car is hit by a missile, what makes the insurance carrier think this isn’t an act of war (because as we mentioned earlier, almost nothing is covered in the case of war)? I mean it’s not very likely that the neighborhood kids accidentally lost control of their SCUD and sent it speeding into your car. So, we're covered on missile strikes, assuming that the strike is not a hostile act of war. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that if you happen to be the one in ten-trillion hit by an accidental non-hostile missile, your policy has you covered!   Summary When you sat down with your agent to talk about insurance policies and discuss different coverage scenarios, it’s not likely you talked about meteorites, missiles, or John Mclane. But now, thanks to 616 Homes and Adam Gorbutt, you're informed. You're welcome. But please keep in mind, we went out on a limb to talk about these hypothetical policies under hypothetical scenarios, so make sure you talk to a professional about anything serious. Remember what's at stake when it comes to home insurance. Lots of money! We mentioned in a previous 616 Blog post that almost 91% of all mortgaged properties in the US have positive equity. That means that if you own a home, you are likely sitting on a very valuable asset. You should make sure you know in what scenarios (likely and unlikely) you have coverage. Most importantly, make sure you have someone you can trust to talk to about insurance. Adam is a great resource, so feel free to give him a call at (616) 828-5660 or email him at agorbutt@allstate.com

AdamGorbutt

Just try not to waste too much of his time talking about asteroids and space shuttles. On second thought, go ahead, it keeps him on his toes.   The above article “Got Meteor Insurance on Your Grand Rapids Home?” was written and provided by 616 Homes. If you’re thinking of selling or buying a house, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise. We offer real estate services in the Grand Rapids Metro Area of West Michigan. Our local knowledge and services are particularly strong in Alger Heights, Rockford, Forest Hills School District, Northview School District, Watermark Country Club, Thousand Oaks Golf Club, Downtown Grand Rapids, and Byron Center. But we're happy to serve all areas!  ]]> 465