Interest remains historically low. As a result, more and more homeowners are choosing to refinance their mortgages. Locking in a lower interest rate helps borrowers achieve lower monthly payments and add cash to their pockets. However, homeowners should proceed cautiously in order to avoid problems and minimize the related costs. Below is a list of the top five mistakes that homeowners make in refinancing their mortgages. 

Did you know that the United States has sustained 298 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where the overall costs exceeded 1 billion dollars? Even if you aren't concerned with hurricanes or other disasters, many different emergencies force families into temporary housing situations. 

If you are the parent of a baby or toddler and have to move into a short-term rental, the first thing you need to focus on is babyproofing that home. 

Anyone who has recently completed a home repair or renovation understands that costs continue to rise. As a result, the costs of property claims are also much higher for insurers. Upon closer examination, a few key factors influence the change in the cost of a property claim. These are important for insurers to understand in setting up structures to improve claim management.

Many people are not aware that the availability of temporary housing has been decreasing every year since 2013. It was not until January of 2020 that there was a slight increase in the number of temporary housing beds available, and that increase was only 2%. 

Hurricane season officially began on June 1 and continues until November 30. At this point, we are well into the season, which NOAA predicted back in May would be “active.” NOAA expects a likely range of 13 to 20 named storms, of which 6 to 10 may become hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5) is expected.

If you live in the Western Region of the US, and even more specifically the Pacific Northwest, wildfire season should be a topic of major interest to you. California, Arizona, and Colorado, among other states, are all within an area where wildfires could pose a threat to your home and possessions, and understanding the trends wildfire season imposes on your community is important to stay safe and prepared.