Practical property and insurance advice for New Jersey homeowners
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The short answer Clean your gutters after most of the leaves are down but before the first hard freeze. In New Jersey, that window is usually early to mid-November — and if you only clean once a year, this is the one that matters. A clogged … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer In New Jersey, a small contained water loss might cost a few thousand dollars to repair. A finished basement flood or a burst supply line that … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer When mold is the result of a sudden, covered water loss, your homeowners policy pays for remediation — but almost always capped at $10,000, and some … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer Your water heater will fail. Not might — will. Tank-style water heaters live 10–15 years, and they rust from the bottom, where you can’t see it, … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer Most New Jersey towns prohibit sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer — and many also restrict where the water can go once it leaves your … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer A nor’easter attacks your house four ways at once: wind-driven rain that finds every weak flashing and shingle, storm surge and rising water at the Shore … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer A battery backup sump pump system is a second pump that runs on a 12-volt deep-cycle battery and takes over automatically when the power goes out … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer Yes — in most cases, your New Jersey homeowners policy covers the water damage an ice dam causes inside your home. Here’s how it breaks down … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer If your crawlspace smells musty, shows mold on the joists, or reads above 60% humidity, you need a dehumidifier — not a fan, not wishful thinking. … Read more
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my full affiliate disclosure. The Short Answer Pipes don’t burst because water expands when it freezes — they burst because an ice blockage traps water between the ice and a closed faucet, and … Read more