5 Steps for Protecting Your Vacation Home

A vacation home on the Jersey Shore is a dream come true for those fortunate enough to live it. Besides being a special place to get away with family and friends for the 3.5 million Americans who own a second home, it is a substantial asset. As such, your beach house needs the best vacation home coverage available.

In addition to protecting your investment with the highest quality Jersey Shore Vacation Home Insurance, here are five tips for safeguarding your vacation property.

1. Home Automation System – gives you remote control of security, lighting, climate, entertainment systems, appliances, and more. Even a basic system that allows you to monitor your thermostat, security, and lighting provides peace of mind and saves you money.
2. Know Your Neighbors – get to know who owns the homes around you. Swap cell phone numbers with them and agree to look out for each other. An informal block watch is the first line of protection in many cases.
3. Don’t Broadcast on Social Media – Social media is a hunting ground for burglars. They use it to discover when families are away from home and when they return. Innocently posted personal information helps to hack security alarms and passwords. If you must post, do it after you are home and change your Facebook settings to limit showing your posts to close friends and family. Turn off metadata and geotagging features for photographs in your smartphone settings.
4. Strengthen the Perimeter – burglars look for easy entry. Install deadbolt locks on doors and windows. Use the strongest locks available for your garage, tool shed, and outbuildings.
5. Schedule Preventive Maintenance – if you use a handyman to help winterize your Jersey Shore vacation home, schedule as far in advance as possible. The good ones book up fast. With smart locks, you can give maintenance and routine pest control services access without being present. Besides keeping your home maintained, they give you an extra set of eyes on your secondary residence. 

There is more to being vigilant about securing your home at the shore than these five steps, but they give you an excellent start to enjoy your vacation home property while reducing your stress over keeping it safe and sound.

At the Dickstein Agency, we actively help our insureds and prospective clients by providing useful information that protects their assets and lessens their loss exposure. As such, we consider ourselves more than insurance brokers who offer Jersey Shore vacation home coverage. Our goal is to get you the best insurance at the lowest cost. And we believe that encouraging you to take proactive steps to secure your vacation home is a great way to demonstrate our desire to help you reduce the costs of protecting your investment in it. 

About Dickstein Associates Agency

Dickstein Associates Agency has distinguished itself as a leading provider of personal and business insurance in the tri-state area for over 55 years. We pride ourselves on being advocates for our clients and providing them with quality and affordable coverages. As an independent insurance agency, we partner with various carriers, allowing for flexible and unbiased coverage for each client’s unique circumstances. For more information on how you can leverage all of your insurance to work best for you, and how we can secure the best insurance in the marketplace based on your specific needs, contact us today at (800) 862-6662.