As May rolls around on the calendar, many people start making plans for vacations, or either already have those plans in place for summer. But planning for a vacation means more than just arranging flights or tuning up the car and changing the oil (if you plan to drive to your destination.) It also involves preparing your Columbia SC home for your absence.

No matter how long you'll be gone, whether a few days or several weeks (short-term absences generally mean one week or less), here are steps you can take to make your Columbia SC home safer and lower your utility bills. Keeping your home safe while you're away can also go a long ways towards keeping your homeowner's insurance costs down.

Yard

Details: An untrimmed lawn can be a sign to burglars that you are away from home. Depending on how it looks, it also can be considered neglect.

Short-term: Mow your lawn and trim shortly before your trip.

Long-term: Arrange for a lawn service or a neighbor to take care of your landscaping while you are away.

Air-conditioner (during cooling season)

An air-conditioner accounts for about half of your annual electrical bill in your Columbia SC home. Every degree you turn up the thermostat will save you 2 percent on your cooling costs.

Short-term: Turn up the thermostat to about 85 degrees. Doing so will still protect your plants, furniture and other belongings without running up your electric bill.

Long-term: Again, turn up the thermostat to about 85 degrees. Ask a friend or neighbor you trust to water your plants.

General Plumbing

Details: No one wants to come home from a relaxing vacation to a plumbing leak in their Columbia SC home.

Short-term: Turn off water at the main shut-off valve, unless some household items require it to stay on. Such items may include an ice maker, an automatic sprinkler system that doesn't have a separate shut-off, and a pool.

Long-term: Do the same. While you're gone, have a neighbor or friend turn on the water and run the faucets at least once a month (if you're gone that long.) This will help prevent sewer gas from entering your Columbia SC home while you are gone and can keep parts of plumbing fixtures from drying out or cracking. Also, have the friend flush toilets and run the dishwasher.

Water Heater

Details: Why run up your electric bill heating water that you're not going to be there to use?

Short term: Set the temperature on "vacation" mode. Most newer water heaters are equipped with a vacation setting. The water heater will run occasionally but not nearly as often as it does normally.

Long-term: Set on vacation mode. Some experts recommend not turning it off while you're gone, but instead flushing it out when you return. One way to do this is to run the water heater until it has used all the hot water and let it refill again.

Toilets

Details: Toilets can collect bacteria, which can cause stains.

Short-term: Pour a half cup of chlorine into the bowl (not the tank).

Long-term: Do the same. Have a friend periodically flush the toilets while you are gone.

Lights

Details: A continually dark house, both inside and out, can be a signal to a burglar that your Columbia SC home is vacant.

Short-term: Turn off all lights except the ones you want as security measures. Put the security lights on variable timers, not the ones that come on and go off at the same time every day. Smart burglars watch for this and it's a sure sign that lights are on timers.

Long-term: Do the above. Make sure your security lights are outfitted with CFL bulbs, which save on energy and are long-lasting.

Refrigerator

Details: Don't come home from your trip to a refrigerator filled with spoiled food.

Short-term: Throw out perishables such as milk that will expire while you're gone.

Long-term: Clean out the refrigerator; either throw items away or give them to a neighbor. You have two choices. One is to unplug the refrigerator and leave the door open to prevent mildew, odor and mold. The other is to keep the refrigerator running. Don't let it sit empty, however. Fill it with bottles of water so it will run more efficiently.

Other considerations For Your Columbia SC Home for Vacation Time

• Small appliances, computers, televisions: Unplug these items.
• Smoke detectors: Make sure they are in working condition.
• Security company: If you have one, notify the company that you will be away.
• Disposer/drains: Run the disposer. Mix a half cup of vinegar with a cup of water and pour down.
• Newspaper: Put delivery on vacation hold.
• Leaks: Check for water leaks before you leave. Feel the valves underneath faucets to make sure they aren't moist. Get any leaks fixed.
• Mail: Contact the U.S. Postal Service to put your mail on hold. If you are going to be gone long term, arrange for your mail to be forwarded.
• Phone: Don't leave a message that you are out of town.
• Car: If you park your car in the driveway normally and are leaving it while on an extended trip, arrange for a friend or relative to drive it (or at least move it from time to time) so it looks like it is being used (and so cobwebs don't develop, a sure signal that no one is home).
• Banks/credit cards: If you plan to use your credit or debit cards while you're out of town, especically out of the country, notify your bank and credit-card company. Provide the dates you will be gone and where you are going. That way, they won't be surprised — or put a hold on your card — when they see charges from abroad.
• Emergency contact: Leave your contact information with a friend or neighbor. Include the names and contact information for your plumber, electrician, yard service, pool service or other contact should a problem happen while you are away.
• Locks: Make sure all your windows are shut and doors are locked before you leave your Columbia SC home for vacation.

For more articles and tips on homeowners insurance for your Columbia SC home, check out our Columbia SC Insurance section under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories to your right.

If you own a Columbia SC home, your homeowners insurance doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are some ways you can cut down on the skyrocketing premiums many people find themselves paying, as outlined in this short video…

Be sure you're insured at the right value for your home's contents and for personal liability. Most homeowners insurance polices provide only actual cash value on contents. To get replacement cost coverage, you'll need to purchase an endorsement. If you have valuables not covered by your policy—silverware, jewelry, furs—purchase endorsements for those, too.

There may be other ways to reduce your homeowners insurance premiums, so contact your insurer and ask them what you can do to save some money. Because of the increased competition among insurance companies, they'll want to make sure they do everything to keep you as a customer.

For more articles and tips on Columbia SC homeowners insurance, check out our Columbia SC Insurance section under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories to your right.

XXX homeowners insurance is supposed to cover you in times of disaster as well as for incidental claims, right? At least that's the common misunderstanding with many homeowners.

Many consumers mistakenly believe that incidentals should be covered because that’s why they have home insurance. The reality is that filing a claim is not always in your best interest. Some insurers have been known to jack up premiums as much as 15 to 20 percent for just filing a single claim.

A tree fell on your fence and cost $1000 to repair it? If you have a $500 deductible, it may cost you far more than the $500 repair in the amount of increased XXX homeowners insurance premiums you'll be paying for the next 3 to 5 years.

Don't think it's just the number of claims that are paid out that will cause your rates to spike. You can get hit hard with a claim that's been denied. And even if you just innocently ask your agent about a potential claim, she has a right to open a file when you're making queries, so make sure the agent knows your question is theoretical.

What Exactly Affects XXX Homeowners Insurance Rates?

There are a number of factors that influence the costs of your XXX homeowners insurance and much of it is determined by what neighborhood your home is in, and what you want included in your policy. But other issues, like the amount of your deductible, your loyalty to the insurer, your credit history and whether you bundled your XXX homeowners insurance with your auto insurance will play key parts too.

Then there's the house itself. How old it is? Is it a wood-framed house or brick? Is there a pool or a trampoline that are ripe for injuries on the property? Do you have smoke detectors? A burglar alarm? A sprinkler system? What about deadbolts on doors and security devices like wrought-iron bars on windows?

Some insurance companies will give you a pass on your first claims—for a price, of course. You can get what is called an "Enhanced Package" on your XXX homeowners insurance, which will cost you anywhere from 5% to 10% of your annual premium, to have a claim waived over a 12-month period. There's also claim-free bonuses that offer you 5% back on your annual premium if your record is clean over one year.

Insurance companies keep track of your claims history and judge you accordingly before deciding whether to insure you and how much to charge you. A long history, or even a spotty history, of making claims sends up red flags that you'll do it again. That could mean you're a risk they don't want to take, or they will begrudgingly take you but at a steep price.

XXX Homeowners Insurance – Rules to Follow

Never file if the claim is bigger than the deductible — mostly because it won't be covered. Also because you're putting the claim on your XXX homeowners insurance record and it will stay there for at least three years.

Traditional XXX homeowners insurance does not cover water damage caused by floods. That's separate coverage underwritten by the federal government through the National Flood Insurance Program. But guess what? If you file a claim with your insurance company for something that isn't covered, the claim itself doesn’t go away, even though it may not be covered or paid.

Don't submit a claim for what is really a home-maintenance project. If that fence in your backyard is rotting away and you know that one big storm will blow it over, budget for a new fence first. There's a plus to this too: better maintained homes get better premiums.

For more on XXX homeowners insurance, visit our XXX Insurance section of articles under XXX Real Estate Categories to your right.

If you have not shopped around for Columbia SC homeowner insurance in some time, you may find that better deals await you elsewhere. Certainly, your current insurer may want to keep your business, but with double-digit rate increases in some areas it pays to shop around. You can obtain new Columbia SC homeowner insurance by carefully following these outlined steps.

Steps For Obtaining Columbia SC Homeowner Insurance

Review Your Current Policy. Your current homeowner insurance coverage will be the basis for your new coverage, offering the same deductibles and exclusions you currently have. Pull out your current policy, learn when it is set to renew and begin to shop for a new policy before your current coverage expires. You may be able to switch coverage before your current insurance term expires, however you may still be responsible for outstanding payments.

Obtain Quotes From Insurance Companies. Contact other insurance companies and ask for quotes. You can contact each company individually or you can use a service such as Esurance to receive multiple quotes. The advantage of the latter is that you share your information once before quotes from multiple providers are offered.

Review and Choose. Compare each homeowner insurance offer. Review carefully to ensure that the proposed coverage matches what you currently have or meets your new requirements. Choose the coverage that suits you best and set up an effective date. You can have the new coverage kick in the day after your current policy expires or earlier.

Contact Your Previous Insurer. Once the new homeowner insurance is secured, contact your now previous home insurer. Your agent's contact information is listed on your policy. You may need to follow up your phone call with a written request by means of postal mail or email. Settle your account by receiving a refund if due or make your final installment to close out the old account.

Follow Through With Your New Insurer. Review your new Columbia SC homeowner insurance policy to verify that the coverage listed matches what you requested. If there is a discrepancy, contact your insurer immediately. Your new insurance provider may request follow up documentation or a visit to your property to make sure they are underwriting for the correct property and replacement value.

Keep your active homeowner insurance documents in a safe place and shred your old documents. If possible, consider scanning your Columbia SC homeowner insurance policy and uploading it to a website or cloud location for safe storage. This way, if your home is destroyed and your document is stored in that destroyed home, you can still go online and access your policy. If an emergency hits, you must be able to access your policy.

Keep your insurer's contact information handy if an emergency happens. Lastly, consider adding umbrella coverage to gain maximum liability protection. Typically, your insurer covers your home and your cars, and extends umbrella coverage to go beyond your basic liability.

Following these tips will help you with shopping for Columbia SC homeowner insurance.