Some advice for Northern Californians

Those of you in Northern California remember this past weekend. For those of you who were not here, you may have seen it on the news. Over 2" of rain in one day in Sacramento. Wind gusts over 60 mph. Horrible weather. (I know, nothing like a hurricane or a tornado, but for us, this was really bad.)

Some of you have downed fences or trees knocked over. You are considering filing an insurance claim with your homeowners insurance. Stop!

A small insurance claim can result in your insurance being cancelled or rates going through the roof. It is a practice known as "use it and lose it." United Policyholders website has a ton of stories about this.

I know the tv news people and folks in the newspapers are telling you to file claims. Well, I won't tell them how to report the news if they will stop telling people what to do with insurance. Deal?

If you are unsure if you should report a claim, call a contractor, get an estimate and then determine what to do. But remember, even if you need a loan to pay for it, it may be cheaper than being uninsurable with your house.