Is your home well insured? You might think that’s a question for your insurance agent, but, in actuality, it might be better to pose the question to yourself.

A house is most people’s largest investment and getting home insurance is more often than not a no-brainer, said Jeff Berquist, local State Farm agent.

“Normally when you buy a home, when you talk to the bank, they say ‘you need homeowners insurance,' ” he said. “So you get insurance.”

But having homeowners insurance doesn’t mean homeowners get to go on auto-pilot.

“Insurance isn’t a maintenance plan,” he said.

Homeowners insurance protects against causes of loss that are “sudden and accidental,” said Berquist. That means that bathroom sink that’s been leaking for a week or so now is the homeowner’s responsibility to fix before the leak causes further damage, he said.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce recommends all homeowners take the time to truly understand what their insurance covers. In general, homeowners insurance protects your dwelling, additional structures, personal belongings and dwelling furnishings from named perils, such as fire and lightning. Your personal liability is likely covered in the policy’s umbrella clause. Cars, pets, rental property and anything related to a small business are excluded.

In general, a home must be within 10 miles of a fire station and have water and electric to qualify for insurance, said Berquist, although many properties in Cook County which are farther than 10 miles from a fire station have been grandfathered in. Those struggling to get homeowners insurance may qualify for a Minnesota FAIR plan: mnfairplan.org

In the past, insurance companies have used something called ISO (Insurance Service Office) ratings, which rates local fire departments on a 10-point scale for effectiveness, to determine homeowners’ insurance rates. But recently, many insurance companies have moved away from these ratings. For example, State Farm now uses zip codes rather than ISO ratings to calculate insurance rates, he said.

Proximity to a fire station should remain a concern for homeowners, especially since fire tends be the No. 1 reason most people name for having insurance, said Berquist

Berquist recommends homeowners in northeastern Minnesota take steps to protect their home or cabin from wildfire by creating a 30-to-50-foot clearance around the building, installing a wildland sprinkler system if the house is close enough to water to do so, and enclosing the bottom of the cabin so embers can’t blow beneath the cabin where they’re difficult to extinguish.

Berquist said State Farm has not yet adjusted its rates for properties with wildland sprinkler systems installed. However, according to the MN Department of Commerce, some companies may offer insurance rate discounts for homeowners who install sprinkler systems, fire alarms, burglar alarms and other similar precautionary devices.

While northeastern Minnesota may seem far removed from many natural disasters, events such as the Ham Lake Wildfire of 2007 and the 1999 Blowdown have proven the importance of home insurance for local homeowners, said Berquist.

According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, homeowners insurance does not cover damage caused by floods, earthquakes, wars and nuclear hazards. However, Cook County homeowners may be able to receive flood insurance through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. More information is available at www.floodsmart.gov.

Homeowners should take extra precautions with their seasonal homes, he said. Things that wouldn’t have caused major damage if caught in time, like a dripping pipe or a leaky fridge, can go undetected for months with these properties. One thing homeowners can do is install a cheap temperature sensitive phone that calls them if temperatures fall below a set point.

Ideally, though, “Someone needs to be checking on the house,” Berquist said.