Distinguished Blog - Real Estate
Market insights and industry news.
Habitational Real Estate Insurance: An Ultimate Guide For Landlords and Brokers
Homeownership is no longer for everyone. Whether it’s because of changing tastes or economic realities, many people these days rent, live in condos and apartments or find themselves in other housing solutions. For instance, in 2021, around 31.8 million homes in the US were part of a multi-family building, be it an apartment complex, condominium,…
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Why Replacement Cost Over Market Value Makes Sense for Multi-Family Homes
Distinguished Programs specializes in providing insurance for City Homes and New York Brick & Brownstone properties. Often questions arise from property owners on how to best determine the amount of coverage they need to purchase under their Commercial Property policy – whether this should be based on the building’s market value or replacement cost value….
Grill Fire Safety and Fire Pit Rules
Grills and fire pits are common outdoor features in backyards across the country as well as at small multi-family buildings. These popular amenities, however, come at a price:
Help Customers Understand the Importance of Umbrella Coverage
Here at Distinguished a lot of our customers question why umbrella coverage is necessary, especially for entities like condominium associations that aren’t perceived to be high risk. Most feel confident that they won’t experience severe losses, and consequently that they don’t need to spend money they may not have in order to purchase an umbrella…
Hurricane Season Safety Tips
As each new year brings hurricanes with varying degrees of devastation, one thing is clear: the frequency and severity of these storms are becoming a common occurrence.
How to Hire a Contractor: Best Practices
Spring is ramping up, and so are the construction jobs and renovations! But do your clients know the ins and outs of hiring contractors? Are their contractors OSHA certified or have they received recent complaint? Are their contracts all up to snuff, and how about the contractors’ insurance coverage? As residential and commercial property owners…
Construction Insurance in Today’s Growing Market
If you build it, they will come—but don’t forget about adequate liability coverage for new construction! As the construction sector keeps pace with the general real estate market, Distinguished’s senior vice president and program executive, Michael Thabet, weighs in on currents facets of the construction industry and what that means for today’s carriers and insureds….
A Strong Wind Is on the Way
As Bob Dylan says, “A hard rain is gonna fall…” and with it this weekend, a strong wind is gonna blow! The greater New York area is bracing for wind gusts up to 70 mph Friday, according to the National Weather Service, not to mention a coastal flood advisory through Saturday. Are you ready? Doing…
Unmaintained and Old Fire Escapes are a Visible Risk
In the wake of a terrible fire escape tragedy that claimed the life of a New York man, brick-and-brownstone property owners may be asking themselves how they can ensure that their fire escapes are safe.
Alert: New Online Process for NYC Boiler Inspections
Down deep in the basement is the heart of your building that keeps everything going: the boiler! Yearly boiler inspections are the law—and for good reason. But now those annual inspections in New York City must be submitted online. This new process, along with submitting yearly certificate fees, is now the only way to complete…
Whitepaper – The Invisible Dangers of a Winter Wonderland
Due to the increased risk of accidental slip-and-fall injuries that occur because of snow and ice along sidewalks, it is important for home and property owners to understand their responsibilities for the sidewalks adjacent to their properties. While different states have varied laws regarding the time frame for how quickly snow and ice must be…