What is the first thing I should do when buying insurance for my house or my business?

Make sure you sit down with your insurance agent and ask him to go over the full policy including all the exclusions. Most agents will just go over the declaration pages of your policy limits. You should have him thoroughly explain every detail of the policy before purchasing it. That way there are no surprises when you suffer a loss. A Public Adjuster can only help you recover what is available to you within the policy.