Auto insurance providers do their best to convince you to switch companies — and we’re sure you noticed the hundreds of advertisements battling for your attention and consideration. Their number one argument is to appeal to the thought that the grass is greener on their side. While you may doubt what they’re promising, it is correct that many car owners can save money if they switch to another carrier.
There are several scenarios that should lead you to seriously consider looking for a new auto insurance carrier. Take a look at some of them here:
Increased Rates — And It’s Not Your Fault
Premiums normally increase when you receive a violation or if you get into an accident, but some insurance companies raise their rates based on certain behaviors or statistics of people similar to you. Whether it’s due to your marital status, age, or current occupation, some insurers lump people into categories and penalize them for the driving habits of others. When this happens to you, you might want to consider switching.

Poor Service On Your Claim
More often than not, the real quality of an auto insurance company is tested once you actually have to file a claim. When you need to reach out to your insurer due to vandalism, theft, or a collision, the company should immediately address your claim, keep you up to date on the progress, and provide fair compensation.

Poor Customer Service Experiences
In today’s fast-paced age, excruciatingly long hold times, unreturned messages and emails, and slow-as-molasses customer support is inexcusable. If you feel that your current insurer is not providing the prompt attention that you deserve, then it might be time to shop around.

A Change In Your Personal Life
Changing your auto insurer doesn’t always have to be because of something the provider does or fails to do for you. If you move to a different state, buy a new car, get a job that asks you to drive more, or add family members to your driver policy, then you should take the time to get new quotes from other insurance companies.
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If any of the above situations sound familiar, it’s time to contact Get Insured America. We work with many different auto insurance companies and are happy to provide options that are right for you, and provide the coverage that you need.

For many homeowners, there isn’t a better time of the year than summer to be enjoying the sun and warmth from their own yard. During summertime, your home should be a source of happiness, but harsh winters can negatively affect your enjoyment of the season if you don’t prepare for it. If you spend a bit of time on maintenance, your home can stay in great shape for as long as possible.

• Don’t wait to make needed repairs once you find any damage. Putting off the task of replacing or fixing what’s broken in your home can lead to damage spreading or worse, possibly endangering you and your family.
• Do a thorough inspection for wear and tear or other damage to your home, as well as for evidence of any pests or wildlife. Check your property to make sure everything is in it’s place.
• Inspect all of the locks on your doors to make sure they’re still secure. Check all window locks as well to make sure they’re working as they should. Look into your door and window screens as well for any holes.
• Your home’s electrical cords and outlets can be potential fire hazards, so check for loose fitting plugs or frayed wires. Take care not to overload extension cords, power outlets, fuse boxes or other power sources to avoid a potential fire.
• Conduct an inspection of all wood structures for rot or other signs of deterioration, and fix or replace any boards that are loose or rotted.
• Replace or clean your furnace filter to fight fire hazards. Do the same for your dryer lint trap, vent, and the space underneath it.
• Thoroughly inspect the state of your toilet. Check for possible leaks or probles with its float valve and pipe connections. Look into your washing machine hoses as well, and replace those that show signs of wear, cracking or leakage.
• If your home has any recreational equipment, check for potential harmful elements such as sharp edges, rusty bolts, protruding nails and other dangers. Check if the equipment operates properly as well.

No matter what season, your home should be a place of enjoyment and happiness. By taking a few steps to make sure your home is in great condition, it will remain that way for many years to come.
Your home in the summer should be a place of relaxation and enjoyment. By taking steps to properly and regularly maintain your house, it will remain a source of pleasure for years to come.

It could not be stressed highly enough how important getting the right insurance is.  Your investment and peace of mind greatly depends on it. We are never certain of the future, but on thing is for sure: we can do something today that our future self will thank us for – getting the right insurance. The fruit of your labor and your sound soul hinge on it.

Insurance Broker vs. Insurance Agent

An insurance broker is someone who is highly competent and skilled in offering insurance products in the best interests of the clients is regarded as an insurance broker. They’re independent of any insurance company and make certain that the clients are given reasonable arrangements with the policies offered. Unlike agents, they are obliged to have a broker’s license and have undergone specialized trainings in order to be proficient and professional in the field.

Brokers are also legally accountable. They have unlimited liabilities for any risks they undertake which may lead to the termination of their license. In order to keep on track, they must closely evaluate a business conforming to the set criterions along with the exact level of analysis. Thus, having greater authority they oftentimes face administrative charges on a legal basis.

On the other hand, insurance agents are considered as “captive” agents since they are affiliated to a single insurance company. In contrast, insurance brokers work independently and represent a numerous insurance companies. With a broader range, brokers may propose different options available in the market so that their clients will get the insurance coverage in the lowest cost while ensuring the highest benefit and fair deal to them. Hence, brokers may be referred as representatives of the clients while agents are representatives of the insurance company.

To make it more interesting, brokers ought to be knowledgeable in all services and products offered by various enterprises while keeping themselves well-informed in the recent products in the marketplace. So as to maintain uniformity and reliability in presenting information. Nothing like agents who simply need to be familiar with the existing products of a single company. Thus, enhancing only an established relationship through keeping the policyholders up with the modifications of the policy and general services after the policy is sold.
Once you make a deal with an insurance agent, you yourself would need to identify the amount of coverage necessary and select appropriate policy that would meet that need. They merely handle precise and prompt processing of forms for you, since they are only accountable with the administrative tasks. They neither evaluate your business thoroughly nor guarantee the level of coverage that suits you. Insurance agents are specialized individuals that simply performs as an associate that links you to the insurance company.

What is the difference?

Even though both the insurance agents and insurance brokers are paid based on commission from the products of the insurance companies which they endorsed and likely may charge administrative fee for the services they make, several noted variances must be thought out. For instance, the acquisition of license and specified preparations or learning done by an insurance broker which the insurance agent lack is a thing. Brokers are set to come across higher criterions unlike agents who typically meet less standards and unlikely fewer selection of products to bargain with.

Get an insurance broker for the best choices and coverage
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Countless views may arise about this, however with the things laid down above make sure you don’t consider working with a captive agent. Aside from the fact that they dependently represent only one insurance company, they’ll most certainly persuade you that something suit you without regarding your needs. Widen your vision and look for varieties of plans from numerous insurers to be able to grasp the right coverage, rates and customer service.

Whether it’s your first time to jump into the world of insurance or you’ve decided to switch providers or plans, it can be intimidating to find the right level that suits your budget and needs. The search  can take up a lot of your time and might lead to frustration, resulting in a less-than-ideal choice. This is why we recommend choosing a local insurance broker to find a great deal as soon as possible.

Local insurance brokers like Get Insured America are able to shop the insurance market for you and are able to find a plan at a competitive price. As licensed brokers, we are able to use our years of experience and expertise to advise you on the levels of coverage for your insurance plans. While we can readily send you prices for the usual insurance products, such as auto, home, small business and life, we also provide help for combined packages to net you more discounts and savings.

Brokers work together with selected insurers, and Get Insured America has several fantastic partners such as Travelers, Progressive and The Hartford among many others. (You can view all our partners here!) All these choices means it is much easier to find coverage that’s right for  you, and to personalize insurance policies to suit your requirements and budget.

But aside from being local insurance brokers, Get Insured America is also family-owned – and proud! We make sure to always conduct business with transparency, integrity, and a drive to make sure our relationships with our customers are as strong as possible.
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These are just some of the many benefits to using a local insurance broker. While others may focus on low prices alone, Get Insured America  also provides top-notch customer service and a determination to find the plan that you deserve. If you want to get in touch with a Get Insured America broker and find out what kind of personalized offer we can provide, drop us a line here!

When an emergency or a natural disaster strikes, there’s nothing more important than making sure that your family is well-prepared and knowledgeable about what to do next. It’s not guaranteed that you and your loved ones will be together when these situations arise, so it’s crucial to have plans on how to contact and locate one another when it happens.
Here are some topics that you should discuss with the members of your household as soon as possible:

• Decide on how to be ready for and how to respond to events that are likely to happen at work, school, or other places that you frequent.
• Discuss individual responsiblities of each family member and how to work together.

When you and your family members are unexpectedly separated during an emergency, plan your response and decide on two things:

• Where will you meet?
  • If there is a sudden emergency, such as a house fire, plan to meet in front of your home.
  • Just in case you are unable to go home or if an evacuation order is in place, choose a location right outside of your neighborhood.
• Who would be your emergency contact person?
  • This person should live outside your immediate area. During a local emergency, phone lines can be out of service or overloaded, so it can be quicker and easier to contact someone long distrance. This contact information should be recorded in writing or on every family member’s cell phones.

When evacuation is needed, whether it’s out of your home or of your neighborhood, plan for the following:

• Choose a meeting point and what route you would use to go there. Decide whether you should go to a relative’s or a friend’s house, a motel, a hotel or an evacuation center.
• Practice a home evacuation at least two times a year. Use the chosen evacuation route and decide on alternate routes just in case the roads are blocked.
• If you have pets, make sure you have the contact information of hotels/motels that accept pets, as well as relevant animal shelters that are near your evacuation routes.

Just like how you would layer up in extra clothing and prep your home to shield it from the harsh weather, your car needs to be protected to make it last through the cold. While winter may be a few months away, it’s never too early to know the right steps to take and how to make sure your car is shielded for the weather as you are. Making the effort to get your vehicle ready for winter could even save your life!
Being Fully Prepared For Cold Weather Driving
Whenever the seasons change, it’s always a great preventative measure to check what your car requires to be ready for dangerous driving conditions, such as cold, wet winnter weather. Doing this check long before you see a single snowflake means that you’ll be able to catch the small issues that would have eventually grown worse when the temperature drops. Here are a few quick tips that would help you get your vehicle running great all through the cold:

• Visit your mechanic and ask him to inspect the following: thermostat, battery, brakes, antifreeze level, defroster, and heater.
• Conduct a visual inspection of your car’s lights. Look into whether the front lights and the rear are fully operational, taking extra caution to inspect the flashing hazard lights.
• Check your tires to see if they have adequate tread. Replace them if you find that they’re already worn.
• If you live in a state that experiences a particularly heavy snowfall, buying winter wiper blades can make a big difference in cutting through ice and snow compared to regular ones that can be used for the rest of the year.
• Windshield wiper fluid has a high chance of freezing in the cold weather. Don’t wait until winter arrives before exchanging it with a fluid that was made especially to be used in low temperatures.
• Inspect the spray nozzles of your car’s windshield washer. These nozzles can be blocked by debris or wax, so use a needle to clear it out.