Buying the Right Insurance

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Buying the Right Insurance

• At Brown OHaver we get asked all kinds of
  questions and we are always happy to respond as
  best we can, recognizing that our recommendations
  are what we would do not, what you must do. One
  of the questions that comes up frequently is the
  question How do I find the right insurance
  company?. Here is our answer
• When shopping for home insurance, premium
  quotations and claim experience
• are useful tools for comparison of different
  companies products.
• When asking for price quotations, it is critical
  that you provide the same information to each
  agent of the company.
• To give you an accurate quote, the agent or
  company will usually request your provide the
  following information
• Description of your house.
• Distance from the nearest fire department and
  fire hydrant.
• Square footage of your home.
• Recent remodeling.

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• Alarms or security devices.
• Sometimes they ask for a picture of your home.
• The coverages and policy limits you wish.
• Other optional coverage.
• The information above is necessary to the rating
  process in determining your quote.
• Not all insurance companies use their own
  insurance agents to sell their own products so
  they retain independent agents. You might have to
  search to get a quote from an independent
  insurance agent but trust me, the search is worth
  it, especially if you want a quote from a good
  company like Amica or Chubb or Pure. Independent
  agents represent several companies so if you wish
  you can get quotes for more than one insurance
  company. This is considered a plus for many
  insurance consumers.
• The major insurance companies use direct agents
  who are employees of their company or companies
  that represent only that particular company.
• Before making an insurance purchase, you may want
  to call the State Insurance Department and ask
  for the companys complaint ratio. Or, you can
  call us and ask us which companies are hard to
  deal with. From my own experience based upon
  getting insurance settlements, I would not select
  American Family or Liberty Mutual for my
  insurance. That being said insurance companies
  are cyclical and are sometimes better and
  sometimes not. Paying attention to these
  patterns and changing your policy often is a good
  idea. There is typically no loyalty in rates. So
  being a 20 year customer of an insurance company
  is not going to benefit your premium.
• And by the way, since it keeps coming up as to
  what insurance company I have, here they are
  Home Chubb. Cars USAA and Hagerty. Business
  CNA.
• Good luck in your insurance quest. At Brown
  OHaver, we hope you retain a company that wont
  drag your claim out. Dragging claims out is not
  uncommon. With one Guard Insurance Claim, I once
  wrote or called 100 times in my quest to obtain
  a fair settlement.