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Homeowner's Insurance -Questions Forum
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No, the condo was actually my dad's deal but after he filed that claim we were cancelled. What I was referring to was right after my wife and I had been married for about 6 months and bought our first house back in 1998. We were in the house about 6 months and Hurricane Earl came through toward the end of 1998 and the whole block we lived in filled up like a bowl. We had 6 inches of water in the living room. That was nice... My wife was crying and I was making notes for the insurance company. The adjuster came out, looked at our damage then about 2 weeks later we got a check for $35000 to fix it. It was more than enough because I did most of the work and saved us about $10000 which we used to buy new furniture to go with it. It was nice because back then we didn't have the money to just go out and buy all new furniture without that money. I had State Farm Insurance at the time with was very nice. They were the servicing carrier for my flood insurance since flood insurance is funded and underwritten by FEMA.
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Yeah, they were... and they still can be if you're with the right company. It's all these companies that come into Florida, start writing business, and make a boat load of money. Then when the hurricanes come they go broke and pass off their debt to the Florida guarantee fund that me and you have to pay back. That's when it really sucks. I just love people that come into Florida and think they know how insurance really works but really don't have a clue. All these people need to find an agent who lives as well as writes business in Florida.
Apologies for the delay in response time as I was away this weekend.
Casey,
I appreciate your posting and providing beneficial information to the commmunity. But there is no need to make accusations or finger point. If you felt so strongly about the wind mitigation forms, you could have posted your own thread. If you had read my previous posts, you would know that I do all I can to assist my customers and keep them satisfied. I am a New York City broker lucky enough to be involved with a brokerage that has been around since 1957 with offices in other states. We represent the 3 most reputable national insurance companies (Chubb, AIG and Firemans Fund). There are not many brokers that can say that.
Please see a few responses to your points beow.
I currently represent only AIG in the South Walton area, although I represent about 20 companies across the nation. By no means is AIG a cheap or unstable insurer. AIG is the only high-end insurer writing business in this area. Chubb and Fireman's Fund have not really tapped into this area except for on ultra-premier homes that provide $25,000-$50,000 in account premium. AIG is offering one of the best products around as it includes extended replacement cost on the dwelling (up to 150%) and hurricane coverage included in their homeowner's contract. They also provide top-notch claims service. Additionally, AIG is providing assistance in post-hurricane situations through their "Hurricane Protection Unit" which provides tarps, back-up generators, and additional supplies to get insureds back on their feet immediately following a storm. I insure my clients with quality carriers that maintain an "A" rating or better according to AM Bests insurance rating website. This rating refers to a company's financial stability. Thus, I would say I sell quality as well as pricing, a good fit for most clients.
Regarding the $350,000 home with a premium of $30,000- This was in West Palm Beach. Hopefully that would make sense now, as pricing in that area differs significantly from pricing on the gulf coast and particularly, South Walton. This client was insured with ALLSTATE.
Regarding claims, I manage all claim situations for my clients, regardless of the size of their account. In addititon to myself, I have two very experienced claim managers in my office as well as an abundance of support staff. We do everything in our ability to make sure our client is properly indemnified as soon as possible.
I became involved with insuring homes in the community when one of my insured's built a house in Watersound. He was satisfied with his premium and passed my information along to others, all of whom are still insured with me. I am not trying to step on anyone's toes. My rates are competitive but I can currently only insure newer homes (Post 2004) as AIG has some restrictions on the business they will write.
I write these posts with the intention of providing helpful information to the community, not to bicker amongst competition. This forum is meant to benefit hopmeowner's pursuing insurance information. I try to help people save money and enhance their coverage. Please respect that, and please continue to post if you have beneficial information to add. Thanks and best regards.
Casey,
I appreciate your posting and providing beneficial information to the commmunity. But there is no need to make accusations or finger point. If you felt so strongly about the wind mitigation forms, you could have posted your own thread. If you had read my previous posts, you would know that I do all I can to assist my customers and keep them satisfied. I am a New York City broker lucky enough to be involved with a brokerage that has been around since 1957 with offices in other states. We represent the 3 most reputable national insurance companies (Chubb, AIG and Firemans Fund). There are not many brokers that can say that.
Please see a few responses to your points beow.
I currently represent only AIG in the South Walton area, although I represent about 20 companies across the nation. By no means is AIG a cheap or unstable insurer. AIG is the only high-end insurer writing business in this area. Chubb and Fireman's Fund have not really tapped into this area except for on ultra-premier homes that provide $25,000-$50,000 in account premium. AIG is offering one of the best products around as it includes extended replacement cost on the dwelling (up to 150%) and hurricane coverage included in their homeowner's contract. They also provide top-notch claims service. Additionally, AIG is providing assistance in post-hurricane situations through their "Hurricane Protection Unit" which provides tarps, back-up generators, and additional supplies to get insureds back on their feet immediately following a storm. I insure my clients with quality carriers that maintain an "A" rating or better according to AM Bests insurance rating website. This rating refers to a company's financial stability. Thus, I would say I sell quality as well as pricing, a good fit for most clients.
Regarding the $350,000 home with a premium of $30,000- This was in West Palm Beach. Hopefully that would make sense now, as pricing in that area differs significantly from pricing on the gulf coast and particularly, South Walton. This client was insured with ALLSTATE.
Regarding claims, I manage all claim situations for my clients, regardless of the size of their account. In addititon to myself, I have two very experienced claim managers in my office as well as an abundance of support staff. We do everything in our ability to make sure our client is properly indemnified as soon as possible.
I became involved with insuring homes in the community when one of my insured's built a house in Watersound. He was satisfied with his premium and passed my information along to others, all of whom are still insured with me. I am not trying to step on anyone's toes. My rates are competitive but I can currently only insure newer homes (Post 2004) as AIG has some restrictions on the business they will write.
I write these posts with the intention of providing helpful information to the community, not to bicker amongst competition. This forum is meant to benefit hopmeowner's pursuing insurance information. I try to help people save money and enhance their coverage. Please respect that, and please continue to post if you have beneficial information to add. Thanks and best regards.
Insuranceguru has been posting on this board for quite a while, has been very helpful, is very knowledgeable, and has satisfied local clients, some of which are friends.
Good insurance agents work by word of mouth- you should know that. And you may want to do a little more research on the companies that are writing business here before you publicly trash them. It is always helpful to know your competition.
I can personally attest to what Insurance Guru saved us on our Watersound house. We were being quoted anywhere from $21,000.00 to $25,000.00 per year for our new home, which by the way was a Fortified Home, and Adam placed us with AIG Insurance for a little over $8,000.00 per year. I don't care who you are, that is a big savings. Oh, that $8,100.00 figure INCLUDES WIND.
He has also helped a friend of mine with a home on the gulf in Seagrove save a lot of money. He has insured several homes in Watersound and saved them a lot of money. I don't think this is a fly by night company by any means.
He has also helped a friend of mine with a home on the gulf in Seagrove save a lot of money. He has insured several homes in Watersound and saved them a lot of money. I don't think this is a fly by night company by any means.
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I wasn't saying anything about the price... that is a good price. I'm talking about if the policy you bought is worth it. Because in the insurance industry you truly get (or don't get) what you pay for. Does your policy cover backup of sewer and drain? Does it cover vandalism? Is your policy a Homeowner or a dwelling fire policy. And if it's a dwelling fire policy, is it a DP1, 2, or 3. These are all very important with claim time comes. All of these policies include wind but not all of them cover the other perils that can be as important. I educate my clients on what they are acutally buying not just which one is the cheapest. I realize saving money is important, but at what cost to coverage? I just hate to see people get screwed when it comes to insurance in Florida because most people don't know what they're buying, they just know it was the cheapest quote.
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By the way, I'm going to dig a little deeper but I went to the Florida Department of Financial Services to do an agent lookup for Adam Gurdus and his name doen't appear as licensed to write insurance in Florida unless he's doing it under someone elses name or license number.
Yes, our policy covers backup of sewer and drains. Our policy is a homeowners policy. We did not go with this company because it was the cheapest quote, it was also the best coverage.