Author Archives: AgentInsure

Frequently Asked Questions About Auto Insurance Brokers

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As you begin to shop for auto insurance plans, you may discover that some insurance plans are offered through an insurance agent, while others are offered through an insurance broker. This can leave you with many questions. Here are a few of the questions you have regarding auto insurance brokers.

What is an Auto Insurance Broker?

An auto insurance broker sells auto insurance plans. However, unlike an auto insurance agent who works solely for one auto insurance company, a broker works with a variety of companies.

What Are the Benefits of an Auto Insurance Broker?

When you work with an auto insurance broker, they are able to find you the best auto insurance policy for your needs. It may not be with the auto insurance company you think it is with. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of working with an auto insurance agent, which limits their options to one insurance company. Unless you are loyal to one company, a broker can be beneficial.

Can An Auto Broker Help If You Need to File an Insurance Claim?

An auto broker typically sells the policy. They cannot file a claim on your behalf, and because they do not work for the insurance company, cannot help with the status of your claim. However, they can put in a call for you and work to obtain information on your claim or direct you to the right department if you need to file a claim or have questions about an existing claim.

Do you need a new auto insurance plan in the Greater Green Valley, AZ area? If so, Insurance Center of Green Valley can help. Give us a call today to discuss all of your auto insurance needs and let our auto insurance brokers find the right auto insurance plan for you.

In Green Valley, AZ, Does Your Auto Insurance Covered Towed Vehicles?

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In Green Valley, AZ the insurance agents at Insurance Center of Green Valley can provide certain features within a policy to cover certain expenses that may otherwise be overlooked. A good example of this is towing. There are times when the tow bill can be extravagantly high due to the distance the vehicle must be taken. When this is included as part of an auto insurance company, it can dramatically reduce the cost of an accident or breakdown.

To Tow or Not to Tow

Most auto insurance policies are very basic until the agent and owner discuss what they would like to have included. Coverage for towing is not part of a basic policy and must be added as a special feature, especially if it is not a full coverage policy. Many full coverage policies do include a tow package, although it may be limited as to when it can be used. States do not require insurance agencies to carry tow coverage. Clients, however, often ask for the coverage in case of an accident or breakdown. If a policy is being written for anything other than PL/PD, most insurance agents will recommend adding tow coverage in case of an emergency. This protects their client from spending hundreds of dollars on an unexpected to tow bill. 

The agents at the Insurance Center of Green Valley provide services to clients who live throughout the Green Valley, AZ area. They are able to answer questions and offer features that can be included in auto insurance policies that will protect their client from future financial loss. If you are unsure of what your insurance policy covers and what is excluded, call the agents at the Insurance Center of Green Valley to have all of your questions answered. 

Signs You Need Your Brakes Checked

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Whether you travel in the Green Valley, AZ area or anywhere else in the country, your brakes are one of the most important parts of a safe trip.  You do not want to be driving along and suddenly need to stop to realize your brakes are not working properly.  It’s best to have them checked with your regular vehicle maintenance, but sometimes that is not enough.  You need to be aware of warning signs that there may be a problem with your brakes.  Here are some signs that your brakes need to be checked.

  • Obvious signs are the brake warning light on the dashboard or your vehicle taking longer than normal to stop.
  • Brake pads have sensors that will squeal when the brake pad gets low, and if you let them go, you will then start to hear a grinding noise.  Grinding means the pad is gone and it’s metal on metal.
  • If your vehicle pulls hard to the right or left when stopping, then it could mean a caliper is stuck, and it causes it to pull to one side.  It could be other issues, like an unevenly worn tire, poor alignment, or another issue, but it’s a sign to have your car checked.
  • When making an emergency stop with antilock brakes, the pedal pulses, and if this happens during regular stopping there could be a problem with the rotors.
  • A mush pedal, meaning it goes close to the floor before engaging, there could be a problem with the pads or hydraulics.

Insurance Center of Green Valley

At the Insurance Center of Green Valley in the Green Valley, AZ area, we care as much about your safety as making sure you have the right amount of auto insurance coverage for your unique needs.

The Best Home Insurance Additions

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Home insurance is not a one size fits all approach. Everyone uses a different kind of insurance as everyone has different personal and financial needs. When living in Green Valley, AZ, you can depend on the Insurance Center of Green Valley for your particular home owner’s needs. That is why you need to consider these particular insurance additions. 

Valuable Item Insurance

Your home owners insurance projects the home. In the event of a break in your coverage may not extend to what is stolen. So, if you have valuable china smashed up or the thief made off with your entertainment system, valuable item insurance coverage may be a desirable addition to consider. 

Personal Umbrella Insurance

Say someone is attempting to solicit something at your front door. You don’t answer but they slip and fall, injuring themselves as they turn to walk away. Realistically it is their fault, they shouldn’t be on the property and you have no true legal responsibility to the matter. The problem arises if they attempt to sue you. Yes, you’ll likely win, but you’ll also need to pay for an attorney, which is money you are out of. A personal umbrella policy protects you in this case and can cover these kinds of legal situations. 

Flooding Insurance

During the monsoon season around Green Valley, if you live in an area of heavy flooding, you might want to look into flood insurance as the ground simply is not able to absorb this kind of rainfall. 

There are several different insurance options available when protecting your home investment. Depending on what you are in need of these insurance options may change. At Insurance Center of Green Valley, AZ, you can find an assortment of insurance additions to consider. With a team of professionals at your side, we can help identify possible insurance coverage options that will better protect your property in the amount of money you can afford. 

3 Tips for Making Your Green Valley Home Greener

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Green Valley, Arizona is a small town not far from the bigger city of Tucson but has some lower temperatures, even in the summer.  However, it still gets pretty hot in Green Valley during Monsoon Season so we’ve outlined a few ways you can save on energy costs during the hottest months of the year.  

1.  Go Solar

Solar energy is green energy.  If you own a home in Green Valley, AZ you could consider putting solar panels on your roof to generate the power needed to run your air conditioner all summer long.  Solar energy will significantly decrease or eliminate your summer electric bill, depending on the number of panels you have installed.  

2.  Install Solar Shades on Windows

By installing sun shades on all your windows, you can decrease the amount of sunlight that penetrates your home through windows.  This will help keep the temperature in your home cooler without having to compromise on light.  

3.  Get an Energy Audit

To find out how your property in Green Valley, AZ doesn’t pass the Green Test, have a professional energy audit. These experts will come to your home and examine every way you could be losing energy – and money – and recommend ways to improve upon their findings.   

At Insurance Center of Green Valley, we provide reputable agents who serve the Green Valley community. Our experienced agents can answer all of your questions about insuring your home in Green Valley. Call us today at Insurance Center of Green Valley at 520-648-1150 to talk with a friendly team member.  

 

 

Minimum Auto Insurance Could Fall Short

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The State of Arizona requires that people drivers have auto insurance. These laws are in place to help people who suffer a loss. While many people take out a policy to just satisfy the minimum standards, that coverage may not fully protect you. At the Insurance Center of Green Valley, our professionals are committed working with people of the Green Valley, AZ community to create a policy that provides secure coverage.

Minimum Coverage Can Fall Short

In Arizona, drivers must carry a liability policy with limits of $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident and $10,000 for property damage. If you stop and think about today’s medical care costs, it’s quite obvious those numbers are insufficient. An injury that requires minor surgery alone would likely exceed the $15,000 minimum. A major head injury, for example, could result in complex surgery and months of rehabilitation. That could easily run into six figures of medical debt.

Consider the price of a new automobile. There isn’t a new car on the market today under the state’s minimum property damage. This year, the average price tag for a new vehicle exceeds $30,000. Once your minimum coverage has been exhausted, an injured party could file a civil lawsuit against you to recover the remainder of their losses.

Protect Yourself

The other problem with minimum coverage is that you may not be financially protected if injured. There are numerous scenarios in which you could suffer an irrecoverable loss. While everyone is supposed to carry insurance, some people shirk their responsibilities. If you are injured by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, you may not get fully compensated. If an accident is your fault, liability insurance may only protect the other party.

It’s important not to put yourself in a vulnerable position with by having only minimum coverage. At the Insurance Center of Green Valley, we’re happy to explore options that can provide you with adequate and secure insurance coverage. We are here to serve members of the Green Valley, AZ community and look forward to working with you.

 

Determining the Level of Homeowner’s Coverage for You

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Although homeowner’s insurance isn’t required by law like auto insurance, mortgage companies often require it for those who have loans. Green Valley, AZ, Insurance Center of Green Valley recommends keeping a homeowner’s policy on the house even if the home is paid off to protect the owner’s asset. However, not every person requires the highest level of coverage, and sometimes the cheapest policy just isn’t enough.

1. Structure Home

One vital aspect of deciding on an amount revolves around what it would take to build a new house similar in structure and design. For instance, local construction costs and the square footage of the place will play a part. What the home is built of as well as the style of the home determines how much it would cost to rebuild. The number of rooms, especially bathrooms, in addition to any special features like fireplaces and arched windows affect the rebuilding price. A homeowner should keep in mind if any areas were custom built.

2. Whether Extras Are Needed

A person should consider whether extras not covered on a standard policy are beneficial. For instance, a homeowner who lives on a flat area or at the bottom of a hill may want to consider adding flood insurance.

3. Personal Possessions

An insurance policy doesn’t just cover the cost of the structure of the home itself and the sheds and other buildings outside. The policy covers possessions, so a person should take that into consideration when tailoring the policy. This is especially the case if the homeowner owns anything of value. A person should craft a list of all possessions in the home and how much it would cost to replace them. A person can expect 50 to 70 percent of the total valued to be covered on policy.

Home Owners Insurance Green Valley, AZ

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One of the most popular destinations for second home buyers, Green Valley, Arizona is known for its desert landscape and arid weather. Protecting your property asset and its contents from liability when you are away is easy with a homeowner’s insurance policy.

Property Investment Protection

Property investors buying a second home in Arizona will want to protect their investment. Hazard and liability insurance coverage are the minimum recommendations for second home owners. Standard homeowner insurance policies cover hazards to physical damage of property and possessions and liability associated with injury accidents of other parties on a homeowner’s property.

Hazard Insurance

Damages caused by natural disaster or physical elements on a property such as electrical or plumbing systems are covered in a hazard insurance policy. Hazard insurance policies may contain exclusion clauses denying guaranteed cost replacement of damaged homeowner property, as result of major earthquakes, or flood incidence. Supplemental coverage for natural disaster risk is usually available at a higher rate. Higher rates may also apply to registered historical properties. Liability coverage is also not included in hazard policies, so that accidents taking place on the property while the owner is there, or even absent, are not compensated in a claim.

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance compensates for medical payments to others, and personal liability when someone is harmed on the premises of your property. Personal liability covers personal injury, or legal fees when an owner holding title is sued by another party injured on their property. Standard liability coverage in Arizona is $100,000 up to $1 million depending on the features and location of a home.

Deductible

Homeowner insurance deductibles start at $500 and are increased depending on the type of insurance coverage.

For information about homeowners insurance, contact a broker in Green Valley, AZ.

Do Your Home Insurance Needs Change Once Your Home Loan is Paid Off?

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Many people dream of the day that their home is paid off. However, when that day finally comes, you may have one important question. Do your home insurance needs change once your home is paid off? After all, you are not required by the bank or lender to carry home insurance any longer once you have paid your debt to them. Here is a bit more information you may want to know about this topic.

Can You Afford to Replace Your Home?

When you are wondering if your home insurance needs change once your home is paid off, you need to consider your financial situation. For most people, their home is their largest asset. If the home that they just paid off were to burn to the ground or become severely damaged, they would not have the money to simply buy another one and have that one paid off, or if they do, it would severely impact their retirement or financial situation. Home insurance covers the value of the home in case something like this were to happen, helping to give people peace of mind. As such, most people should still carry home insurance, even if their home is paid off. And regardless of whether the home is paid off or not, you should have enough insurance that you can replace the home and the items inside if the worse case scenario were to happen to your home.

Regardless of whether your home is paid off or not, Insurance Center of Green Valley would love to help you with your home insurance needs. If you need home insurance in the greater Green Valley, AZ area, our agents would love to talk to you about your needs and draw up a policy that is ideal for your situation. Give us a call to get started today.

Simple Safety Tests to Extend the Life of Your Vehicle

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Your car keeps getting you to work in Green Valley, AZ, even after all these years. But when was the last time you had it checked to make sure it is still safe to drive? Insurance Center of Green Valley offers up a few tips to help you avoid having your vehicle fall apart while operating, preventing costly and painful repair and medical bills.  Spending a few dollars on preventative maintenance can save you thousands in lost wages, expenses and deductibles.

  • Penny Test Your Tires: Take a penny and insert it between the treads of your tires with Abraham Lincoln’s head pointed down.  If you see half of Lincoln’s head or more, it might be time to replace your tires before they fail on rough country roads.
  • Jack It Up and Jiggle: Your ball joints keep your tires pointed in the right direction. Failure at high speed can cause a severe accident and you can’t see them to know when it’s time to replace them. Jack up the car so a wheel is off the ground. Try to wiggle the wheel–put a little effort into it.  If there is shifting and a thunking noise, you need new ball joints.
  • Grinding and Squealing Noise: If you can feel grinding through the brake pedal or even the steering wheel when coming to a stop, that is a warning your brakes are close to failing.
  • Check All Your Lights: It’s easy to miss when your tail lights have a bulb go out. Take one minute to walk around your vehicle and make sure high beam, low beam, brake lights and turn signals are working. It can help others avoid hitting you.

Check with your Green Valley, AZ auto repair shop and the Insurance Center of Green Valley for more inexpensive preventative maintenance tips and save your aging auto from a premature death.