Home, Auto and Business Insurance

10/17/2017

What is covered by standard homeowners insurance?
Understanding the four essential protections provided by your homeowners policy
Homeowners + Renters Insurance

IN THIS ARTICLE
Coverage for the structure of your home
Coverage for your personal belongings
Liability protection
Additional living expenses (ALE)

Homeowners coverage provides financial protection against loss due to disasters, theft and accidents. Most standard policies include four essential types of coverage: Coverage for the structure of your home; Coverage for your personal belongings; Liability protection; Coverage for Additional Living Expenses



Coverage for the structure of your home

Your homeowners policy pays to repair or rebuild your home if it is damaged or destroyed by fire, hurricane, hail, lightning or other disasters listed in your policy. Most policies also cover detached structures such as a garage, tool shed or gazebo—generally for about 10 percent of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of the house.
A standard policy will not pay for damage caused by a flood, earthquake (which can be purchased separately) or routine wear and tear.
When purchasing coverage for the structure of your home, remember this simple guideline: Purchase enough coverage to rebuild your home.


Coverage for your personal belongings

Your furniture, clothes, sports equipment and other personal items are covered if they are stolen or destroyed by fire, hurricane or other insured disasters. The coverage is generally 50 to 70 percent of the insurance you have on the structure of the house.
The best way to determine if this is enough coverage is to conduct a home inventory.
Personal belongings coverage includes items stored off-premises—this means you are covered anywhere in the world. Some companies limit the amount to 10 percent of the amount of insurance you have for your possessions. You also have up to $500 of coverage for unauthorized use of your credit cards.
Expensive items like jewelry, furs, art, collectibles and silverware are covered, but there are usually dollar limits if they are stolen. To insure these items to their full value, purchase a special personal property endorsement or floater and insure the item for its officially appraised value.
Trees, plants and shrubs are also covered under standard homeowners insurance—generally for about $500 per item. Trees and plants are not covered for disease, or if they have been poorly maintained.


Liability protection

Liability covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you or family members cause to other people. It also pays for damage caused by your pets. So, if your son, daughter (or even your dog) accidentally ruins a neighbor’s expensive rug, you are covered. (However, if they destroy your rug, you’re out of luck.)
The liability portion of your policy pays for both the cost of defending you in court and any court awards—up to the limit stated in your policy documents.
Liability limits generally start at about $100,000, however, it’s a good idea to discuss whether you should purchase a higher level of protection with your insurance professional. If you have significant assets and want more coverage than is available under your homeowners policy, consider purchasing an umbrella or excess liability policy, which provides broader coverage and higher liability limits.
Your policy also provides no-fault medical coverage, so if a friend or neighbor is injured in your home, he or she can simply submit medical bills to your insurance company. This way, expenses can be paid without a liability claim being filed against you. It does not, however, pay the medical bills for your own family or your pet.


Additional living expenses (ALE)

ALE pays the additional costs of living away from home if you cannot live there due to damage from a an insured disaster. It covers hotel bills, restaurant meals and other costs, over and above your usual living expenses, incurred while your home is being rebuilt.
Keep in mind that the ALE coverage in your homeowners policy has limits—and some policies include a time limitation. However, these limits are separate from the amount available to rebuild or repair your home. Even if you use up your ALE your insurance company will still pay the full cost of rebuilding your home up to the policy limit.
If you rent out part of your house, ALE also covers you for the rent that you would have collected from your tenant if your home had not been destroyed.
For More Info - 760-867-6936 [email protected]

10/12/2017

10/11/2017

We can write policies in CA,NV,AZ and TX. We have appointments with, Liberty Mutual, Aegis, The Hartford, Travelers, Safeco, Mercury, Infinity, Progressive, Kemper and more so we can get you the best deal that fits you. Please inquire about our Life and Health Insurance division as well.

Roadside Assistance with Mercury

You never know when you’ll need a helping hand on the road. When your car stops running due to a non-accident incident, Mercury’s Roadside Assistance will be there to help. Simply call
the toll-free Claims number on your ID card and select the roadside assistance option. You’ll be connected with a service representative to dispatch services and get you back on the road.
You can even opt-in via text to receive real-time status updates on your request.
Here’s a list of covered services:
• Towing to a nearby repair facility up to the following limits1
- $75 (15 miles)
- $500 (100 miles)
- $1,000 (200 miles)
• Locksmith services for keys that are lost, stolen or locked inside the vehicle 2
• Battery jump start
• Flat tire change
• Delivery of fuel and other motor vehicle operation fluids 3
• Towing from entrapment of snow, mud, water or sand within 100 feet of a public road or Highway. We can quote this with or into your policy just ask!! [email protected]

10/11/2017

Hello Everyone,
You have questions about your insurance policy, whether it be, what kind of coverage do I have and what does it cover, what does my rate include and what am I actually paying for? If you have a question about your Home, Auto, Business Auto or Property, even Life policy please ask on this site. I will post a topic each week and if you have any further questions concerning this or if it jogs another question out of you of something already discussed or have not discussed PLEASE ASK!!! I want to become your Insurance agent but it gives me great pleasure to educate you on insurance and I even learn from your questions to maybe help the situation even better, because as the commercial says They have seen a thing or two, is very true. Things happen, unexpectedly in so many different ways too many to count so be prepared with Insurance and learn what can help you in case something ever unexpectedly happens. We pray it never does, but we must think about being prepared. Learn, Ask, Receive. Thank you.
Mike-760-867-6936 - [email protected]

08/29/2017

Uninsured motorist coverage protects you if you're hit by an uninsured driver. This is important considering that about 1 in 8 drivers isn't insured, according to the Insurance Research Council.
Uninsured motorist coverage, often termed "UM coverage" is broken into two categories:
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage: pays the cost of your hospital bills if you're injured in an accident. If you are injured by an uninsured driver and don't have UM coverage, medical payments coverage, personal injury protection, or your own medical insurance, you would be responsible for your own hospital bills.
Uninsured motorist property damage coverage: pays for repairs to your car if it's damaged in an accident. If your car is damaged by an uninsured driver and you don't have UM coverage or collision coverage, you would have to pay for repairs yourself or go after the at-fault driver in court.
There is also related coverage, called underinsured motorist coverage, which protects you from other drivers who have insurance, but not enough to pay for your injuries or car repairs. It is also broken into two categories:
Underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage: helps pay for your hospital bills if you're hit by a driver who doesn't have enough insurance coverage to fully cover the cost of hospital bills.
Underinsured motorist property damage coverage: helps pay for repairs to your car if you're hit by a driver who doesn't have enough insurance coverage to fully cover the repairs.
To determine if you need UM coverage when you already have health insurance coverage, you’ll need to get answers from your health insurer on some issues, such as:
Will injuries from an auto accident be covered by my health insurance policy? If yes, are all medical expenses covered or are there exclusions for certain types of medical treatments?
If my car insurance policy's medical coverage has a deductible, will my health insurance policy pay it? You basically want to know if your PIP deductible will be covered by your health policy or if the portion of medical expenses that your PIP doesn't cover will be covered by your health insurer. For example, Florida's regular PIP coverage only pays 80 percent and comes with a deductible so if you lived here you'd want to find out if your health insurer would cover the other 20 percent and the deductible amount.
Should my auto medical coverages or health insurance policy be primary after an auto accident? In general, your car insurance medical coverages are primary and your health insurance policy is secondary coverage if you carry both and are injured in a car accident, but this varies by state.
Can my health insurance company ask for reimbursement for medical bills they covered? If both your auto insurance provider and health insurer pay out claims for medical expenses that resulted from an auto accident, then it's possible they could ask for reimbursement if there were overlapping payments paid out by both insurers for the same medical treatments. Ask your insurer about their process to determine if reimbursement would be required.
Will my health insurance policy provide any coverage for passengers injured in my vehicle? It's doubtful that your passengers would be covered by your health insurance, unless they are members of your family already on your health policy, but ask to get verification. If you want medical coverages for passengers, you usually need to carry medical payments coverage or PIP as part of your auto insurance policy.
Keep in mind too that if you want the right to claim for lost wages and pain suffering if hit by an uninsured motorist, then you'd need UM coverage since health insurance policies don't offer such benefits.You can use uninsured motorist property damage to cover damage to or total loss of your insured vehicle, up to the limits that are stated in your policy. That means the whole actual cash value of your vehicle may not be covered. It doesn't replace your vehicle. In some states, the limits may be quite low. In California, for example, the current limit is $3,500.
If you have collision insurance, you might not need to buy uninsured motorist property damage coverage. In some states, if you carry both collision coverage and uninsured motorist property damage, the UMPD will pay your collision deductible if you're hit by an uninsured driver.
Does uninsured motorist cover hit-and-run and miss-and-run accidents?
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage will pay for the costs of your injuries up to your policy limits in cases of a hit-and-run or miss-and-run (where a driver is forced to swerve and has an accident). But uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) does not pay for damage to your car.
To make a property damage claim under your UMPD coverage, you need an identified at-fault driver so that your insurance company can confirm that he or she does not have liability insurance.
If you have collision insurance, on the other hand, you are covered for property damage from hit-and-run and miss-and-run accidents.
Mike 760-867-6936, [email protected]

08/29/2017

08/29/2017

Most states' laws require drivers to buy two types of liability car insurance coverage in order to operate a vehicle on the roadway.
Bodily injury liability car insurance pays the medical bills of individuals you are found liable for injuring with your car.
Property damage liability car insurance pays to repair or replace cars or other property that you hit with your vehicle.
What does liability car insurance cover?
Bodily injury liability (BI) pays, up to your policy limits, for injuries or death that you (the policyholder), or other drivers covered by your car insurance policy, are found responsible for after a motor vehicle accident. Policy terms vary but typically bodily injury liability coverage will pay, up to your policy limits, for:
Medical expenses
Funeral expenses
Loss of income
Pain and suffering
Legal defense if a lawsuit results from the auto accident
[Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.]
Policy limits for bodily injury liability are per person and per accident and coverage is written as such. For example, $25,000/$50,000 means that the maximum payout per person is $25,000, and the maximum payout for all people injured in one accident is $50,000. This coverage may also be simply written as 25/50. Bodily injury liability does NOT cover your injuries, only the injuries of others that you are liable for. For your personal injuries to be covered, you would need coverages such as personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage (MedPay).
Property damage liability (PD) pays, up to your policy limits, for damages to someone else’s property that you (the policyholder), or other drivers covered by your car insurance policy, are found responsible for after a motor vehicle accident. Property damage typically is damage to another car, but property damage liability also covers damages you may cause to someone’s house, tree, fence, guardrail, pole, etc.
Property damage liability provides you with legal defense if another party files a lawsuit against you regarding property damage that resulted from an auto accident. Property damage liability does NOT cover in any way damages to your own vehicle. For such coverage, you need collision coverage and comprehensive coverage.

08/29/2017

08/28/2017

The California collision deductible waiver (CDW) is coverage which waives your collision deductible if you are hit by a negligent uninsured motorist.
The CDW option with a personal auto insurance policy in California pays your collision deductible when you carry collision coverage on a vehicle that is damaged by an uninsured or hit-and-run motorist who is at fault. Coverage typically applies only when there is actual physical contact and when you can identify the uninsured driver or vehicle.
California car insurance law requires that for policies (except those insuring commercial automobiles) providing bodily injury liability coverage for uninsured motorists, insurers must offer coverage for damage to the insured motor vehicle, to the extent that you are legally entitled to recover from the owner or operator of the uninsured motor vehicle, caused by an uninsured motor vehicle, that either:
1. Pays the collision deductible on the insured motor vehicle when you have purchased collision coverage. (Waiver of Collision Deductible)
2. Pays for the damage to the insured motor vehicle when you have not purchased collision coverage. (Uninsured Motorists Coverage - Property Damage)
Payment shall not include damage to personal property or loss of use of a motor vehicle and shall not exceed the smaller of any of the following:
The amount of the collision deductible.
The actual cash value of the insured motor vehicle.
$3,500.
You may (1) reject such coverage completely or (2) reject such coverage for a situation when an insured motor vehicle is operated by a natural person or persons designated by name.
California is one of the states that offer uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) but if you decide not to choose this coverage you can be offered the collision damage waiver. Thus if you do not carry collision coverage on your auto, UMPD will pay up to $3,500 (not to exceed the value of the vehicle) for damages stemming from a person who is at fault in the accident and is uninsured.
If you do carry collision insurance coverage on your auto, you can purchase a collision deductible waiver in California. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured vehicle with CDW as part of your policy, your insurer will pay your collision coverage deductible for you.
UMPD coverage normally pays for damages sustained by your covered vehicle when involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. Usually the following conditions must be met before uninsured motorist property damage coverage applies:
the other party must be uninsured;
the driver of the other vehicle must be legally responsible for your damages;
actual, direct physical contact must occur between your vehicle and the uninsured vehicle;
you must be able to provide the insurance company positive identification of the uninsured party (pocket license number, license plate number of the other vehicle.) If this involves a hit and run and you are not able to get the uninsured party's information, coverage will not apply;
you must report the loss to the insurance company within 10 days of the accident.
The insurance company's liability to you will be limited to the following:
For vehicles with collision Coverage, the most the insurance company will pay under this coverage (CDW) is your collision deductible.
For vehicles without collision Coverage, the most the insurance company will pay under this coverage (UMPD) is $3,500 or the actual Cash value of the vehicle (whichever is less.)

08/24/2017

Story, one of my clients whom has been with this agency for years has never had an accident but when she turned 56 she had her first and luckily she had 100/300/100 coverage and the accident paid out $96k so she had the right kind of insurance when she needed it!!! How about you? Do you know what coverage you have? Can you say you are adequately covered if not let me look at your policy and make suggestions or let you know you are!! Contact Mike-760-867-6936

08/24/2017

Accidents happen so you should always be prepared with Insurance, be it home auto commercial or life. Insurance can give you peace of mind where ever you go and what ever you do. Let's talk call me 760-867-6936

08/24/2017

Nothing like having your own PERSONAL Insurance agent to take care of your insurance needs, Auto, Home, Renters and Commercial. A person to always keep you up to date and make sure your policy is right for your needs. I can be that for you, call me!!!! 760-867-6936