insurance recommendation
 

We are changing from our current provider, state farm.
I would appreciate your recommendations, we have our auto, home, including hurricane and sinkhole. I am especially seeking personalized, responsive agents. Thanks

If you are looking to bundle your home and auto, do the math to make sure the agent is actually quoting you the correct discount. I once had an agent tell me that I was getting a 25 percent discount by bundling, but when I did the math, the discount was actually only 3 percent. I don't shop for bundles anymore because I have found that you often get a better deal by having two separate companies.

OP, I don't know how much liability insurance you have on your auto policy, but I found that State Farm and Allstate were the only two companies that would offer more than $250K, which, to me, was not enough. Also, I know some people will disagree, but I do not purchase any uninsured motorist insurance, which is optional in Florida. I would never file a claim for this coverage, so I save a few hundred dollars by not buying it.

For homeowner's, you may find it difficult to buy sinkhole coverage. I have Progressive for homeowner's and State Farm for auto.

A gambler? lol

Next month I am taking a home, auto, umbrella bundle with AAA. Saved money over sum of current insurers, and obtained (formerly lost) sinkhole coverage.

Find a broker that can give you the cheapest quote drawing from several insurance companies. Contact the Villages Insurance as just one example.

The Villages Insurance no longer exists. It is now The Baldwin Group.

If you have sinkhole insurance with your previous provider, it is grandfathered in. Once you change providers or delete it with your primary provider, it will be gone and no longer be an option.

Huh??? Please clarify your post. It sounds like the first sentence contradicts the second one. Also, what is a primary provider?

Way Better Insurance 239-210-7720
 

this insurance agency has helped me for several years now and I would NOT go anywhere else...Scott is out of the office this week (until June 27th) but his colleagues will be glad to get you started...they do it all and you will NOT be sorry even if its only a quote you're after....and for the Floridians reading this post...my move to the Villages has resulted in a 50% drop in my Auto Insurance and my Homeowners is now 1/3 of what it was....WOW:coolsmiley:

Agent
 

They are in Fort Meyers. I wonder what kind of claim help you would get without having a local agent?

Why are you changing?

A major challenge with respect to insurance we all encounter is the view that coverage, service and companies are all the same, so the primary differentiator we focus on is the price/premium for the coverage. The state of FL has a free web based tool available called ‘CHOICES Rate Comparison Tool’ see details on the office of Insurance Regulation [ floir.com ].

No matter who you get for insurance, always read your policy carefully. Many times you will get a cheaper quote only to find lesser coverage somewhere in the policy. Also, remember sink hole insurance only covers any settling under the living space of your home. If you wake up one morning with a sink hole in your driveway or lawn, your sink hole insurance will Not cover it. Every policy has catastrophic ground collapse coverage so unless you know you live in a area where sink holes are a common occurance, or unless your sink hole insurance is very cheap, it's probably a waste of money like getting flood insurance here in the Villages. And if your sink hole insurance is very cheap, that means even the insurance company feels its a "good bet" you won't be using it.

KIN Ins was about half of our previous policy.

Right but some have said they give you a good first year price then double it in subsequent years. Just Fyi.

I recommend Lori Welling at The Villages Insurance. Finds the least expensive company while providing the coverage you desire. She is knowledgeable and smart as a whip. Tell her Susan S recommended her.

Add USAA to the list if you are eligible.

I have had a different insurance company each of the 4 years I have been in the Villages, except for Geico for auto as they actually reduced my insurance about 3% with my renewal. Shop around and find the best price from an insurance company that has a solid rating.

Bad News
 

Many, many bad stories about Allstate during the last few hurricanes. Tree fell on a house, Allstate sent out an independent adjuster since Allstate adjusters were a little overwhelmed. The adjuster did an accurate assessment and submitted his report. Allstate told him to reduce his estimate to a $45,000 claim or he wouldn't get paid for his work. So the insurance company told the homeowner (a 20 year customer!) "here's our check for $45,000, take it or leave it". The homeowner was there during the damage assessment (no $ figures were discussed but a laundry list was secretly kept) and saw that items were deleted, and they had to sue Allstate for more relief. Turns out the adjuster's original estimate was closer to $400,000 damage, not $45,000.

A friend of mine worked as a claims rep. for Allstate at the "pay the customer" end of the process. She was often told by her boss, this is a bad month for us, delay this payout by 3 more months. Allstate made the owner wait for their money. After working there 6 months, she quit, saying Allstate is bad news.

Stay away from Allstate.

Skip

Be careful about using out of area insurance. Two neighbors did that and when a lightning strike for one and a sinkhole damage for the other happened, they became the general contractor. Those insurance companies said they didn’t know anyone in our area to get the job done, so here’s the money and…you know the rest. It was a real hassle.

Allstate for the cars, & motorcycle. House with Tower Hill. Golf cart covered by a rider on homeowners’ policy. Lisa Faina Agency, Cooper City Florida was very helpful, and continues to be that way.

We used DEES Insurance and they were very good for us (941) 306-4524. We ended up with Frontline Insurance for homeowners, Progressive for Golf Car and Travelers for Auto with reasonable rates and full coverages you will need to review for your needs. Good Luck.

Just a FWIW, but Travelers would also quote $500K single limit and up the property damage to $300K on an auto policy. When bundled with an umbrella policy, the higher auto liability policy actually quoted a bit cheaper than the lesser.

To the OP, good luck I know it’s a hassle to shop around. And as for the opinion that you need a local agent, I disagree and have been through a few claims processes over the years. Once I filed a claim I’ve always been largely on my own for the process - except when they sued and I heard somewhat regularly from the insurance company attorney. A local agent cannot change the process or the language of the policy. Again, just an opinion.

Progressive has been really good and fair for us.

I actually have $1 million liability on my State Farm auto policy. An umbrella policy is always an option, but I have usually found them to be too expensive.

Yeah, I personally think once an insurance company goes public and hits the stock market service the coverage sucks. I prefer a mutual insurance company at this point in my life.

What do you pay for auto? I have a 6 month renewal bill with Travelers just under $800. Clean record, 500/500 liability, 100k property, 25/50 uninsured 10k PIP and comprehensive and collision. This is more than my 12 months of coverage before I moved to the Villages.

I pay $452 for 6 months with State Farm. I have $1 million in liability, the mandatory PIP, plus collision and comprehensive. No uninsured motorist coverage.

I’ve own an insurance agency up North for 30 years now. Been exclusive with Allstate for 20 years (while there I was on the regional advisory board for the entire Northeast), and independent the last 10.

Allstate is not the same company it was years prior. They are going to look at denying any claim they can. I had a huge hail storm go thru our area and the only house that had an issue was the one with Allstate (mine ������). All others were covered and received new roofs.

Being from both worlds of exclusive agent and independent, I can say you should look for a local, well respected, independent agent. My retention up North is over 95% because we actually talk to our customers personally. All insurance companies go thru pricing changes. Years they want market share and years their underwriting says to hold back with higher pricing. However, an independent agent can move you around to the company that fits your needs the best. Down south, I would expect you can find the same in or near The Villages.

Go with an independent agency.

. 800$ cheaper then Progressive

Auto insurance is all about Zip Code, how many drivers and their age.
Age 55, one price.
Age 80, twice that.
You can't compare one policy to another until you know the age of the driver and (for collision/comp) age and value of the cars.

Skip

Yup! My thoughts exactly. If you have Allstate, drop them before they drop you.

Skip

I just received my renewal bill for auto. $990 for six months. Clean driving record for 68 years! No accidents, no tickets, no claimsw. Age is problem, but $990 is imho too much. Shopping around.

That's exactly what Kin tried to do to me. The third year renewal with them they tried to raise my rate 97%.

I switched to State Farm
 

I just switched to State Farm in part because they have (in my opinion) responsive agents. I had AAA insurance which had no local agent for questions - you had to call a central office and take your changes. AAA has a local agent that handles new business only but after you sign on the line, you are handed off to the central office for service.
I switched from AAA to State Farm because -
SF would ensure my house for more at modest increase in rate
SF Auto was less than AAA which more than offset the HO rate
SF had NO DEDUCTIBLE (other than you policy) on sinkhole which may be the only company to do this
SF had a reasonable approach to aging roofs
SF had a convenient agent I can go talk to
SF had golf cart insurance
SF had flexible payment plans

I know I'm not offering an answer but suggesting you take a HARD look at the converages. I put HO, auto, golf cart, and umbrella all with SF. I did do research with other companies but always hit a snag on the HO due to the way they insured the aging roofs. I was dropped once for aging roof (11 years old) on a previous home in FL.

Who is your agent?

This information is gold and I think Allstate and State Farm are two peas in pod when it comes to claims.

You can't beat an excellent independent agent with a great team in the office.:bigbow:

In FL we don't need car insurance if you can certify that you have a net asset value of $40,000, which is the minimum liability required for insurance. I have saved an awful lot of money over the years with it. I figure I am only risking my son's inheritance! Likewise, no house insurance.