house – Susman

December 23, 2016

Protect That Payment

The purchasing of a new home means you need some additional insurance. Something you should consider is Mortgage Protection Insurance.

Mortgage Protection Insurance is like life insurance protection for your home or property. It pays your mortgage in situations like death, loss of your income source or job or become disabled. The cost of Mortgage Protection Insurance varies from one person to another. There are other factors taken into consideration by insurance providers in assessing your insurance cost. Some of the factors include your type of work, your age, health status and value of the property and your mortgage payment among others. The mortgage protection Insurance is relatively easy to get and providers usually ask few questions on the application form, which means that overwhelming majority of home owners can get this insurance. It is beneficial to people who may be deemed uninsurable or for those considered “high risk” which generally carry higher rates. People who work in situations deemed as high risk occupations or people with health issues may also benefit from buying a Mortgage Protection Insurance.

Whether you choose to get this additional insurance or not, there are serious benefits to consider and you should always prioritize protecting yourself, your family, and your home.

November 14, 2016

So Little Time

Wake. Workout. Eat. Shower. Coffee. Makeup. Hair. Coffee. Clothes. Drive. Coffee. Work, Work, Work, Work. Eat. Work, Work, Work, Work. Drive. Eat. Makeup. Hair. Clothes. Drive. Socialize. Eat. Drive. Sleep. REPEAT. (sometimes I forget about the whole eating and sleeping thing)

That is just a ‘normal’ day. That doesn’t include my to-do list.

Life is full of schedules, activities, appointments, routines – and then some. If you are like me, then you know that slowing down is not an option. I am working hard to build a career for myself and attempt to have something that resembles a social and love life. I don’t have time to stop and a read bunch of paperwork or add additional appointments to my schedule. I don’ want to be bogged down with information that is overly technical and that doesn’t give me exactly what I need in a few short bullet points or paragraphs. When I need to get something done, I want to do it in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Time is the most precious commodity. MY most precious commodity. I don’t want it wasted.

When it comes to purchasing an insurance policy, I need to know that whether it is for auto, home, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, jewelry, renters, condo, house, life, or health insurance the entire process with be efficient, knowledgeable, and straight to the point. With our business, online, over the phone, or in person – purchasing the insurance YOU need insurance has never been easier. There are numerous methods to find quotes and purchase inventory – online, over the phone, thru an app, and even in person (GASP!). With so many options, there really isn’t a time excuse. You can choose what will best fit in to your schedule. I mean, I can choose what will best fit in to my schedule.

I know the importance of having the proper insurance coverage, which means I also know I need to make the time to get it!

I am busy. You are busy. Let Susman Insurance Agency do the work for you, so you can use your time for that crazy-busy schedule.

December 16, 2015

Home Insurance Quotes

With all the rising costs in the world consumers are looking for ways to cut costs and save money. Americans spend billions of dollars every year on their home insurance policies. It does not take a genius to figure out that every homeowner needs insurance, most people consider their home to be their greatest asset.

Thous ands of homeowners are reaping the rewards that comes from filling out a FREE home insurance quote. Many are receiving 25-30% discounts on their policies while becoming more educated about the home insurance that is right for them. Here are a few tips that might help you when you are shopping for that “Perfect” insurance policy.

Increase Your Deductible

Just like auto insurance, policies have deductibles, and the same rule of thumb applies–carry the highest deductible you can afford. The higher your deductible, the more premium credit you can expect to receive from your insurance company. Your savings could reach 25% by increasing the deductible from $100 to $1000.

Improve Your Home Security

Most insurance companies offer discounts for smoke detectors, burglar alarms, dead bolts, fire extinguishers, and Neighborhood Watch Areas. Homes with a fire and burglar alarm system hooked up to a third-party monitoring company receive higher discounts than homes with local bell alarms.

Consolidate Policies

Insuring two or more vehicles with the same insurance company can save you 10 – 15% on your premiums. If you cover your homeowners insurance and auto insurance together, you can reduce your premiums by another 10 – 15%.

Construction Type

Before buying a home, consider its construction type, such as frame or concrete block and steel (CBS). A wood frame house typically costs more to insure than one built mostly of concrete.

Verify Distance To Fire Stations And Windstorm Areas

If you live in the country, you’ll probably pay higher rates for your insurance than if you lived in town. Why? It’s because of the longer distance to your local fire station. If you live more than 5 miles from the nearest fire station, and more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant, you will most likely pay a higher premium.

Before purchasing your home, you may want to get a quote for both and flood insurance. Insurance companies may not offer you windstorm or flood coverage, depending upon the area in which you live. If your home is in a hurricane prone area and your insurance company offers windstorm coverage, then installing approved hurricane shutters should result in a premium discount.

Claims Free Record And Renewal Discounts

If you have not had a claim under your policy during the past 3 – 5 consecutive years, you could receive up to a 15% discount, depending on the insurance company. Plus, most companies will discount your premium if your policy has been in force for 3 straight years.

Mortgage Free Discounts

Some insurance companies target who have paid off their mortgage and offer them premium discounts of up to 5%.

New And Renovated Home Discounts

A majority of insurance companies offer a discount for new homes, and you may qualify if your home was built in the last 10 – 15 years. Also, a recently renovated home costs less to insure, so find out when the last major electrical, heating and plumbing update was completed on the home.

Live-In House Keeper

Some insurers offer up to a 2% premium credit if you have a live-in employee as they feel it could reduce the likelihood of burglary.

Conclusion

After reviewing the foregoing savings tips, you may think that if you added up all your credits you could receive a 70 – 90% reduction in your premiums. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Certain safety or other measures you take may qualify you for being placed with the “preferred” company of a particular insurance group. This “preferred” company will be able to give you more premium credits than a st andard company is able to.

June 30, 2015

Choosing The Right Homeowner’s Insurance

As a homeowner, you are required by law to carry homeowner’s insurance. Unfortunately, many people do not carry the right homeowner’s insurance or the correct coverage amount. When buying a new home, most people are anxious to get the buying process over with to quickly, get settled in. Because of this, sometimes only minimum insurance is purchased, just enough to cover the minimum requirement. However, this coverage amount is never modified so when disaster strikes, the homeowner quickly discovers the coverage was not enough.

The most important thing you can do for you, your family, and your property when buying a home is to conduct in-depth research, and then work with a qualified insurance representative to ensure you never find yourself in this type of disastrous situation. Start by working with a reputable company. Remember, the size of the company is not what matters. Instead, you want a company that underst ands homeowner’s insurance and one that can guide you to the right type and amount of coverage.

If you know someone that is happy with their homeowner’s insurance, you might set up a meeting with that company to see if they can help with your needs. Otherwise, check the local Better Business Bureau, asking for and checking referrals. In addition, make sure the company is financially stable, one that guarantees its services, and a company that offers outst anding customer service to efficiently h andle any questions or claims.

The right representative will help you locate and maintain appropriate insurance. However, for the company or agent to underst and the insurance industry as well as your specific needs, proper training, knowledge, responsiveness, patience, and service are m andatory. As mentioned, availability is another important factor when choosing an insurance representative. When a crisis strikes, being able to get in touch with the representative in a timely manner helps resolve the issue while building a relationship of trust and confidence in the representative’s abilities.

Then, your homeowner’s insurance should be affordable. Obviously, you want to purchase the requirement but also the amount of insurance that would ensure coverage of your home and personal belongings in case of disaster. A good insurance representative would work with you to ensure that you are not paying for something you do not need while also making sure you have coverage where you do need it. The process of choosing the right insurance coverage is an important one so look for a company or agent with whom you can freely discuss your needs.

Just keep in mind that you will find a number of different insurance packages sold each providing different focus. When you shop around for the ideal policy, you want to make sure your policy covers fire, windstorm, tornados, hail, smoke damage, v andalism, and any other damage to your belongings or home. Additionally, if you live in a flood or earthquake zone, while coverage may not be a part of the st andard policy, it might be something you can add on, providing additional protection for your home.

July 16, 2013

April 11th The Date That Changed the Conway Family Forever

For most individuals birthdates and anniversaries are memorable dates that are marked on a calendar. They are memorable because they represent a number of positive changes that impacted our lives. The Conway Family has those types of dates marked on a calendar, but they also have the date April 11 mentally marked.

People die in car accidents every day. Be sure your family has life insurance to protect them.

April 11^th is a particularly memorable date for The Conway Family because that is the date their lives changed dramatically.

The Conway Family was a friendly, loving family. The father, James, worked full-time at the local factory, while S andy, the mother, stayed at home to raise their two children, Peter age 6 and Gina age 10. S andy was extremely active in the school’s PTA, children’s sporting events, and other organizations throughout the community. That was the general picture of The Conway Family until April 11.

One evening while James was on his way home from a late night shift the unfortunate happened. A drunk driver failed to stop at a red light and slammed into James’s car. The impact killed James instantly and forever changed the lives of The Conway Family.

After the initial shock of the incident wore off, S andy was left with a tremendous task of piecing everything together. There were bills to pay, mortgages to h andle, and food to purchase; all of which were usually purchased with the money James brought home.

James had always been the main bread winner of the family and while S andy knew the truth was she would eventually find a job; the task seemed extremely difficult with 2 children and the money needed to come in right now. Luckily, James made one very important and potentially family lifesaving decision – he purchased life insurance.

James purchased a decent life insurance policy that allowed S andy to collect a considerable amount as part of the policy’s death benefit. This single decision helped The Conway Family considerably. It allowed S andy to pay the mortgage bills that allowed her to save the house and keep a roof over the family’s head. It allowed her to purchase food and clothing, and it even allowed her to set up a small college fund for the children.

That single decision on James’s part to purchase life insurance was a true lifesaver. It prevented his family from being fatherless, homeless, and husb andless in the event of his untimely passing.

May 23, 2013

Pool safety

Every year about 43,000 people are injured in and around swimming pools and more than 600 people drown in home or public pools. Half of the pool fatalities occur in the yards of single-family homes. Here are some pool safety tips you
should follow:

Never leave small children unsupervised—even for a few seconds.
Put fencing around the pool area to keep people from using the pool without your knowledge.
Keep children away from pool filters, as the suction force may injure them or prevent them from surfacing.
Be sure all pool users know how to swim. Learners should be accompanied by a good swimmer.
Don’t swim alone or allow others to swim alone.
Check the pool area regularly for glass bottles, toys or other potential accident hazards.
Keep CD players, radios and other electrical devices away from pools or nearby wet surfaces.
Don’t allow anyone who has been drinking alcohol to use the pool.
Stay out of the pool during rain or lightning storms.
Never dive into an above-ground pool, and check the water depth before plunging into an in-ground pool. Keep clear of the area near a diving board.
Don’t swim if you’re tired or have just finished eating.

Source: Insurance Information Institute; www.iii.org

May 22, 2013

Lawnmower safety

Each year, approximately 75,000 people are injured seriously enough by lawnmowers to require emergency room medical treatment. Only a small percentage of the injuries are caused by mechanical failure; most are the result of human error.

Here are some tips to follow before and while mowing your lawn:

Become familiar with your mower.

Read the owner’s manual before using the mower for the first time. Note all safety and operating instructions. Learn the controls well enough to act instantly in an emergency and to stop the machine quickly.

Proper clothing is essential to protect your body from harm.

Always wear non-slip shoes instead of tennis shoes or s andals. Steel-toe safety footwear offers the most protection against the blade. Long pants help protect your legs from objects that may be thrown from under the mower. Use ear plugs to prevent hearing loss caused by exposure to the high noise levels.

Never leave a mower running unattended.

A mower left running unattended can be fascinating to a child. If the mower has an electric start, the key should never be left in the ignition.

Always start the mower outdoors.

Never operate a mower where carbon monoxide can collect, such as in a closed garage, storage shed or basement.

Police the area.

Before you start mowing, be sure the lawn is free of tree limbs, rocks, wires and other debris, which can get caught up in the blades.

The main source of danger is the blade.

To perform its task efficiently, the mower blade must be sharp and travel at a high speed. If a h and or foot gets under the mower while the engine is running, it can cause serious injury. Never attempt to unclog or work on a lawnmower while the engine is on.

Disconnect the sparkplug wire.

Any time it is necessary to reach under the mower, disconnect the spark plug wire to ensure that the engine cannot start. It takes a little extra time, but not as long as it does to recover from a serious injury.

Check for frayed or cut wiring.

When using an electric lawnmower, wires can easily get cut by the blade. Keep an eye on the wiring as you move the mower and check for frayed or cut wiring every time you mow.

Source: Insurance Information Institute; www.iii.org

May 20, 2013

Are there any common misconceptions about tornadoes?

Do not open a window to try to “equalize the pressure.” Doing so may actually pressurize the house and can cause the roof to be torn off. Also, underst and that tornadoes are not always visible from a distance; rely on a weather radio as an information resource. Although tornadoes are usually spawned by thunderstorms, they have been known to occur without lightning. They can cross a river or another body of water. Finally, tornadoes are not confined to “tornado alley.” Tornadoes can occur anywhere, at any time.

May 18, 2013

What if I am in a car and I learn a tornado is approaching?

Immediately seek shelter in a sturdy building. If that isn’t possible, you have two options. Stay in the car with the seat belt on, putting your head down below the windows and covering it with your h ands and a blanket if you have one, Or, if you can safely get lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your h ands. Your choice should be driven by your specific circumstances.

May 16, 2013

What should I do if I learn a tornado is approaching?

If you are in a house, go to the lowest level such as a basement or storm cellar. If there is no basement, go to an interior room such as a closet, hallway or bathroom. Try to cover your head with a blanket or jacket to guard against flying debris or broken glass. If you are in a mobile home, you should leave immediately and seek shelter elsewhere. If you are outside and cannot get to shelter, crouch beside a strong structure or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and try to cover your head and neck. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can.