Finding the right car and home insurance to fit your needs and budget can be an overwhelming task that can take up hours, days or even weeks of your time. One of the best ways for many customers to navigate this task is to work with an Independent Insurance Agent.
An Independent Insurance Agent can usually collect all information needed within a single call or email for quotes. This isn’t to say there will not be follow up calls or emails but this is a massive time saver for customers who plan on calling multiple carriers for quotes.
So what is an Independent Insurance Agent?
An Independent Insurance Agent works with multiple carriers to offer a broader range of insurance carriers, products and options to meet the needs of their customers. Independent Agents are also able to offer different options to their customers as the needs of their customers change. Captive agents are only permitted to work with just one insurance company, only offering the specific products that must be approved by their specific company.
Example of a Captive Insurance Agent: John Smith is insured by Home Insurance Company ABC for $2,000/ year in premium. John Smith receives a 20% rate increase on this home insurance at his next renewal for a new premium of $2,400/year in premium. John Smith calls his Captive Insurance Agent, and the Agent explains that there has been a rate increase from the carrier and he can look at reducing coverage or increasing deductibles to reduce the premium but unfortunately, he doesn’t have an option for the same coverage with a lower premium. This can be an example too many customers are forced to go through every year.
Example of a Independent Insurance Agent: John Smith is insured with Home Insurance Company ABCD for $2,000/ year in premium. John Smith receives a 20% rate increase on this home insurance at his next renewal for a new premium of $2,400/year in premium. John Smith calls his Independent Insurance Agent and the Agent confirms details of the home and explains that he will look at multiple options to see if there are any better options. The Independent Agent works with Company ABCDE and is able to offer the same coverage the Insured currently has but the premium is only $2050/year in premium. Since Independent Agents aren’t tied to one carrier, they are able to move their customers from one carrier to another always insuring their clients have the best possible rates.
Example of working with our Local Independent Insurance Agency – Crain Insurance Group: John Smith is insured by Home Insurance Company ABCD for $2,000/ year in premium. John Smith receives a 20% rate increase on this home insurance at his next renewal for a new premium of $2,400/year in premium. Our agency receives notice of your rate increase about 30 days prior to your renewal and we take the initiative to shop the home insurance market to find you the best possible rate and coverage. Crain Insurance Group reaches out to our client John Smith and review over the details. We advise that our current Company ABCD had a rate increase but not to worry because we have an option through Company ABCDE for the same coverage for only $2050/year in premium. By working with our agency not only do you have the best option for coverage and premium but you also have an agent who is going to work on your behalf without you having to contact us first! Our agency will save you time and money!
Benefits of an Independent Insurance Agent
One of the top reasons to choose an Independent Insurance agent is Multiple Options. As explained in the above example of the difference between captive and independent insurance agents, Independent Insurance Agents have the benefit of options for their customers. Independent Agents have the benefit of options of Carriers, Coverages, Deductibles and Endorsements. Many customers do not realize that not every carrier offers the same protection on their insurance policies. Some carriers offer the ability to change coverage options such as Other Structures while others require a certain level of coverage.
A great example of this will be my personal home. My garage is connected to my home and the only Other Structure Coverage I need is for a small fence in my backyard. Though some carriers require 10% of Dwelling A Coverage for Other Structures there are other carriers that will not require this limit. If my home is insured for $300k the carriers that require 10% of Dwelling Coverage A would require I carry $30k in Other Structures Coverage while I only need roughly $10k in coverage. By going with a Carrier who doesn’t require the 10% and allows me to reduce this coverage I’m able to save money on my home insurance policy by only purchasing the coverage I need.
Independents Agents also have the benefit of Unbiased Advice for their customers. Since Independent Agents are not employed by one insurance carrier they are able to give you the good, bad and ugly as we say of each carrier. A great Independent Agent will advise you on the benefits of each carrier they offer. They may offer you two quote options where one is slightly higher in premium but that particular carrier is known for their quick handling of claims. By having an Independent Agent who can offer you unbiased advice you as the consumer can decide if you prefer to save the money or spend slightly more to go with a carrier who is known for how well they handle claims.
By offering you unbiased advice a great Independent Agent will always have the Your Best Interest in mind. Once again, since Independent Agents don’t work specifically for one carrier we are able to have your best interest in mind instead of the interest of just one carrier. Our agency uses the philosophy that we work for our clients, not our carriers! If you come to our agency with a premium of $3500/year on your home insurance we aren’t going to just offer you a policy that is slightly lower. We will review over all the details of your insurance policy and offer the best one to fit your needs. This policy could be $2500/year but offer you more coverage or coverage you don’t currently have. By putting our clients’ Best Interest first, we are always looking at ways to offer the protection needed for the best possible rate.
One of the most preferred reasons to have an Independent Agent is Personalized Customer Service. If you pickup the phone right now and call a 1-800 number of a company and speak with a representative for a quote, chances are if you call them back in a day to finalize the quote you Will Not be speaking to the same representative. If you then had a claim three months later and called the same carrier you definitely wouldn’t be speaking to the same person and most likely not even someone in your same state. In our local Independent Insurance Agency, you will always be speaking to a local individual and we strive to offer the personalized customer service we have come to be known for.
The last benefit of an Independent Insurance Agent we will discuss today is that you can always keep your Same Agent even if you switch carriers within the agency. Our local Independent Insurance Agency offers over 50 carriers and we can move our clients from one carrier to another all the while servicing their policies.
Why our Local Independent Insurance Agency
As your local Independent Insurance Agency we focus on working for our clients to offer a customized policy to fit the needs of each customers coverage needs and budget. In each interaction we offer Multiple Choices and Unbiased Advice while keeping our customers’ Best Interest in mind. We also offer Personalized Customer Service to all our customers daily. If you are in need of Insurance Quotes anywhere in the state of Texas, we are here to help today!