How to Select a Homeowners Insurance Carrier
When searching for a home insurance provider, it is important you choose a good, local insurance agency that understands your area and the needs of the homeowners who live there. To help you find the perfect agency, we’ve put together a checklist along with some important pointers and tips so you know what to look for when choosing a homeowners’ insurer:
- Look for an insurance agency that has been in the business for many years. An experienced agent can help you make good decisions about your home insurance needs.
- Is your homeowners insurance agency local and responsive? Do they have set office hours when they are available? Do the companies they represent have 24 hour claims service?
- You need an insurance agency that is available in a catastrophe situation. For example, between October 2004 and February 2005, the Wheeling area suffered from two serious floods. With over 170 possible claims pending, Bryan Insurance agents worked extra hours to help our customers through these disasters.
- You should only give your business to an agency that has outstanding customer service and will help you when you have a claim. Research their customer service by giving them a call.
- Will the agent sit down with you in person and explain the coverage you are considering? You need to know exactly what your insurance policy covers and what it costs. If you are informed, then there are no unpleasant surprises when a claim happens. You also need an agent who will help you understand the differences between risk tolerances versus deductibles. Everyone has a different tolerance level.
- Ask if timely reminders are sent when your homeowners insurance premium is due.
- While price is important, would you not happily trade an extra couple of dollars for the peace of mind of being covered by a leading agency that is prepared to go that extra mile for you? If you have ever had a bad experience with a cheaper carrier, then that answer would be a definite “Yes!”
- Is the agency experienced in performing property evaluations? Bryan Insurance Agency has performed over 1,000 such evaluations over the past two years. Once your property has been evaluated using a Marshall & Swift-Boeckh cost estimator, its value is updated annually and adjusted according to inflation and other related costs.
If your prospective insurance agency meets all of the above criteria, then you should have absolutely no problems with them as a homeowners’ insurance provider. Why not test this checklist out. If you live in or around Wheeling or Moundsville in West Virginia, give Bryan Insurance Agency a call at 304.233.5907 or 304.845.0121 to see if their customer service is up to your standards.