Earthquakes are to California, what hurricanes are to coastal Florida!

Our state is covered with hundreds of faults, where earthquakes generate… including the large san andreas fault. California on average has about 2-3 significant earthquakes that can cause structural damage per year.

Needless to say, it is probably a good idea to consider earthquake insurance if you live in California. Now is the best time to get earthquake insurance, as there are more options than ever before, which makes the cost much more affordable than it ever has been. Contact us today for a quick quote, 5 minutes or less can give you piece of mind… and help protect your most valuable investment.

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself as a landlord, is to make sure that you have the right insurance coverage! If you purchased an investment property, your regular type home insurance policy is not he correct coverage to have in place. When there is a tenant living in your investment property, you need a tenant policy, which is also known as a DP3 or DP1.

These policies are tailored to rental properties, and will cover your investment in the case of a loss. They provide coverage for the structure, the correct type of liability coverage you would need as the landlord, and can even cover loss of rental income, in the case of a covered loss.

Do you own several rental properties? We offer unique coverage that can cover several properties under one single policy. This makes it easy to manage the hassle of insurance paperwork and payments on multiple properties. If you have questions regarding what type of insurance you need on your property, please give us a call… One of our agents would be glad to help.

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Last Tuesday, Sept. 27, the U.S. Geological Survey issued a statement that the chances of a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault, over the next seven days were as high as 1 in 100. Now this still sounds like a low probability, but given that the average chance of an earthquake this size is 1 in 6000… it caused quite a scare for a lot of southern Californians.

If this had you worried or concerned, now is a great time to look into earthquake insurance! Earthquake insurance is not covered by your regular homeowners insurance policy. Don’t wait until it is too late, Rates are more affordable than you may think, and we have several coverage options. Contact us for quick quote.

Having a certain dog breed can stop many customers from getting home insurance coverage. The few companies that do accept these dog breeds usually have exclusions to deny any liability that can arise from that particular dog breed. We advise clients to notify their agent/insurance company of a dog that they have in the household. If at the time of purchase you did not have a dog but decided later on to obtain a dog, it could leave you exposed to a liability risk if that dog breed is excluded from your current home insurance policy. Do not assume that you are covered just because the policy is active and the home insurance company does not know you have a dog.
The most common dog breeds that are excluded are:
Akitas, Cane Corsos, Chows, Pit Bulls, Presa Canario (canary dog), Rottweilers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, wolf hybrids, or any animal with a bite history.

We have programs that will accept these breeds, but liability would be excluded arising from this breed. Some programs would even extend coverage to these breed but with substantial surcharge to your insurance premium.

We are always here to help you find the best program for you, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

When was the last time you checked your home insurance coverage or compared your rate? Let’s be honest, in today’s world we have so many things to do and so little time to do it, that we don’t find the time or effort to go over tedious things such as homeowners insurance. Home insurance is not the most exciting thing to talk about, but knowing your coverage and the way it works can save you a headache incase of a loss and will protect your biggest asset. If you have your home insurance payment combined with your mortgage payment you might not have checked your premium or coverage in a while, so its time to dust off those home insurance declaration pages, it might end up saving you some money.

So what are the different parts of a homeowner’s policy and what do they cover?

Dwelling coverage: This is the amount that the insurance company will pay up to in case of a loss. This is where the bulk of the premium is charged, the higher your dwelling coverage usually translates to a higher insurance rate.

Other structures: This is coverage for structures that are not part of your house, but are on your property, like a tool shed.

Personal Property: This covers your personal belongings/possessions in case of damage or theft as long as the damage is a result from a covered loss.

Loss of use: Protects you in the event that your home is destroyed or damaged and you must seek other living arrangements while repairs are made.

Personal Liability: This coverage would protect you against lawsuits brought against your and your property.

Medical: This is the amount the insurance company would pay incase a person is injured on your property and did not wish to pursue a lawsuit against you.

Let’s go over some of this coverage in more detail:

It is always important to check your dwelling coverage; you want to make sure you have enough coverage to cover your house in case of a total loss. It is also a good idea to have extended replacement cost coverage on your home. This will extend your dwelling coverage an additional 25%-50% in case of a total loss.

For personal property, you should know the difference between Actual Cash Value (ACV) and Replacement cost. ACV will pay you the depreciated value of your personal contents, so if you bought a TV for $1,000 and the value at the time of loss is $200 the company will only pay $200. Replacement Cost would pay $1,000. Insurance companies have limits on contents such as Jewelry, Firearms, and art. If you have possessions that go beyond these limits make sure you schedule those on your policy with your insurance agent.

In today’s lawsuit happy society you should always make sure you have adequate Personal Liability. Most homeowner’s policies come standard with $100,000. I would recommend raising the limit to at least $300,000, because the price is minimal for the amount of protection you will obtain.

This general overview of Homeowners insurance should provide you with a good understanding of how your policy works. Remember to review your coverage, make sure your coverage is enough to protect your biggest asset. Do not be afraid to compare prices, by doing this you will make sure you are obtaining the most coverage possible for your money. It is always good to discuss your coverage with an insurance agent… feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

 

Preferred Insurance

951-689-4830

www.preferredinsurance.net

Our office will be closed on 12/24/2014 and 12/25/2015.  We wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!

Our office will be closed on 11/27/2014 to 11/30/2014.  Claims can be filed by calling the claims number on the proof of insurance.  Payments can be posted online https://preferredinsurance.net/payments/

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

You were just involved in an auto accident, and the panic kicks in!  “what do I do??” relax.. Do not panic.  First and foremost, make sure everyone is okay.  If there are any injured parties, call 911 immediately.  Check your car, and the other car for apparent damages.  Most people are carrying around a camera in their pocket these days, so pull out your cell phone and snap pictures of the damages to both vehicles, or any property damage involved.  Always get the other parties insurance information, such as policy number, name of their insurance company, and the phone number to the claims department.  You should also obtain the other parties name, driver’s license number and license plate number.  Last, but not least get their best contact phone number and address.

The police will most likely not come out to the scene for a police report, unless there are injuries.  You should not claim fault; that will be for claims to decide.  You should not discuss your coverages with the other party, or their insurance provider.  You will want to call your claims department as soon as possible, the phone number is generally listed on your insurance ID cards.  They will assign a claims representative, which will help you with all the details of your claim.  In some cases, if the other party was 100% at fault, you can also file the claim directly with their insurance provider.

Claims are generally an easy process, as most companies are looking to complete the process as quickly as possible.  In most situations where a claim is taking longer than expected, it is due to lack of communication.  Make sure to give your claims representative multiple contact phone numbers, and email addresses if possible.  If you were to ever have difficulties with your claim, you can also contact your agent for further help.

The big WHAT IF?

It is something that nobody likes to talk about, and the conversation could be an awkward one… But, what If today was your last?  After asking all the other questions, such as “did you live your life to the fullest” and so on, comes the tough question of, did you have a plan? What are your loved ones left with? Who is going to care for your family or children?

If you haven’t caught on to it by now, we are talking about life insurance.  It is a touchy subject, but it can make the difference of how your family recovers after a loss.  Term life insurance is generally an inexpensive way to protect your family and loved ones in that situation.  These types of policies can help take care of any bills or mortgages left behind, and even college costs.

Term life insurance policies are pretty straight forward.  You pick a term, generally between 10-30 years.  This is the term set forth for the policy coverage period, meaning if you buy a 20yr term at the age of 20… it will cover you until you are 40 years old. Then you have the coverage amount, which can range drastically… but the most common being between 250K-500K.  Most companies will do a basic review/ exam to determine your rate.  Term life insurance policies are usually much cheaper than other types of life insurance.

 

Contact us for a quick quote today!

951-689-4830

You may qualify for a discount for simply having a professional designation.  If you are a Doctor, Lawyer, or educator you may qualify for an additional discount.  These discounts will range between 5% to 10%.  Also if you have obtained a Bachelors degree from an accredited university from the United States you will qualify for an alumni discount.  When obtaining a quote do not forget to mention your profession or the University where you graduated from as this could save you money on your insurance.