Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Home Improvement and Insurance

Making home improvements is an exciting time for many people. However, there is much more than just price that needs to be considered when taking on these projects. Your home insurance as well as your contractors insurance needs to be evaluated to make sure that the entirety of the project will be insured. We have listed the top 3 things you need to check before starting a project.

1. Review your homeowner's policy - it is important to know exactly what is covered on your policy in case something happens to your property.

2. Make sure your contractor is licensed and bonded - you want to be sure that they are taking care of your property correctly and are insured adequately.

3. Confirm contractor's liability insurance - this is important in case anyone gets hurt on your property during remodel (someone other than a worker). They should also have a worker's compensation policy for workers getting injured.

To read more about the connection between home improvement and insurance, click here for the article by Property Casualty 360.


Monday, August 29, 2016

Save Some Money with RightTrack

While we work with many different companies, Safeco (aka Liberty Mutual) is one of our largest. They have recently debuted a new feature that could save our clients lots of money - RightTrack.  

Like many other companies, Safeco wants to know how well their customers drive. While this might not sound appealing, they do it in a way that greatly benefits the client. If you choose to sign up your vehicle(s) with this program (vehicle must be eligible and most are), you automatically receive a 5% discount on each vehicle. 

After that, it is up to your driving to decide if you receive any more of a discount or not. The device that is put under your steering wheel for 90 days tracks things such as speed, braking time, time of day driving, and other safe driving patterns. While the discount can get up to 30%, we oftentimes see customers with a 10-15% discount. The good news though is that no matter how awful you drive, you will have 5% off of the policy for its lifetime. 

For more information regarding RightTrack, click here!

If you are already a customer or just looking for insurance, contact us today via phone (877) 892-4565 or send us an email to ScottReed@Shop2Insure.com. We will shop your rates with our 10+ different companies as well as Safeco to find you the best coverage and price. 

Monday, August 22, 2016

Healthy Snacks for Your Kiddos

Now that school is starting, it is important for kids to receive the same healthy foods that they were getting at home during summer. Because of this, we found some healthy school lunches that you can pack for your kiddos.

Egg muffins


Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 12 pieces of nitrate free bacon
  • ½ medium onion, finely chopped
  • ½ bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 10 eggs, beaten (with 2 TBSP milk or cream, optional)
  • ¼ cup cheese (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Line each cup of the muffin tin with a piece of bacon.
  3. Put chopped onion and pepper in the bottom of the muffin cups.
  4. Pour egg mixture into the cups.
  5. Bake about 30 minutes (ovens vary) until eggs are set. Top with cheese (optional).
  6. Can be wrapped in foil and easily reheated on-the-go.


Zucchini Fritters

Author: 
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 onion
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese (optional, can replace with almond flour or 3 tablespoons of coconut flour)
  • ¼ cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon each of garlic powdersalt, pepper and basil leaf
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater or food processor. Add the salt and squeeze very tightlywith a towel or some paper towels to get the excess liquid out. Put in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Grate the onion and add to the bowl. Add the eggs, parmesan cheese and almond flour. Sprinkle the spices on top of the mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. To bake: well grease a baking sheet or muffin tins and put tablespoon size amounts of the mixture onto the baking sheet or fill the muffin tins ½ full.
  3. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until tops and sides are starting to brown. Serve alone or with homemade ketchup. Can also pan fry in coconut oil for a crispier outer coating.
  4. Enjoy!


Check out this article by Wellness Mama that includes a 2 week menu and recipes for your kids. 

Monday, August 15, 2016

Claims Can Be a Pain

Dealing with a claim can be difficult to handle at times. Because of this, we encourage our clients to reach out to us before they go straight to their insurance company. This way, we can be sure that you know what to expect.

Q. I've been in an accident - what now? 

A. Start by reporting your claim to your insurance carrier. They will need to know specifics on what happened, where and when it occurred, and information regarding the people involved. The more specific you are, the greater chance that things will be taken care of quick and efficient.

Q. I have damage to my property - what now? 

A. When regarding home claims, it is oftentimes best to call your agent (i.e. Reed Insurance). We encourage this, because sometimes damage done to homes is less than what your deductible is.  For example, if your roof contains hail/wind damage it is best to get it quoted by roofers before going through the claims process. This way, you can know how much your roof repair would be. This forward thinking will prevent you from having to open a claim that may not pay out. While the claim might be $0, it can still count against you.
If you end up needing to file a claim, your insurance carrier will require specifics pertaining to the incident. To make sure that the damage is covered on your policy, check out this blog post by us.

If you just aren't sure about what to do regarding a claim, feel free to reach out to us. Our team is here for you and wants to help. Give us a call at (877) 892-4565 or send us an email at ScottReed@Shop2Insure.com.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Is Flood Insurance Really Necessary?


Is flood insurance really necessary? This is a question we receive quite a bit and we want to help our clients understand why it's sometimes essential. 

Unexpected storms and flooding happen all the time, especially in Texas. With flood insurance, you can take away the anxiety and know that your home is protected in case of these disasters. Homeowner’s policies do not cover this type of damage, so it is important to obtain this separate policy. Oftentimes, mortgage companies will require homeowners that are located in a floodplain to purchase flood insurance. However, contrary to popular belief, people that are located outside of these floodplains file more than 20% of flood insurance claims.

All flood insurance policies are regulated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Therefore, your flood insurance rate would be determined by FEMA. The amount of coverage requested, location, and flood zone, as well as the design and age of your home are all determining factors in what your rate will be. Every now and then, we will get hit with requests for flood insurance during an ongoing flood in hopes that it will be in effect ASAP. However, it is important to keep in mind that it takes 30 days for your flood insurance to go into effect. This means that the sooner you purchase it, the better. 

Don't be caught in a bad situation with a flooded home and no coverage. If you feel like flood insurance is something you need or are interested to see a quote, contact us today via phone (877) 892-4565, email ScottReed@Shop2Insure.com, or check out our website

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

What is Covered on a Home Insurance Policy?

Oftentimes, clients don't realize what is covered on their home insurance until it's too late. We created this infographic to explain what is and isn't insured. 


If you are interested in learning more, contact us today via phone (877) 892-4565 or email ScottReed@Shop2Insure.com

Monday, August 1, 2016

Who Are We? Learn What Makes Us Different

Building relationships is important for everybody and even businesses. In order to maintain this, we wanted to reintroduce ourselves to all of our current clients and prospects that we might work with in the future.

At Reed Insurance Agency, we offer things that you cannot get anywhere else: choice, high level of service, and locality. What does this mean?

Choice: We are an independent agent. This means that we can offer you rates from several different insurance companies to ensure that you are receiving the best rate and coverage. To learn more about why working with an independent agent is best, read our blog post.

High level of service: While we will certainly help you with adding a car to an auto policy or updating a mortgagee clause, we also want every customer to feel like they are important. To us, it's more about making sure our clients are insured properly and treated like family. In the event of a claim, we are the first ones you need to call. We will let you know exactly what to expect from each carrier and how to make sure it goes smoothly and in your favor. Since we are independent, we work for you and not the insurance companies.

Local: When we say that we are local, it means that we are involved in our communities. Our staff is involved with local and national charities and organizations that benefit where we all live.

If you are ever in need of assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We want to help you with it all. Reach us via phone (877) 892-4565, email ScottReed@Shop2Insure.com, visit our website, or even LIKE us on Facebook.