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Insurance Education

The Top 5 Flood Insurance Myths

10/19/2020

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Even as hurricane season begins to wind down, that doesn't mean we will be seeing the rain or tides clear up in the Charleston area anytime soon. To help ease your questions or doubts if flood insurance is right for you, here are 5 of the top flood insurance myths, debunked.

Welcome back to the blog! We are thrilled that you are wanting to continue your education about the world of insurance and that you want to learn more, in particular, about flood insurance. We're sure you've heard time and time again that you should be considering or looking into purchasing flood insurance, and being an insurance company ourselves, we do agree with this sentiment. Sure, here in the Lowcountry, you'll be hearing this much more often than you would in most other places. With three popular beaches, at least two main rivers, and countless creeks, this just comes with the territory. If your home is on or near the ocean or the rivers here in the Lowcountry, it should come as no surprise that you should already have flood insurance purchased and in place. If not, then please know we are concerned and we want to speak with you right away.

However, for a lot of residents whose neighborhoods or areas around their homes have never seen flooding, it might be hard to justify this extra expense. Remember what we talked about it on our last blog. Hurricanes and their powerful and dangerous effects are moving farther and farther inland and becoming more disastrous in places that haven't seen these effects before. Still not totally convinced? Then let some good old fashioned debunking help you think otherwise. Here are 5 of the most common flood insurance myths debunked and the actual facts behind the myth.

Myth #1: You can only buy flood insurance if you own a home.
Reality: This is very false! You can buy flood insurance if you're renting, for an apartment, for a condo, for your business, and more! As a renter you'll want this insurance to protect your belongings inside the space you're renting. If you are wanting to protect your business and everything you use to operate and run it in a rented building, then flood insurance is also available to you, and should it be an option you're looking into if you don't already have it.

Myth #2: Flood insurance is already included in my homeowner's insurance policy!
Reality: According to FEMA, most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flood damage. It might cover small damages done by water, but not by floods themselves. If your pipes burst or leak or your toilet falls through the ceiling because of water damage, then your insurance will cover these things. If a hurricane comes through and leaves two feet of water in your living room, that will not be covered. Many policyholders find out far too late that their policy doesn't cover flooding. When do they find out? When their home is already flooded and there is nothing they can do. We encourage you not to make this mistake! Please chat with us or your insurance agent and find out how much water damage or flood damage your insurance is currently covering. If you want more coverage, invest in it now. If you don't have any coverage at all, it might be wise to look into some before it's too late.

Myth #3: I only need to buy flood insurance if I live in a high flood area!
Reality: Every home is at risk of flooding, even if you live in a low-risk or moderate risk area. According to FEMA, it is more likely for a home to experience flooding in 30 years than a fire. Also, over 20% of flood claims are made from homes that were not in high-risk areas.

Myth #4: I should wait until the storm season to buy flood insurance.
Reality: Most people who don't have flood insurance only start thinking about buying or consider buying it when a bad storm is coming or their home has already been flooded. Why wait until it's too late to make such an important choice? Also, flood insurance policies take up to 30 days before they go into effect. This makes waiting until you're very close to storm season even more risky and stressful. Begin planning and purchasing in the dryer season when you're less likely to think about it. If you do, you'll be thanking yourself during the times you would normally begin to panic!

Myth #5: If my home floods, Government assistance will take care of all the repairs!
Reality: To get governmental assistance after a flood, the flood has to be declared a federal disaster by the president. According to FEMA, less than half of all floods are declared disasters. Even in the case that a flood is declared a disaster, most people will only receive between $5000 and $7000 in financial help. This most often comes in the form of a low-interest disaster loan that must be paid back. Financial assistance that comes from your insurance policy does not need to be repaid, and you can get upwards to $100,000 if not more in assistance. We urge you not to rely on FEMA or other disaster relief programs when it comes to flooding. You will most likely get hardly enough in assistance to cover your basic needs!

Are you feeling a little more swayed after this list? Please know that these are just some of the common myths. There are many others out there still left to be debunked and replaced with facts that lean towards the many reasons why you should seriously think about purchasing flood insurance. If you have any questions about this or would like to discuss flood insurance policies with us, please don't hesitate to reach out. We want to make sure that you're covered and safe before it's too late!

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What You Need To Know About Hurricane Insurance

9/30/2020

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The joy of fall can be tainted by the threat that hurricane season is still with us until November 1st. Make sure your home and your family are prepared and insured for anything that could happen. 

Hurricanes and the Lowcountry go together like a day at the beach and a potential sunburn. No matter how much we love living here, there are just a few things that come with the territory. Hurricanes, flooding, and tropical storms are just some of the potentially dangerous, scary, and everyday threats we have to live with. It's the price to pay for living in one of the most beautiful places in the southeast. No matter if you're new to Lowcountry or not, you always need to make sure you're prepared for anything. Your home needs to be safe and secured, your evacuation plan needs to be established, and your insurance needs to be ready to support your home and property through what ever damage these storms could bring. According to Forbes, NOAA updated its 2020 storm prediction to upwards of 13 to 19 storms, already reaching 9 named storms by August of this year. In the past that many storms didn't appear until October. Over 60 million people are living right in the hot spot for these storms, and South Carolina is apart of that. Even if you aren't currently insured for the damages a hurricane can bring there is no better time than now to get started. 

  • According to Forbes, the good news is that some home insurance companies will give some partial insurance reimbursement for home improvements when preparing for hurricane season. Make sure to check in with us or your insurance provider to see if this will be an option for you. If you're in the market for a new policy, let us know if you'd like this to be an option or something available to you while we research the perfect plans! Hurricane shutters, windows, and roof protection can be some of the options that can be covered with a discount or a rate reduction with some insurance plans. 
  • Before hurricane season starts, you should spend some time sitting down with your policy to see what coverage you do have and what you might be lacking. If there is anything you might want to add to your current policy, please don't hesitate to chat with us about that. Also, if there is anything unclear about your policy, we are more than happy to explain and walk you through it. 
  • Take the time to make a proper inventory of your belongings just in case serious damage occurs. You can keep a written or digital list of your belongings, but taking a video can save you time and help with speeding up the adjustment process. If they can see it with their own eyes, the proof in what you lost is right there. They will see your electronics and valuables and will be able to price it quickly and proficiently. These videos can be stored in your cloud or your Google Drive, away from harm or other damage. 
  • Consider buying flood insurance. Even if you don't think it's necessary, consider the trend of hurricanes in the last few years. Coverage is now available further inland than ever before, thanks to damage and flooding from hurricanes like Harvey in 2017 and the like. Do your research and weigh the pros and cons with us to keep you safe and within your budget. 
  • It's hard to truly grasp the inevitable, but make sure your policy can cover some very big expenses. The Insurance Information Institute recommends that you should have a plan that will cover the expenses to rebuild your home if it comes to that. It is important to know that the resale value of your home is not the amount that it will take to rebuild it. If faced with such devastation, the last thing you want to worry about is if you'll be able to put a roof back over you and your family or not. 
  • When it comes to your possessions, along with taking meticulous inventory of what you have, make sure your policy covers and protects enough of what is important to you from the bottom floor to the attic. 
  • Don't forget to check your policy for other expenses that will need to be covered when disaster strikes. If your home has been destroyed, has serious flood damage, or your roof is missing, you'll need somewhere to stay. Some plans will offer ALE coverage, additional living expenses, that will cover the costs you'll build up if you have to lives somewhere else if your home has been rendered uninhabitable. According to the Insurance Information Institute, ALE will cover your hotel, meals, and other expenses that are above and beyond what you'd have to spend at home. 
  • When you check in with your insurance company or with us while preparing for a hurricane, make sure you have a policy that covers your car, boat, and other vehicles. Make sure to ask about coverage on additional buildings on your property like garages, storage units, sheds, and more. 
  • Keep all insurance documents in a safe and dry space. Adding them to your evacuation kit along with other important documents is always a safe idea. 
  • Always make sure you have the right deductible for what you need. Just to be safe, make sure you have the deductible amount saved up to pay it off when disaster strikes. Not having enough set aside to pay that deductible can prolong the recovery process. It might seem like a hefty sum to pay right now, but it will be far less than paying to replace everything lost in a disaster. 

How does your insurance plan stand up to all of these requirements, needs, and reminders? Are you ready for hurricane season and what's left of it? If not, please don't panic. We are just a phone call away and are here to help you get protected and covered. We are excited to work with you and love being a part of the Summerville community!

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The Top Three Reasons Why You Should Work With An Independent Insurance Agent

9/15/2020

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When you're in the market for insurance, you can feel like a number lost in the shuffle of large corporate agencies. Here are some of the top reasons why you should be working with an independent insurance agency.

Hello, friends and family in North Charleston and beyond! We continue to appreciate your support of our company and our social media presence. We are very excited to start a brand new venture; blogging! That's right! Twice a month we will be giving you fun, informative, and interesting blogs to help guide and education you in the world of insurance. We know you love our company because of its individuality and the personal attention we give to our clients. Through these blogs, we hope you find even more reason to enjoy working with us, have fun learning, and feel free to ask any questions you would like in the comment section after every blog. We look forward to you joining us on this adventure! In this first blog, we are going to start with the basics, the top three reasons why you should be working with an independent insurance agent!

First off, if you're new to our company you might know the difference between an independent insurance agent compared to a captive or direct insurance agent. A direct insurance agent works for, represents, and can only offer policies from one insurance company. An independent provider, like our company, offers multiple plans through multiple insurance companies. The goal of a captive agent is to work for and benefit the insurance company. The goal of an independent agent is to work for the client and to find them the best plan available to them based on their personal and financial needs. This has been our goal since day one when we started in a spare bedroom right here in North Charleston way back in 2014.

#1. Better Customer Service
As we mentioned above, our job is to work with you to find the best insurance policy for your needs. We get to learn about you and your family, and you get to learn about us! We search through all the plans and providers out there to create a handpicked plan based on the time we take to get to know you. It goes beyond picking the perfect plan, too. Once we've found the best plan, we keep up with your needs as time goes on. We help you resolve your claims much faster, it can be in a matter of days compared to a large agency that could take weeks or months to resolve an issue. We make sure to answer all calls, questions, emails, and general inquiries in a very timely manner. We can keep that personal connection with our current and future clients. An independent agent also knows and understands your policies and can easily catch any mistakes made on a claim, or a mistake made by an adjuster to avoid denial of your claim. An independent agent can also directly explain any confusing or difficult language within a policy that might not make sense or that you might not understand right away.

#2. A Lifetime Partnership
Once you begin working with an independent insurance agency, you can have a partnership with them through all the stages of your life. They get to know you as they pick out your very first policy, so they understand when your coverage needs to be reviewed and possibly changed. Did you just buy your first home? Have your first child? Send your child to college? Get that big job? Retire? All of these new and exciting stages in your life will come with new challenges and will need new insurance policies to match. You won't need to shop around anymore, once you begin working with an independent agent, you just have to pick up the phone or pay a visit to the person you've been dealing with this whole time. This is such a rare and special quality. What also makes an independent agent so unique is that they are right here in your neighborhood and represent the same community you do. They understand your economy, what unique needs are needed for living in your area, and love living in your community just like you. They aren't just your insurance agent, they're your neighbors.

#3. Fighting For You
Like we've mentioned previously, independent agents work for you. They don't work for the big insurance companies. When things get difficult in a situation where your insurance is needed, they can become your advocates. If a claim needs to be adjusted, if a mistake has been made, or you've had a huge life change and you need to edit your policy, your independent agent can act as a buffer between you and your insurance company. They can help you fix any of these issues promptly. Also, they can become your personal advisers, helping you make some tough decisions. They can give you a few options based on their long term knowledge of working with you.  Also, an independent agent is a one-stop-shop. You can get every kind of insurance you need at one time, and each will be handpicked and curated to your needs and budget.

Pretty spectacular reasons, right? These are just a few of the basic ideas about why we love doing what we do. We encourage you to read more into the other benefits of working with an independent agent. You will be blown away by the amount of information a basic google search will give you! If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out at any time or put them in the comments below. We are excited to work with you and love being a part of the Summerville community!

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