Why Do We Inspect Your Home?

You probably have a newly placed roof, while your neighbor has not replaced theirs in 20+ years and it is looking bad! Your neighbor called in a claim to his current insurance company and they denied it saying, "This is not hail damage... your roof is just old." So your neighbor switches to a new company (your company) then it rains and he files a claim with the new company. They subsequently replace the roof and this in turn increases your rate!

In addition to inspecting for potential maintenance issues, we are looking for potential hazards to others, like missing handrails and cracks in your sidewalks. This helps us reduce the number of liability claims. By inspecting every property before insuring it, American Family prevents many frivolous claims, saving you $ in the long run!

More On Jeff

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In our previous post, 'Are Property Taxes to Blame' we spoke about Jeff, a young professional in his 30's and we would like to share 4 quick reasons why Jeff wants to do business with us...

1. Ease & Convenience: In addition to being easy to contact (aka: I'm always on my Droid) we do things right the first time so Jeff doesn't have to call us back multiple times to get it right.
2. AmEx: He can be excited about our new payment option of being able to accept American Express!
3. We Understand: I'm a young professional like he is, not some guy in a call-center or some old guy who has been doing this for 30+ years.
4. We Promise to Call: Whether your premium is going up or down at renewal we make the commitment to call so nothing catches you by surprise.

If you know Jeff, let him know we are looking for him!

Are Property Taxes to Blame?

Allow me to introduce Jeff. He is a patriotic, white collar professional in his 30s. His favorite past time is watching his alma mater throw the pig skin and has most recently complained about what appears to be an increase in property taxes. However Jeff might be mistaken. Knowing that many individuals pay both their insurance and taxes out of escrow, insurance companies can seemingly hide increases in premium knowing that if there were also tax increases most people will not take the time to see how much their insurance has gone up. Jeff wants to speak with me because the money he'll save can buy him a ticket to the football game instead of watching it on TV. Jeff will also get a call at each renewal if his premium changes up or down!

Facts on Flood Insurance - Part One

Less than 1/5 of U.S. homeowners have a flood insurance policy. Yet, according to the Insurance Information Institute the sad reality is that four out of every five natural disasters nationwide involve flooding. From 2008 to present day, at least one flood disaster has been declared in each of American Family's 19 operating states. Have you talked to you agent about flood insurance?

Surprise! Your Insurance Rate is Going Up!

Some people are cynical and says, "Of course insurance rates are going up, they ALWAYS do!" Others respond, "What?! Again?! But they did that last year!" While it is possible for any company to raise their rates, there are 3 things American Family does to keep your rates low; Insuring for Replacement Cost and not Market Value on Homeowner's Insurance, Property Inspections on All Homes, and Annual Insurance Reviews!

Market Value vs. Replacement Cost
We see many of our competitors underinsuring homes. We understand that the market value (for selling or refinancing purposes) is lower than it was several years ago, but the fact of the matter is that rebuild cost are presently up. By not properly valueing you home you are saving dollars or even just cents to have increased cost to yourself when it does come time to file a claim!

Property Inspections
You probably have a newly placed roof, while your neighboor has not replaced theirs in 20+ years and it is looking bad. Your neighbor called in a claim to his current insurance company and they denied it saying, "This is not hail damage... your roof is just old." So your neighbor switches to a new company (your company) then it rains and he files a claim with the new comapny. They subsequently replace the roof and this in turn increases your rate! American Family tries to prevent this by having me inspect every property before we insure it, saving you $ in the long run!

Annual Insurance Reviews
Remember that basement you finished, remember that jet ski you bought, oh and the new ring you got for your anniversary. All these things add up and people often forget to insure them until it is too late. Our goal is to collect the correct the right premium year after year not little by little and then ALL at once.

Don't believe your rate are going up? See what the AJC published... http://bit.ly/o2nYzg

Have You Hosted a Kitchen Wares Party

Managing Residential Rentals is NOT for the faint of heart, but it just might be worth the investment. Many people just starting out in this process think they can keep their regular homeowner’s insurance, which is not true. The correct policy is often called a Landlord or Non-Owner Occupied Residence. One advantage I have in this market is that I do not need to insure an individual’s personal home or auto which is a common requirement of my competitors.* You may not know Mark (a landlord) but you certainly know Jennifer who rent’s from him. She is blonde and has asked you to host a Pampered Chef party. She’ll be stoked to have Renter’s Insurance with me and she'll open the door for me to meet Mark. Connect me to Jennifer through a three way e-mail (tschloss@amfam.com). No guarantee I’ll but that pizza stone from you though!

* - Let’s be honest, I'd like to insure everything and there is a multi-line discount, but it is not required.

Not Something to Crack-up About!

With our ever increasing dependency on cell phones... smartphones to be precise... people are looking to replace them when broken at the cheapest cost, and quick! Some people have even made claims on their homeowner's insurance as they believe there to be coverage under the 'Computers and Electronics' Endorsement.

American Family does not recognize this type of loss as covered. However, while some of our competitors will pay the claim and buy you a new phone, it may not be the smartest idea. Claims will stay on your Property Claims Loss Report for up to 5 years which means that you will most likely have a surcharge once your policy renews. What would be a better option is to purchase the insurance offered by your cell phone provider or just save up for that unfortunate day when, instead of butt dialing your Nana you crack the face of your iPhone sitting down on that not so soft chair at IKEA!

Princess Peach & Grandma's Earrings

In the own going saga of Mario the Mortgage Man, let me introduce, Princess Peach! She lives in Cobb County and although she calls it her castle, to you and me it’s just a two story colonial. She’s 34 years old and stays at home mom with three kids all under the age of eight. Her grandmother passed away recently and left her, as you can see, some of the family jewelry. She’ll wants to meet me because when she got the jewelry she didn’t tell her current insurance agent which means it’s probably not insured and she would be petrified if she could replace her now favorite earrings. If you see or know her... make sure she connects with us on facebook by sending her this link, http://on.fb.me/i9tVCT

Mario the Mortgage Man!

I’d like to introduce you to Mario the Mortgage Man! [Picture] He runs around in a two dimensional world. His first dimension is find prospects and second dimension is close loans. As you can see he is very frustrated! He runs around banging his head on things for small amounts of change only to turn around and do it again the next day! The insurance agents he works with still fax him dec pages and they don’t include the phrases his underwrites wants to see which results in an additional calls to fix it. Just like the video game, Mario the Mortgage Man needs a dynamic partner! There are two reasons Mario wants me on his team… The first is that I can email him the documents he needs while on the phone and I send the policies his underwriter’s want to see. Tommy Schlosser, I'm Mario's Luigi and save him time!