We Are Your Local Safeco Insurance Agents

September 30, 2011 by Leave a comment

Looking for a Safeco Insurance Agent? You are at the right place. We are appointed and represent Safeco Insurance and their products. Our agent code is 05-3429. We are a full service National insurance agency. Here is a line up of products that we write-through Safeco.                Click here to see our Agent listing on the Official Safeco Insurance Website.

  • Auto/Car Insurance
  • Collector Car Insurance
  • Home Insurance
  • Condo Insurance
  • Renter’s Insurance
  • Landlord Dwelling Insurance
  • Landlord Condo Insurance
  • Personal Umbrella Insurance
  • Commercial & Business Insurance
  • And More!

We service the following area’s in Colorado:

Aurora, Arvada, Colorado Springs, Commerce City, Castle Rock, Denver, , Centennial, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Northglenn, Thornton, Westminster, Wheatridge and more. Please visit this link for our map.

If you would like a quote, please contact us during normal business hours, or shoot us an email. Thanks for visiting our site!

Filed under Auto Insurance, Business & Commercial Insurance, Home Insurance, Other Blogs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Will The Insurance Company Inspect My Home?

September 25, 2011 by Leave a comment

When purchasing home insurance, there are some steps involved. One of them being inspecting your home after purchase of  the policy. When you buy a homeowners policy, the insurance company has the right for inspection. This can be at the beginning, or in the middle of the term. There are a couple of reasons why insurance companies does this.

  1. The insurance companies checks the assessor report, square footage, build and other factors to make sure that the home is insured to 100 percent of its value. This is to assure that property’s don’t go under insured.
  2. The inspector looks for pride of ownership. In other woods is the home being taken care and maintained. From there the inspector will note in his/her report their findings. This could be that the house is in good shape, or needs work.
  3. Liabilities are noted and sent back to the under writer. This could be a pool, trampoline, or any other liability.
  4. There are other steps that the inspector might through, such as an interior inspection, but for the most part, the first 3 steps, are the main steps.

After the inspection is done, the inspector will send his report back to the insurance company. From here, it will go through under writing, and if there are no flags, the policy gets issued. The insurance company may also require further steps, such as fixing a condition in the house. They could also completely deny issuance of a policy, but this only happens a small percentage of the time, usually due to a serious factor. (An Example is telling an insurance company that you own a Golden Retriever, but they find out you have a Pit bull).

Filed under Home Insurance Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why A Trampoline In Your Backyard Is A Bad Idea

September 23, 2011 by Leave a comment

Trampolines are fun and good for exercise. They are also sometimes considered and attractive nuisance and are excluded on most home insurance policies.  By attractive nuisance, you as the homeowner are one hundred percent liable for any potential incidents or lawsuits. So for example, if little Johnny next door, sneaks over and injures himself on your trampoline, you are fully responsible. Even if you weren’t home and didn’t give him permission to be on your property.

According to a CBS News article, 98,000 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2009, due to a trampoline injury. The injuries have also doubled over the past decade, compared to the previous.

These injuries are not going to pay for themselves, and since your home owners insurance most likely has a trampoline exclusion, the homeowner is going to have to pay out-of-pocket.  Insurance companies use to cover trampolines on their policies. After injuries started staggering up, and personal injury lawyers started suing anyone and anybody, insurance companies got out of the business of insuring trampolines.

Our advice is DO NOT OWN ONE. Were not trying bash the Trampoline Industry, were trying to protect the home owner. Trying to protect him or her from frivolous law suits.  All it takes is for a trail attorney lawyer to represent little Johnny’s injury, and for you to pay out-of-pocket over 50,000 dollars. Even if you some how have an insurance policy that covers it, get rid of it. It’s a headache to completely avoid.

Filed under Home Insurance Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Know If Your Dealing With A Licensed Insurance Agent Or Company

September 23, 2011 by Leave a comment

Today is this world, it seems like some one is always out to scam or cheat someone else. We all know its very important to protect your identity and other financial information. We all need to be skeptical, and must protect ourselves as best as we can. So how do you know if your dealing with a legitimate agent or company when shopping for insurance? You have to give out a lot of information when shopping for insurance. It’s always good to double-check if that person or company is licensed before you do so.

How Do I check If a Company or Person Is Licensed?

It’s very easy to check if an agent is licensed or if a company has a certificate of authority. You can simply do this by contacting the department of insurance in your state. For example in Colorado, its DORA- Division of insurance.  From here you can see if they’re licensed and what lines they authorized to transact business in. It also shows the dates of inception and expiration of their license or Certificate Of Authority.

The division of insurance also requires agents to pass a mandatory test, and also pass a credit and background check. They require insurance companies to get a Certificate Of Authority, and to prove solvency and stability  in order to write insurance in their state.  Some companies are Surplus and Excess and do not have to got thorough the process of getting a Certificate Of Authority. These companies  write unusual risks or hard to place, and are considered non-standard markets. In most states, the commissioner has a list of Surplus and Excess companies they find the most trust worthy.

Other Ways to Verify Acknowledgement and Recognition

  • Most agents must go through the process of being appointed by an insurance company. This includes license check with the state, background check, and credit check.
  • Check the financial score of an insurance company by visiting AM Best.
  • Check with the BBB.
  • See how long a company or agent has been in business. A new or small company or agent is not necessarily negative.
  • Meeting an agent or company rep in person is always a good idea.
  • See if the agent and/or company has any past or current complaints with the division of insurance.

Most of all if its to good to be true, or you feel uncomfortable, don’t give out your personal information! Check with the State Department of Insurance first. As always if you have more questions please call us during normal business hours.

Filed under Other Blogs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Colorado earthquakes and your Home Insurance

September 17, 2011 by Leave a comment

Recently in Colorado, we have been getting a lot more seismic activity. It seems like we have been getting a lot more earthquakes lately. So what does this mean for your homeowners insurance? Lets first take a look at recent incidents.

Latest notable earthquake activity

-Sept 16, 2011, located below the Colorado border.  3.8 magnitude.

-Sept 12th, 2011, location near Craig Colorado. 3.7 magnitude.

-Sept 11th, 2011, location near Kiowa Colorado. 3.9 magnitude.

-Aug 22, 2011, 9 miles outside of Trinidad, 5.3 magnitude.

Other notable older earthquakes

-1967, near Denver, Colorado. 5.3 magnitude.

-1973, northwest corner of Colorado, 5.7 magnitude.

Largest Earthquake in Colorado History

In 1882 the state experienced its largest earthquake, which occurred in now what is Rocky Mountain National Park. It read a 6.5 on the Rictor scale. By far the biggest earthquake in Colorado history.

What does this mean for your Homeowners insurance?

A standard homeowners insurance policy does not cover earthquakes. You must by a separate insurance policy, known as earthquake insurance. This policy would provide coverage for your dwelling and contents, if an earthquake were ever to occur.

Should I buy earthquake insurance with all this seismic activity lately in Colorado?

Event though we have had a lot of activity lately, I don’t think people should be out panicking about this. I believe by looking at the plates, the chances of a big enough earthquake to come along, in a high populated area is very unlikely.  My professional opinion is that buying earthquake insurance at this time is most likely unnecessary.  We have never had an earthquake that has caused a significant amount of property damage or has hurt or killed anyone in our Colorado history. This is something that could change down the road, depending on what happens.

If you are interested in purchasing Earthquake insurance, and feel there is a need for it, please contact us during or normal business hours.

Filed under Other Blogs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Get A Quote From Us!

August 25, 2011 by Leave a comment

We are a full service national insurance agency. We are also locally owned and family operated. We are insurance brokers and independent agents, who have the comprehensive resources to put together policies with the best coverage at the lowest cost. So call today. We can give you a quote on just about all your insurance needs. We also started in 2007 and have been growing through this recession thanks to great clients and neighbors in the Colorado area. Be apart of our family today!

Filed under Other Blogs Tagged with , , , , ,

Did You Hire An Employee Or An Independent Contractor

June 28, 2011 by Leave a comment

Before you go out and hire an independent contractor, or give the next 10-99 to your contractor, there are some things you need to know. Because that person might be an employee not an independent contractor. In this blog I am going to explain what the difference is. This is very important, because the last thing you need is government agency bullying you, and fining you.

What is an employee?

An employee is one who is scheduled specific hours by the employer and is required to work those hours.    This person  is eligible under certain requirements to benefits as designated by the employer.  An employee is eligible for sick leave, medical insurance, dental insurance, and 401Ks etc. through the employer.  An employee is also eligible for Workman’s Compensation if such need should arise.  The employer will pay the employee’s income taxes such as social security and state taxes.  Usually an employee is paid a salary or by the hour.

What is an independent contractor?

An independent contractor is one who works for an individual or company but is not scheduled or required to work certain hours.  An independent contractor is totally independent as to his or her work schedule and does not receive any form of benefits from the employer.  There is no Workman’s Compensation, no medical insurance, no dental or 401K eligibility.  An independent contractor is responsible for paying his or her own taxes such as social security and state taxes.  The most common form of compensation for the independent contractor is being paid by the job.

 

Filed under General Insurance, Workman's Compensation Tagged with , , , , , ,

Renting A Car? Things You Need To Know About Insurance Before You Do

June 26, 2011 by Leave a comment

I get a lot of questions in my agency, when it comes to renting a car. In this blog I am going to cover what you need to know about insurance, before renting a car. I am going to use a Q & A format, to clear up questions.

  • Will my insurance, follow me to the rental car?

Yes it will, if you already have insurance, you don’t need to buy the rental car insurance. There are coverages you need to make sure you have before doing this. If you have just liability, you need to make a temporary endorsement, and add physical damage coverage. If you don’t have insurance and don’t have a regular car, it is probably best to buy their insurance.

  • What coverages do I need for the rental car.

All rental car rental places will require you to have, state required auto liability insurance, and also physical damage coverage. Most rental car outlets, will require you to carry no higher than a 1000 dollar deductible for both Comprehensive and Collison. If the car gets in an accident, you will be responsible for the deductible.

  • Is there anything else I need to know?

If your rental car is an accident, the rental car place, could technically go after you for loss of use. The loss of use is either while the car is getting replaced or repaired. At this time the car is not operable, and the rental car place can’t rent it out. So technically they can go after you for loss of use. Sometimes your car insurance company will include this in there policies. But some don’t. It is best to check your policy for this. Some credit card companies give you this coverage free, as long as you use the credit card, to rent the car.

Filed under Auto Insurance Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Negligent Fire Works On 4th July Fires Up Millions In Property Damage And Bodily Injury Each Year

June 25, 2011 by 1 Comment

Independence Day is one of my most favorite days of the year. We celebrate our great Country. We get together with friends and family, enjoy that out doors and bar-b-que. We enjoy the All Star GAme on TV, and sit back relax and drink beer. But there is one thing we all forget. The fact that millions of dollars of property damage and bodily injury occurs each year due to fire works.

According Rocky Mountain Insurance Information , In 2009, fireworks started an estimated 18,000 reported fires, including 1,300 structure fires, 400 car fires, and 16,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in one death, 30 injuries and $38 million in property damage (National Fire Protection Association latest data).

On the 4th of July, there are more reported fires then any other day. This makes it difficult for fire and police departments, to respond to emergencies.

Our advice at Denvers Insurance Agency and The Ahbe Group is to leave it up to the professional’s. Keep in mind that the most commonly injured person from fire works, are young children, usually from a sparkler. Sparklers can burn up to 1200 degrees.

Our advice for the fourth of July is to be safe, and leave the fireworks to the pros. Here is a list in Colorado of upcoming fire work displays for 2011, courtesy, The Denver Channel.

 

Filed under Other Blogs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Buying Insurance Online is A Bad Idea

June 24, 2011 by Leave a comment

It seems like very day, we see tons of TV ads for auto insurance companies. This either can involve a cartoon, a little lizard, or even a perky little brunette. All of them advertise how you can buy a policy online. They advertise how you can get discounts for buying online. They advertise it like gold and glitter. In this blog, I am gonna go past all the excitement about buying a policy online, and actually tell you why its a bad idea.

  • The information they ask can be very hard to understand. Most of the time consumers enter in information incorrectly, which will give you an inaccurate quote.
  • Most companies, shows the lowest price. This usually means the lowest coverages.
  • Most quotes you get off the internet, are the bare minimum liability coverages. This is bad, because if you get in a bad enough accident, you personal assets could be at stake.
  • Most companies don’t include coverages such as uninsured motorists property damage, and also uninsured or under insured motorists coverage. With a lot of drivers uninsured or under insured, this coverage is a must.
  • If you have a newer car and has a lien or lease on it and its needs comp and collision coverage, a computer can’t understand this.
  • An online quoting system might not know if towing and rental car reimbursement is something you should or shouldn’t have on your policy.
  • Most consumers don’t understand what some coverages mean and what it does. When a consumer doesn’t understand a coverage, they don’t buy it. This could be costly, because a consumer might need it.

I could continue on with many points, but in conclusion, a computer can’t think, and counsel you into the right policy. Only a human can. When it comes to insurance, every person is different in needs. Only an experienced  broker like us, can give you advice and steer you in the right direction. A computer can’t give you advice on how much coverage you should buy, if its ideal to carry a 1000 dollar deductible or a 500 dollar deductible. It can”t answer questions such as, what if I drive my friends car, will my policy follow me to that policy?

Please feel free to leave a comment. We can write insurance in 45 states.

Filed under General Insurance Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →