Saving on Auto Insurance Costs

Written by admin on January 18, 2012 — Leave a Comment

The trend seers are saying auto insurance rates are going up in 2012, making it more important than ever to work with your Palm Coast auto insurance agency to keep your costs down.

While accidents and highway fatalities have been declining, auto insurance rates are going up because of rampant fraud, especially in South Florida. The Florida Legislature is working to resolve some of the problems with auto insurance fraud and hopefully will be successful.

Still, there are some steps you can take in 2012 to help reduce your auto insurance premiums. Here are some tips:

  • Set your deductible at a level you can afford. If you can afford to pay $1,000 towards an auto repair, then you should set the deductible at that amount, not lower.
  • Keep your auto in good working order so your need for towing insurance is lower. In the case of an accident, towing costs usually are covered by your collision coverage.
  • If you’re buying a car in 2012, talk to your Palm Coast auto insurance agency first and it could help you decide which vehicle you want to buy.
  • Bundling your auto insurance with other policies with your Palm Coast auto insurance agency could provide you with a substantial discount.
  • Look back at the past two years and determine how many miles you put on your auto. If you add a small number of miles each year, you could qualify for a low-mileage break on your insurance.
  • Check to see if you can get a discount for taking a safe driving class.
  • Determine a payment plan with your agent that provides the lowest overall cost. If you can pay for an entire six-month policy at once, you could save money.

For more tips on saving on your auto insurance, talk to your Palm Coast auto insurance agency. The O’Quinn Agency also can help you with insurance for your boat, home, motorcycle and life.

Posted in In the News, Service | Tagged

Burst Pipes Don’t Have to Bust Your Budget

Written by admin on January 11, 2012 — Leave a Comment

During the winter, a common homeowner concern is water pipes freezing and bursting, leaving a huge mess in their home.

While your Daytona Beach homeowners insurance won’t help you with the mess, it could help you pay for it.

A common misconception when it comes to flooding problems is that you have to have coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program to pay for damages. Actually that’s only if the flooding is part of a natural occurrence — heavy rain or snow melt — or unnatural one – a dam cracking open.

If the flooding problem comes from a burst pipe, either in the walls of your home or in the ground outside your home, your Daytona Beach homeowners insurance should cover the cost of any damages or repairs.

Of course, with frozen pipes you have to show you took the usual precautions, such as wrapping outside faucets and keeping your home heated. Also, if the pipes are old and corroded, your insurer may not cover the cost of replacing the pipe. That falls under home maintenance. It should cover any damages, though.

So far, the area your Daytona Beach homeowners insurance serves hasn’t seen extremely frigid temperatures for winter 2011-12, but it’s not over yet. It’s a good idea to check with your agent to make sure your homeowners insurance covers burst water pipes.

The O’Quinn Agency, which serves the East Central Florida area, also can help you with insurance for your auto, boat, motorcycle and life.

Posted in Home | Tagged

Costly Year Worldwide

Written by admin on January 5, 2012 — Leave a Comment

It’s difficult to believe that 2011 was the costliest year ever for the insurance industry as far as natural disaster losses.

Usually that means there were some bad hurricanes hitting Florida, but your Ormond Beach insurance agency notes there were few bad windstorm incidents in the state in 2011. There were, however, devastating earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, including a tsunami that wiped out much of Northern Japan.

Munich RE reported that insured losses in 2011 were $105 billion, surpassing the record of $101 billion set in 2005, the year of Katrina.

Of course, that was just the insured losses. The company put total worldwide economic costs from natural disasters at $380 billion, far above the $220 billion in 2005. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan resulted in insured losses of $40 billion while the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, cost the industry $13 billion.

The huge cost of natural disasters will continue to put pressure on the industry, probably making reinsurance costs higher in 2012. Also, while there were no damaging hurricanes in the Sunshine State, problems lingered from sinkholes, auto fraud and others.

Still, your Ormond Beach insurance agency remains committed to giving you the best and most affordable property and casualty coverage possible in 2012 and for years to come. The O’Quinn Agency also can help you with insurance for your auto, boat, motorcycle and life.

Posted in In the News, Service | Tagged ,

Relief for Volatile Financial Plans

Written by admin on January 3, 2012 — Leave a Comment

Don’t be confused about all the information out there about how to use annuities to soothe the volatile financial beast.

Your Daytona Beach insurance agency can guide you through the fog caused by all the many messages you are hearing on annuities and other investment tools. As the market jumps up and down like a kid’s new yo-yo, you’ll appreciate the helping hand.

Here are some basics that your Daytona Beach insurance agency will help you understand as you consider how annuities fit into your retirement planning.

  • The core value the solutions can bring.
  • The basics of how all of the features work so you can get the most out of these solutions as they continue to evolve.
  • Help you compare the costs of annuities with their benefits.
  • Find out if you are someone who will benefit the most from the guaranteed solution annuities provide.
  • Most importantly, you’ll find out how your investment in annuities works and how your investment will grow over time to make sure you can maintain the lifestyle you want through retirement.

Your Daytona Beach insurance agency is here to help you with your retirement planning as well as other important financial matters in your life. The O’Quinn Agency also helps provide insurance for autos, boats, homes and motorcycles throughout East Central Florida.

Posted in In the News, Service | Tagged , ,

Safe Vehicles Easier to Find

Written by admin on December 29, 2011 — Leave a Comment

Finding a safe vehicle has become easier than ever as manufacturers have pushed to make their products better and safer, your Palm Coast auto insurance agency notes.

There were 115 vehicles rated as Top Safety Picks for 2012 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a new record. You can find a top safety rated vehicle in every category now from small cars to large SUVs.

The selection is for vehicles that best protect passengers in front, side and rear crashes, and rollovers, based on evaluations by the institute.

Now that all vehicles must have electronic stability control, in accordance with federal law, they all can qualify as top safety picks. Still, institute officials commended manufacturers for continuing to improve the safety of their product.

Toyota had the most winners for its Toyota, Lexus and Scion models followed by Chevrolet with 14. Honda showed the most improvement with 10 new additions to the list.

Besides stability control, much of the improvement by the manufacturers was in better roof design, resulting in higher scores for rollovers.

For all of the models picked as Top Safety Picks, go to the institute’s website.

The safety rating of a vehicle is important in determining how much you pay for insurance premiums. To learn more about how a vehicle’s safety rating affects the cost of your insurance, talk to your Palm Coast auto insurance agency today!

At the O’Quinn Agency we also can help you with insurance for your boat, home, motorcycle and life.

Posted in In the News, Safety | Tagged ,

Insurance Resolutions

Written by admin on December 27, 2011 — Leave a Comment

While you are thinking up what resolutions you should make for 2012, you should also think about what insurance changes you need to make for the New Year.

As you look back on 2011, you need to think about what changes occurred in your life that could impact your insurance. Also, it’s a good time to look at ways you can save on your insurance bills.

With some insurance coverage, of course, you automatically have to make changes. When you buy a new car, to meet the requirements of the lender you use, you have to show you have adequate insurance. But you also should look at things you can do to lower the cost of your auto insurance. One of the key ways is to make sure your policy takes into account all of the safety features of your vehicle. For others, talk to your Daytona Beach insurance agency.

Boat and motorcycle insurance doesn’t change that much, unless you got a new boat or motorcycle. There could be regulatory changes that could affect your insurance, though.

For your home insurance, you need to look at any remodeling you may have done in the past year that increased the value of your home. Also, keep in mind what we just wrote about how you need to compensate for adding expensive personal belongings.

If you had a new child in 2011, congratulations on the added tax break, but are you sure you’ve got your new bambino covered financially in case something happens to you? Or do you have a child leaving the nest? You could get a break now that you are no longer financially supporting a child and could use your insurance for other reasons, like paying off your child’s college loans.

There could be other changes in your life in 2011 that you need to discuss with your Daytona Beach insurance agency. At the Quinn Insurance Agency, we’ll make sure you’ve got the insurance you need for your auto, boat, home, motorcycle and life.

Posted in Home, Service | Tagged

Holiday Travel and Palm Coast Auto Insurance

Written by admin on December 22, 2011 — 1 Comment

With more autos on the road the next few days, it is time to be more careful than ever when you are driving.

AAA estimates 91.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the period Dec. 23, 2011, to Jan. 2, 2012. The travel volume is the second highest in the past decade. The auto club expects 4,350,100 Floridians to hit the highways during the two-week period, up 1.8 percent from 12 months ago.

With all that traffic, the chances of auto accidents can only increase and your Palm Coast auto insurance agency encourages you to drive safely and practice good travel habits. Here are some tips on staying safe while traveling “over the river and through woods” this holiday season.

  • Make sure everything is working properly on your vehicle.
  • Remain alert to what other drivers are doing, or whatever is happening along the road.
  • Be extra careful in inclement weather: Drive slowly, don’t follow behind another vehicle too closely and avoid sudden braking or movement of the steering wheel.
  • Wear a seatbelt: It’s not only a good idea; it’s the law in most states.
  • Don’t drive drowsy: Make a habit of getting a good night’s sleep every night.
  • Avoid Distractions, such as cell phones, drinking or eating, interacting with passengers or applying makeup.
  • Don’t speed: keep an eye out for posted speed limits and drive even slower in inclement weather.
  • Don’t drive if you are impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The O’Quinn Agency, your Palm Coast auto insurance, wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday and a successful and prosperous new year.

Posted in Safety | Tagged ,

Holiday Gifts Impact on Your Daytona Beach Homeowners Insurance

Written by admin on December 20, 2011 — Leave a Comment

Your generosity to your family and others during the holiday season is something you should never stop. But you do need to look at the impact of some of those gifts on your Daytona Beach homeowners insurance.

You wouldn’t think it mattered, but if that cute puppy you got your five-year-old becomes a full-grown Rottweiler you might have a problem. While your child could have a great protector for years to come, you could get hit with a hike in insurance premiums.

Some gifts can cause you a lot of trouble from a safety standpoint, and some because they require you to have more insurance protection to cover their value. Here are some examples of what gifts can create problems.

Toys: Anything considered dangerous, such as trampolines or skateboard ramps, could get you red flagged by your insurer.

Pets: Certain breeds of dogs and exotic pets are another problem area for insurers. Dog bites are an especially big problem, causing insurers to pay out millions of dollars for medical costs and damages every year.

Luxury Items: Jewelry is usually the most expensive luxury item people give as gifts, but electronics, art and collectibles also can inject a lot of monetary worth in your house. Most homeowners insurance policies require a separate rider for contents and the cost of your premiums can go up and down with the value of contents you insure.

Your Daytona Beach insurance agency hopes you have a happy and wonderful holiday, but also wants to help you stay within your household budget for the coming year. Talk to us as the O’Quinn Agency about how to cover your holiday largesse. We also help provide coverage for your auto, boat, motorcycle and life.

Posted in Home, In the News | Tagged

Protecting Your Boat from Storage Disasters

Written by admin on December 15, 2011 — Leave a Comment

It’s December and like many people you probably have your boat in storage. While enjoying your eggnog, your Edgewater insurance agency understands that your boat won’t enter your mind again until spring.

Unfortunately a fire at the storage place where you stowed your boat will jar you from your winter calm. And it can happen anywhere in the world. The latest, on Dec. 12, 2011, was in Gothenburg, a North Sea port in Sweden where a large warehouse at a boatyard went up in flames. Several boats sitting outside the warehouse were destroyed.

Besides marine equipment, there were several canisters of gasoline inside the warehouse and witnesses reported several explosions. Any fire at a boatyard or marina usually will get a boost from fuel stored there.

The boatyard or marina should eventually reimburse you if your boat is destroyed in a fire, and hopefully you checked to make sure the storage place was insured. But it probably will take a long time and could require filing a lawsuit to make sure you get paid for the full value of your boat.

If you don’t want spring to arrive and not have a boat, you should talk to your Edgewater insurance agency about what you can do to protect yourself. Boat insurance doesn’t just cover you while you are in the water; it provides protection for your boat no matter where it is at.

Your Edgewater insurance agency, the O’Quinn Agency, can help you protect your boat as well as your auto, home, motorcycle and life from the unexpected, no matter where it happens in the world.

Posted in In the News, Service | Tagged ,

The Most Dangerous Time of the Year for Ormond Beach Insurance

Written by admin on December 13, 2011 — Leave a Comment

More people than ever are getting into the holiday spirit, decorating their homes and participating in various yuletide events.

But for your Ormond Beach insurance agency, it’s the most dangerous time of the year as injuries around the home escalate. Outdoor decorating injuries, usually caused by falls from ladders, have been on the rise, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. There were more than 13,000 people treated in emergency rooms for holiday-related injuries in 2010, up 30 percent since 2007.

Christmas tree and candle fires also are a big problem your Ormond Beach insurance agency notes. From 2006 to 2008, there were an average of four deaths and $18 million in damage to property from Christmas tree fires. Candle fires are even worse, causing 130 deaths and $360 million in damage during those same three years.

Here are a few tips from the CPSC to remain safe this holiday season:

  • Make sure your live tree is fresh and keep it watered.
  • Don’t put the tree near a heat source.
  • Make sure your artificial tree is labeled fire-resistant.
  • Be careful decorating a tree with a child, especially if you are using heavy ornaments that could fall and hurt a child.
  • For outdoor lights, make sure they are tested for safety by a federally recognized laboratory, such as United Laboratories. Make sure they are rated for outdoors.
  • And, remember, have someone hold the ladder for you.

Your Ormond Beach insurance agency hopes everyone has a happy holiday season. Besides your property, the O’Quinn Agency also can help you with insurance for your auto, boat, motorcycle and life.

Posted in In the News, Safety | Tagged ,
« Older Entries Newer Entries »