Talk to a person, not a call queue.

It means we are appointed with a number of insurance companies rather than employed by one. A captive agent can only sell you their company’s product. We can put the same risk in front of several carriers and bring back whichever one prices and covers it best. You buy the policy from the carrier; we place and service it.

Usually not much. Most personal lines policies can be cancelled mid-term with a pro-rata refund of the unused premium, though some carriers apply a short-rate penalty instead. We check the cancellation provision on your specific policy before recommending a move, and we never leave a gap between the old policy ending and the new one starting.

State minimums are a legal floor, not a serious answer — a single hospital stay can exceed them. A common rule of thumb is to carry liability limits at least equal to your net worth, including retirement accounts and home equity, since those are what a judgment can reach. Beyond your auto and home limits, an umbrella policy is typically the cheapest way to add a further million.

Almost certainly not. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood and earthquake damage. Flood is written separately, either through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood carrier, and most flood policies have a thirty-day waiting period before they take effect. Earthquake is a separate policy or endorsement with its own, usually percentage-based, deductible. Both are worth pricing rather than assuming.

Rates are set on the pool, not only on you. Regulator-approved rate increases, rising repair and rebuild costs, catastrophe losses in your region, and changes to your credit-based insurance score or territory can all move the number while your own record stays clean. This is exactly the moment to re-shop it, which is what we do at every renewal rather than waiting to be asked.

Make sure everyone is safe and get medical help if it is needed. Then document: photographs, names, and a written note of what happened while it is fresh. Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage — most policies require it — and keep the receipts. Then call us. We would rather hear about it before the carrier does, so we can tell you whether filing is actually in your interest.