February 22, 2012

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for William Avon

Do It Yourself Home Improvement Tips That Will Help You Enjoy Your Living Space

January 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Do It Yourself Home Improvement TipsDo It Yourself Home Improvement Tips

Your house represents your personality, following some simple do it yourself home improvement tips can dramatically affect the way you feel and live in your home. Once the reflection of it is displeasing, you’re less likely to be happy in other area’s of your life.  You can find many different ways to effectively use what your house has to offer. This short article includes different ways to turn your house into an enjoyable home.

Living More Comfortably

Comfort should play a significant part in your house enhancements. Small flaws in almost any home can considerably decrease its comfortableness. The need for comfort is frequently overlooked or put on the back burner of your to do list, but it’s certainly necessary to the enjoyment of it and better all around happiness in life. Simply changing a chair with one that’s more cozy or lowering shelves which are too high on the wall are two very simple fixes to make living in your home more enjoyable, as well as reducing backaches from improper posture! You might be amazed at the main difference a minor change could make.

Adding Entertainment Space

Some really fun do it yourself home improvement tips are to add additional entertainment spaces to your residence for added fun. For example, you can convert even a smaller room into a leisure room for games, for example table tennis or shooting pool. A pool table can prove to be a pleasurable and valuable addition to break away from the stresses of everyday life and bring the family closer together for a game night.  You can add a foldable hard cover to the top of the pool table and create a space for arts and crafts or additional games.  A spa could provide all-season relaxation and fun. Making small changes, for example adding a basketball hoop to your drive way or yard could make your home more enjoyable and alive.

Proper Lighting

Some huge little DIY tips are simply changing the lighting.  Incorrect lighting in your rooms can make you feel depressed or depleated.  It can provide you with a sense of fatigue.  Go to the local hardware store, they often have examples of the different types of light bulbs in a working display.  You’ll be amazed at the difference the various types of bulbs make.  Alter just the lighting and you can provide a new turn to your home.

Eco-Friendly Gardens

You might want to try growing something lush and eco-friendly inside a garden. This can be done by investing a piece of the yard to some vegetables or flowers or for those more limited on space, try container gardening.  Inside greenery can also increase the standard of air you breathe.

Small Facelift, Big Difference

Fix the outdoors of your house.  Home repair doesn’t have to mean an addition. A fresh paint color, a brand new roof, or up-to-date wooden shutters. You’ll certainly enjoy returning home daily, whenever your pulling up to a home that looks fresh and alluring.  Clean your yard.  Take out the weeds, bring in some inexpensive landscaping ties, a little mulch and a few shrubs or flowers.

Do It Yourself Home Improvement Tips are More Than An Economic Return

Enhancing your home is more than an economic investment in its value.  It’s also an investment in you and your family’s well being. When you entertain and sleep more comfortably, your life becomes more enjoyable in a home that you will love being in.

While your at it, be sure to pull out your home insurance and review it with your agent.  After making the investment in your home with a few of these  DIY projects, be sure you have the proper coverage on your policies to protect your valuable assets.  Securing personal insurance quotes, is quick and easy. Don’t add it to the to do list, just get it done. It doesn’t take long for to run multiple insurance quotes.

Have some easy do it yourself home improvement tips of your own, leave them in a comment below, we love to hear from you.

Filed Under: Home Improvement Tagged With: ,

Holiday Safety Should Not Be Taken For Granted

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Holiday Safety Tips

holiday safetyHolidays represent some of the best times of the year with great food, time with beloved family and the formation of memorable family traditions. However, holidays also represent a busy time of year for police, hospitals and emergency personnel because of the increased incidence of accidents. Learn how to keep yourself and your family safe this holiday with the following holiday safety tips.

Plan for the holidays. Every year you probably become more and more over-scheduled between children’s Christmas activities and friends’ holiday parties. Time can quickly get the best of you and cause you to rush to each event. This rushing can lead to car accidents and carelessness when it comes to securing your own home. Don’t overbook the holidays. If you plan on having a social gathering in your own home, use a careful eye to determine whether there are any potential hazards in your home. Get on your hands and knees and look for potential dangers if there will be babies in the home.

Tend your tree and plants. The Christmas tree should be positioned in a sturdy location where no pets or children could accidentally tip it over. If you are using a real tree, remove dead or dried pine needles that can pose a potential fire hazard. Turn the lights off if you will be out of the home in case of fire. Remove poisonous poinsettias and holly from the reach of children.

Avoid candles. Candles create a romantic and warm glow, but they can easily be forgotten. Candles cause thousands of fire every year. Recognize that this is a busy time of year and avoid the candles altogether if possible.

Don’t drink and drive. Everyone knows this, but some people underestimate the effect alcohol will have on their ability to drive. Even a small glass of alcohol can impair your driving ability. The roads are busier during the holiday seasons and accidents are more likely even when sober. Don’t take the extra risk and avoid alcohol when you will be driving.

Do you have a favorite holiday safety tip of your own? Post it briefly in the comment box below to help spread the word about safety!

It doesn’t take much effort to keep your family safer during the holiday season by not taking holiday safety for granted.

Filed Under: Holiday Safety Tagged With: , ,

Life Insurance and Annuity Awareness

December 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Do you think about Life Insurance and Annuity Awareness? Does it make you tired?

Are they topics that you typically want to shy away from?

They don’t have to be confusing or burdensome topics.  By doing a little research yourself, then working with an agency that FIRST puts YOUR best interest in mind, you’ll have a happy combination.

We’ve included a LIMRA brochure and You Tube video link to help in your education and in simplifying the solution to protect your family.

When choosing an agency to work with remember to ask yourself a few key questions:

  1. Are they trying to “sell me” the world or are they asking questions about my needs?
  2. Do they represent a good number of Top ‘A’ Rated carriers or do they have a limited or captive product line that I would be stuck into choosing what they have instead of what I need?
  3. Am I comfortable working with the agent?
  4. Is the agent accessible and willing to help?
  5. Does the agent have continuing education AND professional designation credentials?

These are just a few questions to keep in mind when choosing an agent or agency to work with.  Please take this complimentary information and call us anytime, we’ll be glad to assist you with a no obligation life planning review for your family.

Filed Under: Annuities, Life Insurance Tagged With: ,

Homeowners Protection Class – How does the WRONG class affect YOUR premium?

November 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Did you know if your homeowners, condo, landlord, fire or other type of home policy has the WRONG Homeowners Protection Class listed it WILL affect your Rate?  Did you know that you are ultimately responsible if it’s wrong?

A protection class is based on two general factors, questions of which are asked of you on your policy application, hence your responsibility if it is wrong:

  1. The distance to the nearest FIRE HYDRANT
  2. The distance to the nearest FIRE DEPARTMENT

When your home has a fire hydrant within 1000 feet and a fire department within 3 miles, you’re homeowners protection class will generally be a 3, 4 or 5 and if not, generally an 8, 9 or 10. There are some other factors involved as well, such as the fire department being paid or volunteer, but this is the rule of thumb in general.

The “lower the number” of the protection class, the “lower your homeowners premium”.

I have, unfortunately, seen some sneaky, sales hungry, I only want my commission type agents put down that there IS a fire hydrant within 1000 feet and there IS a fire department within 3 miles on their clients applications, usually unknown to the client, when in fact there is NOT!  This gives them a hero-like appearance when in fact the clients previous company had them rated properly.  Now here flies in Mr. Super Savings Agent, so the client switches companies and starts saving a lot of money, right?  WRONG!

Well, in a tough economy, this may be tempting, but guess what… YOU, the INSURED are ULTIMATELY responsible because YOU are signing off on the application that ALL the information is ACCURATE!  I’m sure you’ve heard that ”ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law”!

If you do not understand something on your policy – it’s as easy to find out the answer as doing a google search or by CALLING the CARRIER directly!!  Many do accept incoming calls even before you are a client!

What are the ramifications to the AGENT?  Rest assured, once caught, the state department of insurance will not go easy on them if they find out it was an INTENTIONAL and recurring act specifically to ‘win over business’! The insurance carrier will more than likely terminate the agents contract and the agent may face criminal charges.

BUT that does NOT let you off the hook!  You are also responsible, so what can happen to you?

The carrier (depending on your state laws and guidelines) may

  1. Drop your policy which would not be good when shopping it around
  2. Increase your premium to what it should have been
  3. Calculate the lost premium and take the difference out of your claim
  4. Do nothing (fat chance!)
  5. Do something else that your particular state allows

The question to you… Is it worth saving a penny today to put yourself, your finances and your family at risk tomorrow?  (not in my opinion!)

Incorrectly rated policies are another reason that cause insurance premiums to go up!  When people in a higher risk class pay rates that are for a lower risk class, it throws the premium calculations off and ultimately causes everyone’s rates to go up!  When done intentionally or just ‘letting it go and pretending you weren’t aware of it’ (which now that you read this article, you are!), it’s called insurance fraud and that is NOT something you want to be found guilty of, as it will stay with you for years to come!

Simply put. I’m sure you want your insurance company to BE THERE for YOU when you NEED them, right?  Well do right by having your information accurate and properly disclosed and BY LAW they WILL be there when you need them!

Contrary to some beliefs, yes insurance companies are in business to make money, but NO, they do NOT seek out ways to not pay claims! That would be fraud on their part.  So how can you protect yourself? Be sure to only do business with an insurance carrier who files their “policy forms and underwriting guidelines” with the state department of insurance that you are accepting the policy in. This way, the carrier has to pay when your policy says its time to pay. If you are unsure about the rules and regulations in YOUR state, simply visit your states department of insurance website or give them a call and ask them how you can be sure your assets are protected in the way you think they are!

Have you had this happen to you?  Do you know of someone who it happened to? Please do NOT post the names of people, carriers or agents, but do share your story or experience to help others protect themselves from this happening to them and why they should be sure their policy is listed correctly!

Filed Under: Home Insurance Tagged With:

Insurance Brokers vs Agents

October 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

What is the difference between using Insurance Brokers vs Agents?

Let’s face it, shopping for insurance is generally a dreaded and time consuming task.  Not exactly fun and although it only takes about 15 minutes to get a preliminary rate – that’s only the rate from ONE company.  How many agents do you want to call and how many blocks of 15-30 minutes do you want to take out of your life?

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to call one agent and have them shop your auto, home, life, heath or other insurance policy around FOR you without it costing you a dime of money or time away from your family?

That’s the difference between a Captive Insurance AGENT and a Multi-Carrier Insurance BROKER.  A captive agent can only write for ONE carrier such as Allstate, Geico, State Farm, Nationwide or Liberty Mutual to name a few which means you have to call each and every one of those carriers if you want a rate from each and every one!

Now an Insurance Broker on the other hand writes for MULTIPLE Carriers saving you a whole bunch of time and that’s not even mentioning money!  When you work with an insurance broker, you give them your information ONE time, they in turn, enter it into their system just like a captive, one carrier agent does, but the difference is the broker will then receive rates from a multitude of carriers!

Do you want to hear the best part?

Brokers are paid the same way as captive agents… but instead of an agent who needs to make a ”sale” with the one auto policy or one home policy or one life policy they have to offer, a brokers job is find you the BEST available policy for you to ”buy” that’s right for YOUR given situation on a budget that YOU can afford!  The captive agent has to sell you on why THEIR limited product line is so great and why you ‘need’ to use THEM, where the insurance broker has a much easier job to find YOU a carrier that can offer YOU the quality coverage that YOU actually need with a premium that fits into YOUR budget.

You see a captive agent is about trying to fit you into THEIR product.

An insurance broker is about fitting the best product around YOU.

Which do you prefer… to be “sold” a policy because the agent only has the one to offer    OR…    “buy” the policy that is right for your needs? Now don’t get me wrong here… I’m NOT saying the products that single carrier agents represent won’t be anything less than perfect for your needs!  What I am saying is what happens when that carrier’s price goes up?  What happens when you need a coverage that they do not offer like guaranteed replacement cost on your homeowners insurance? What about wanting to use the same agent for more than just your auto and home needs like life insurance?  If you are working with a single company captive agent, you are stuck to only use that companies products which may or may not be the best fit for you. And in all honesty, how many people do you know who will tell you that you can get better down the street?  When working with a broker, you are less restricted because they are able to offer many more carriers, many more products, many more types of insurance and of course, many more price points so an insurance brokers job is to seek out and find the best product for YOUR need, not try to ”fit you into what a captive agent happens to have available”.

Want to hear another great benefit of working with a broker?

When it comes time to shop your policies around in the future to be sure you are receiving the best value… all you have to do is call your broker and tell them to do so.  If you’re with a captive agent, there isn’t anything to shop around because they only have one product to offer.

Captive agents are in a “you can take it or leave it” situation.

Insurance brokers are in a “let’s see which product fits YOUR situation the best”.

What are your thoughts about the DIFFERENT BENEFITS between working with a Captive Agent vs. Insurance Broker?

Filed Under: General Topics Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts
Powered by WishList Member - Membership Site Software