Citizens home value calculator

Citizens home value calculator

As you can see from this Sun sentinel article, Citizens Insurance is going to start a program to review the value they are insuring your home for.  Some people feel that they are basing the coverage value of the homes to high.  This should be the actual cost to rebuild the home as it is today.  This is not the sale price of the home.  This is often misunderstood since many of the homes have gone down in value.  Just because there are worth less on the sales market does not mean that they replacement cost of the home has gone down as much.  If the replacement cost is lowered this would cause the homeowner premium to also go down.  If this is true Citizens will see a decrease in the amount they are actually responsible for which will help the problem Citizens is in.  Citizens Insurance does not have enough money on hand to pay for all the losses in the case of a large single storm.  The lowering of the replacement cost will help but only if the amounts they are lowered to are truly the correct amounts.

We don’t want anyone to pay more than they should.   The homeowner needs to be honest with the amount of coverage they need and the insurance company should have enough money on hand to pay for any losses.  There are rules in place to insure  insurance companies can hold up their end of the contract.  It is too bad Citizens does not have to follow the same rules other insurance companies have to.  We encourage you to find an independent insurance agent.  They have many companies for your to choose from  giving you options.  They can explain the differences between the difference between the companies and why one may be better than another for you.  There is a best fit but there is not a best fit for all.

www.fastcheapquotes.com is designed to connect  you with an agent which can help.  We can give you some ball park pricing on line that our agents can then further take and firm up.  Give us a try we are sure you will be happy.

The Gainesville Sun

The Gainesville Sun could not have said it any better. 

Here is the link.


If you are one of the 1.5 million people in Florida who have a citizens policy you should say thank you to the rest of the homeowners in Florida.  If there is even one large Hurricane the rest of the homeowners will be charged with making up the differences.  Since the state does not have enough money to pay for the claims they will tax the homeowners of Florida to make up the difference. 

The example the Gainesville Sun gave "Thus, residents of inland Alachua County — largely insulated from the brunt of hurricanes — are on the hook for any damages done to beachside condos in Miami."

I encurage you to check with your independent insurance agent to help you get a quote for homeowners insurance from a company who has money to pay for your claims.  One that has enough claims adjusters to be able to give you the quick responce you expect even in times of emergency. 

At FastCheapQuotes we can give you an online quote and connect you with  an Independent agent who is anxious to work with you.  If you prefer to use Facebook we have an app you can use. Try it here.

Another one bits the bullet

In an artical that was published by the Palm Beach Post (you can read it here). Another Florida Insurance company has failed.  In the article you can see where this is the 6th largest company in the county and it has failed.  The policies are being picked up by another company.  I  have not heard of that company.  Which is scary if you think about it.  10,000 people are going to get renewal policies from a company that not many people have heard of.  Some may not even know they are getting a new company if they are escrow billed.  The mortgage company will pay the renewal premium and the homeowner may not even know.  This is the time to consider switching companies.  We encourage yo to go to fastcheapquotes and compare rate.  We also encourage yo to compare companies carefully.  Our companies are very well respected companies in the industry and are able to help you when you really need them.  In the case of catastrophe.  Will the other no named copany be there when you need them?

In the same article you can see that Citizens, which is the state run insurance program, they have 28% of the counties policies.  They have omitted that they can't afford to pay claims in the event of a large storm.  Our companies have proven they have the ability to pay.  Please come talk to use and we can show you why our companies are better.  You homeowners insurance is nothing to just ignore.  Our independent agents can find you the best company for your needs.

In an article in the Florida Times Union (you can read it here), they are talking about how underfunded Citizens insurance company is.   If Florida is his with a storm of any size the citizens of Florida will be hit with an assessment which will not be small. 
Here is a quote directly from their website.

If the worst happens
A Category 4 hurricane making a direct hit on Miami or Tampa Bay could fit the definition of a 100-year hurricane.

The $18.6 billion in bonds would be repaid through assessments, with the average Citizen policyholder being hit for $9,400 and the non-Citizens policyholder being assessed $7,100, according to a scenario outlined by Brent Winans, a Delray Beach risk-management consultant. Both could be paid over 30 years, with first-year installments of $1,200 and $360, respectively, and payments of $270 and $230, respectively, in subsequent years.

We strongly encurage you to shop around for your homeowner policy.  Ther are some really good companies out there.  We fell that the companies we represent are some of the best and we can help you with this decision.  Contact use via our website at FastCheapQuotes.

Gov. Rick Scott - Citizens

 This is an article worth reading.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/scott-wants-answers-from-citizens-on-downsizing-1945283.html

It is almost scary how many people end up in the state of Florida's insurance program.  It is also very scary how financially insecure they are.  If Citizens were a private company the department of insurance would have come in by now and shut them down.  The article talks the fact that if a large hurricane were to hit Florida Citizens would not have enough money on hand to pay it's claims and would have to create bonds to pay.  To fund these claims payments the state would create a penalty that would be assessed against the rest of the people who have insurance policies in Florida.  You would see it on your next years insurance bill if you are not with Citizens.

There are any other private insurance companies out there who are well funded and can provide you with cost effective policies and give you good customer service.  At http://www.fastcheapquotes.com we are here to give you that initial quote and to get you in contact with a local agency.  That local agent will be here to help you along the way.  They can make sure you are being insured with a good solid company.  Give them a try, we feel you will be happy with the decision.

Florida Citizens

Is your agent recommending you insure your home with Citizens?  Citizens is an insurance program run by the State of Florida.  The intent of Citizens is to be the last resort for customers who can't find insurance anywhere else.  If you can't find insurance anywhere else the state will always insure you.  The problem is, in the recent past, Citizens has priced their insurance where they are sometimes less expensive then most companies.  Citizens does not have the same expenses as other insurance companies.  Citizens does not have enough money to cover all the people they insure.  All other insurance companies in Florida are required to have resources to pay claims.  If there was a large hurricane Citizens would have to tax the residents of Florida to cover the cost of the losses. I also question if they have enough resources to get to all their insurreds in the case of a large hurricane.  Do they have enough adjusters available to them to see everyone who needs to be seen in a reasonable amount of time?



We encourage you to find a good private company other than citizens to insure your home.  A good independent insurance agent will be able to help you find a policy for your home from a company with both money and resources available to them.  www.fastcheapquotes.com has companies that will give you the coverages you need.

Here is a link to an published article that explains what we are talking about.  Click here:

Forclosures

Please be careful of buying foreclosure condo's.  There are some great deals out there but there are also some not so great deals.  Be sure to check out the health of the homeowner association.  Some of the large condo associations do not have enough owners paying into the association to be able to make the repairs they are required to make.  They may or may not have paid the insurance they are supposed to be paying for.  They may or may not be keeping up with the maintenance they are supposed to.  They could either not make the repairs or assess the owners who are paying.  This will also make it not very desirable for banks to want to finance them.  The insurance company may also feel the same way depending on the association and how much of the property is owned vs. in foreclosure.  You could end up buying a place that is not financeable or insurable.  Check with your independent insurance agent or your realtor.  You can go to www.fastcheapquotes.com to find an agent or to get a ball park price on your home.

Importance of an Agent

In today's world, buying insurance on line is a natural tendency.  The obvious reason to do this is to save money.  There is no question you can save money by buying your insurance online.  There are a few things to consider before making your purchase.  There are many things you can buy online without thinking twice about.  For example I believe you should buy your music online.  It is very time consuming to go to a music store, buy the music, download it to my computer, then sync it to my phone or ipod.  Instead I just go to Itunes and download the music I want directly to my device.   I also think buying books online is a great idea.  You can see the great selection companies like Amazon have, you can see a preview of the book, then either order the book and it will be delivered overnight or you can download it directly to your electronic device and have it in minutes.  These items are save to buy online. 

Now lets talk Insurance.  My first questions is how comfortable are you with your insurance policy?  Do you understand everything that is covered by your policy and all your options?  If you do then yes you should buy your policy online.  If you don't then you should utilize an independent agent.  they will work with you to understand you and your needs.  They can explain to you what coverages you need and why.  This does not mean you can't buy over the internet you just need to work with an agency that will work with you online.  You don't need to go into an office any more.  All the details can be worked out either over the phone or over e-mails.  Since most of us don't buy insurance every day and we are not insurance experts we need someone on our side.  The independent agent can give that to us.  The independent agent is trained and licensed by the state.  They have to keep up the continuing education which means their knowledge is current.  They also have access to multiple companies so they can offer you the best deal for your needs. 

The idea of www.fastcheapquotes.com is to give you a quick ballpark price.  This will give you an idea of what prices are available to you.  These prices are true quotes but most likely not your final price.  You need to work with one of our agents to finalize our quotes.  They need to understand your needs so they can find a product and company that best fits your needs.  They can work with you either online, over the phone or in person depending on your needs.  

I am confident our agents can provide you with all your needs.

Condo Insurance

I was recently talking to someone who had to purchase Condo insurance in Gainesville Florida.  The condo was purchased for the purpose of fixing up and selling.  He asked me why he needed to purchase insurance.  There wasn't going to be anyone living in the unit so why have insurance.  There are a few questions that come to mind right away.  What type of insurance does the homeowners association have?  Does the homeowners association have an insurance policy that covers the building?  There are some Condo's in Gainesville like Greenleaf that the homeowners are responsible for both the inside and the outside of the building. Other more traditional homeowners association have an insurance policy in place that covers the structure but nothing inside the building.  It is common that the homeowner is responsible for everything from the studs behind the drywall in.

So while the condo is being renovated if there were a flood and the homeowner didn't have a policy they would have to pay for the repairs themselves.  If there were tools in side the unit while the unit was being worked on and the tools were stolen, if the homeowner didn't have insurance they would be responsible for replacing the tools.  The last example would be if there was a repair person working on the condo and hurt themselves you may be responsible for their injuries.  All these are examples of any you need to have insurance even if you are not living in the unit.

If you are living in the unit, the insurance is rather inexpensive, because much of the cost of insurance is to cover the structure itself.  If you are just insuring the interior and the contents the value is low compared to the cost of replacing the entire building. 

To get a more clear understanding we recommend you discus the details of your home with an independent Insurance agent.  To get you started go to www.fastcheapquotes.com and get a quote.  This will give you an idea how much the insurance will cost you.  When you submit the quote you will receive a copy of the quote via e-mail.  This will include the name of an agent in your area.  That agent will contact you and is willing to help you find the insurance that best suites your needs.  This website can only be used to give you ballpark ideas of what is available on the market.  Only an agent can explain coverages and issue you a policy.

Fast Cheap Quotes for your Florida Homeowners Insurance quotes: www.fastcheapquotes.com

Website

We have developed a website that provides realtime quotes. We only support homeowners insurance in Florida at this time. We will be adding additional homeowner companies as well as some automobile companies. Check out fastcheapquotes.com

first post

This is the first post on this page! just checking it out to see how it works.
have a great day!