Would you believe that most people who have a homeowners insurance policy are not prepared to make a claim should the need arise? It’s true. Even after the review with their insurance agent, they soon forget what is covered and what is not and what kind of dollar limits for each loss they have. Partly, it is because insurance can be a “boring” topic to discuss so they do not tend to remember this informaion, but most often, it is in how the insurance agent relates to an insured.

A lot of insurance agents do not take the time to clarify with an insured, in simplfied terms, what exactly is covered under their policy. Yes, they do show them page by page of the printed policy and explain the coverages, and do it quickly. But shortly after the insured leaves the office, there is no reinforcement of what they did learn about their policy. A very good insurance agent will contact the insured at regular intervals to check up on any situations that changed in the insured’s lives that could affect coverages and premium.

An outstanding insurance agent will make sure the insured has a packet that includes any and all paperwork to file a claim when the need arises. Some of the important items in this packet could be; insurance claim forms, inventory worksheets for notating all valuable personal property and their current replacement value, an envelope to hold receipts of valuable items such as jewelry appraisals, another envelope to hold either a computer disk of digital pictures of personal belongings or hard copies of pictures, a checklist that shows step by step what to do when making a claim, a master list of important phone numbers to call in case of an emergency, another envelope that holds receipts for minor and major repairs to your home, and a list showing all safety devices installed in your home.

As you can see by the extensive list we mentioned, most homeowners probably do not have anything near this. It is not too late to either contact your insurance agent to request a “claim” packet or you could even gather these lists and envelopes yourself.

When looking for auto insurance, Scottsdale insurance agent, Doug Seide is one of the most qualified and experienced representative for all your auto insurance needs. He also handles homeowners insurance and commercial insurance for businesses.

Doug Seide is a certified insurance broker so he can concentrate on you, the customer’s needs. If you are located in Scottsdale or the greater Phoenix Arizona area, Doug can “shop” the absolute the best rates and coverages for you.

With over 30 years experience, Doug is surely able to make some valuable recommendations for all your insurance coverage. One of the companies he represents is Farmers Insurance Group. He is able to do a “Farmers Friendly Review” on your current coverage and make sure you are properly covered for the losses you may be subject to.

No matter what insurance you have now, Doug is able to go over and do a coverage and price comparison on all the coverages you have now. You never know if you can save money on the current type of coverage you have now!

Doug Seide can also handle your investment needs as well. Contact Doug today at 480-443-1952.

When was the last time you spoke with your insurance agent regarding any changes in your life? Since your last conversation with your insurance agent, you may have;

1. gotten married
2. gotten divorced
3. moved
4. bought a new car
5. given birth to a child
6. added a section to the house
7. your child’s first year driving a car
8. upgraded your alarm system
9. started a business in your house

The list can go on and on and you wouldn’t even notice that you have to alert your insurance agent with these changes.

That last thing you want to do is find out that your insurance policy does not cover a particular loss because you did not include it in a rider. Some changes can result in downsizing your premiums. Wouldn’t it be nice to take advantage of saving money just from an insurance review?

For more information on reviewing your insurance call Doug Seide Insurance at 480-443-1952.

You don’t have to have insurance with Doug in order to get an insurance review.

As a Scottsdale Insurance Agent, I have the responsibility of going over all the coverages of our insureds homeowners policy. Quite often I get asked really what is covered through the homeowners policy.  I have attached a really cool video that covers just about all the most common questions. Take a look at this video and post your comments.

If you need a quick insurance quote at a reasonable price, contact Douglas Seide. He has over 30 years of serving his insurance customers and has proven time and time again of his superior service.

Whether you need auto insurance or homeowners insurance, Douglas Seide is ready to review your needs and recommend what you need and not need for all your insurance needs.

Currently, Douglas Seide serves the Scottsdale insurance and Phoenix insurance area.

So, if you are thinking about adding insurance coverage, or changing companies, it will pay you dividends to talk to Douglas Seide today!

CALL Douglas Seide at 480-443-1952.

Soon summer will arrive and that is the time when school is out for the kids, families go out for vacations, we tend to spend more time outside in our backyard pool, we drive to our local parks for sporting events, we drive to attend outdoor festivals.

All the activities or situations mentioned above is exposing all of us to unique risks. We could get a sports related injury playing volleyball at the park; there could be a near drowning in our backyard pool. We could trip and fall while attending our favorite arts and crafts festival. We might end up in a fender-bender with another car on the streets while starting out on our vacation.

Because of these additional risks we are putting ourselves into during the summer months, it is important to make a checklist of our important contact imformation such as our insurance agent, our AAA emergency card in case of road services we may need, medical bracelets or information to alert medical personnel that will need to know this information if we get hurt, a good contact of a close relative or friend in case of emergency. Also, when traveling, think of emergency first aid kits and maps of the travel area you will be using.

Thinking ahead to have valuable information available will greatly give you peace of mind that you are ready for anything, especially during  the summer months. We are more mobile during this season. Care must be taken when going anywhere or planning travel trips.

Lastly, make sure you are current on all insurance premiums! You don’t want to be without insurance at a time when you “forgot” or “put off” paying your premium!!

Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

For any question on insurance coverage, whether it is homeowners, auto and commercial, call Doug Seide at 480-443-1952.

I found a great video that gives you an easy to remember list of things to think about when you want to save on your insurance premium on homeowners insurance. Check out this video here.

Saving Money on Homeowners Insurance

We have 5 important tips to protect your home during the holidays.

1. Make sure you lock all doors and windows and close blinds to prevent people from looking inside your house. You want to hide view to your Christmas presents.
2. When disposing of holiday wraps and packaging, destroy all signs of product labels such as “expensive” TVs. You don’t want to “advertise” to the neigborhood of high dollar purchases.
3. Don’t forget to arm your security system, without fail when leaving the house even for a moment.
4. When any and all delivery people deliver a parcel, you have the right to ask for identification, this is a must! It could be a burglar.
5. If you plan to travel during the holiday season, make sure you have a trusted neighbor take in your newspaper deliveries and take in your daily mail. Also move the car occasionally if your car is parked outside the home.

You can never be too careful when protecting your home from burglary. Remember to be aware of your surroundings and watch for suspicious people that appear to be “out of place” in your neighborhood. They could be “staking out” your street. Be liberal with reporting suspicious activity to the police.

If you should have a burglar incident, explain all the precautions above to your insurance adjuster that you took to prevent theft and break in of your home. They will look more favorably on your claim that you took every effort to prevent an incident.

We wish you and your family a safe and fun holiday season.

For a quick, no obligation quote on your auto and homeowners insurance needs, call Doug Seide at 480-443-1952.

There is a right way and wrong way of buying homeowners insurance. Too many people are just not prepared in knowing what questions to ask or what companies to approach for a quote. As mentioned in a previous post, you have to be very careful in the selection of the insurance company in the first place.

We found a great video that explains how to purchase homeowners insurance in “plain english.” Enjoy!

For all your insurance needs, call Doug Seide Insurance at 480-443-1952.

I have been asked by many people, “why are the insurance policies so hard to read and understand? Is it because the insurance companies are trying to “hide” something from us?”

The answer is no. You have to realize that an insurance policy is made up of a collaboration from the underwriters, agents and attorneys. It certainly feels like the policies are written only by the attorneys! Truth is, it is a true partnership of the above parties deciding what type of risks are going to covered, at how much a premium should be charged for each risk, and how the risk will be paid. A lot of thought goes into this process so that the insurance company makes a little profit, but mostly, that the named insured is protected to the point of having “peace of mind.”

Remember too that the insurance companies are under strict regulation from the state and Federal governments. So therefore the insurance policies have to be worded in simple legal language so that there is no “gray” area as to what is covered and for how much.

When I first looked at an insurance policy during my basic training days at insurance class, I looked at it with total intimidation. Then, as I went over the specific parts of the policy, I began to see a trend of recurring things in each section. There are “definitions,” “conditions,” “what is covered,” and “exclusions.” Beyond that, there is the actual verbage that explains what is covered and under what conditions.

Believe it or not, many people do not take the time to read the policy from “cover to cover.” Of course, it can be “boring” text to say the least! But if you clear your mind, read and take in all that the words describe, it is not complicated to understand. Try it! Then, if you have any questions, or “what if” questions, you can call your agent and he or she will gladly find out if something is covered or not and under what circumstance.

Answer: Insurance policies are really not too complicated!

For all your insurance needs, call Doug Seide Insurance at 480-443-1952.