​The first home I ever bought was a condo. It was a beautiful end unit condo that was flooded with natural light. It was a bit dated when we moved in. But, after installing some new floors over a weekend, fixing up the kitchen with new tiles and painting the walls it was really nice and updated. I enjoyed the condo life. Not having to mow the lawn, not worrying about fixing a roof or painting the outside of the house. Having a community pool and pretty paths to walk it was great. Sadly, when more kids entered the picture it was time to move on from our pretty condo to a bigger house with a yard. Gone was my cheap mortgage and carefree weekends where I could just relax and watch football without thinking about cleaning the pool or mowing the lawn.
If you are living in a condo or thinking about buying one you need to get yourself some insurance. Now, condo insurance works different from your home insurance. Your insurance company is not covering the structure of the home because the condo association has a policy to rebuild the building. So, why per se do you need insurance if the building is going to be rebuilt by the association?  Imagine this, the whole condo burns to the ground. The association rebuilds the building and puts drywall up in your condo but that is where they stop. All those fixtures, flooring, cabinets, lights are your responsibility.
Additionally, you also need liability insurance if someone were to slip and fall inside your condo. The association won’t cover what happens inside your home.
Condo Insurance isn’t cheap. It’s not as expensive as home insurance and not as cheap as renters insurance.  It’s in the middle there. And you can customize it to your liking. But, you do want to make sure you can rebuild your place the way it is today. Think about the cost for new cabinets for your kitchen and bathrooms. Think about how much it would cost to put new floors.  Do you have any nice lighting? And then consider the labor it would cost to put all that stuff back into your condo.
Make sure you are covered properly. I know everyone wants to save money on insurance. But, you do want to make sure if something were to happen you could actually rebuild your place the way it is today. Call today to get a quote on some condo insurance. We will be happy to go over what your options are and give you a great price. 951-395-0754

​I was reading an article a few weeks back about how in San Francisco battery packs from the Toyota Prius are being stolen.  You would think there would be much easier things to steal, but since I'm not in the crime syndicate who am I to judge. But, it is happening with pretty frequent regularity now and it's something to be aware of. So, what would happen with your auto insurance if this happened to you?
It seems like cars and theft have been happening since cars rolled out of the showrooms. During the gas crisis of the 70’s people had to lock their gas caps because people were siphoning gas out of the tank. Have you ever tried to siphon gas out of a car? I watched my dad try to do this once. He put a hose in the gas tank, and sucked as hard as he could. You can pretty much imagine how this ended. Yup, he ended up with a mouth full of gas.  After a few more mouthfuls he quickly gave up and headed to the gas station to fill up his gas cans.
Back to the point of this article. Theft and cars has happened for a long time. That's why auto insurance companies have offered protection for theft. And over the years the things that are stolen have changed. Wheels were big when everyone was trying to put the biggest tires on their cars back in the 90’s. Radios were big for awhile too when people were putting custom sound systems in their cars. Then for a minute catalytic converters were big theft items because some cars had high levels of gold in the systems.  Now, it seems stealing battery packs out of a Prius is a thing.
These batteries are not light. They can weigh over a hundred pounds. And apparently they can be sold online for a few thousand dollars. Thus, the desire for these items.
Now if your car gets broken into comprehensive coverage is going to pay to fix your car. It’s the same coverage that also covers if your car gets washed away in a flood, hail storm hits, your car burns up in a fire, the windshield gets broken. It’s a great coverage and surprisingly it is still relatively inexpensive.  It will cover the labor to fix what got stolen and pay for the parts too. You would just be responsible for your deductible. Most of the time it is much less expensive to buy than collision insurance. There are some exceptions to this. I was doing insurance for a Can Am the other day and the comprehensive was actually more expensive than the collision. The Can Am is an off road 4x4 vehicle. I can imagine the rates are more because trailers are a popular theft item these days. And, where do you keep your Can Am when you take it out? Yes, a trailer. Once these 4x4’s are gone it’s almost impossible to recover them.
When you are ready to get some auto insurance and if you want to talk about the best coverage options give me a call at 951-395-0754

It’s the end of the summer and it is officially fire season across the state of California. Last year was a rough year for the state. Up in northern California the City of Paradise was basically burned off the map. The extent of the devastation was so significant that it will take years for people to rebuild and the city to get back to where it was before the fires. Along with the devastation insurance companies ended up paying out billions in claims.  The significant losses for insurance companies have led to wide spread changes in the home insurance industry.
We also had fires in southern California north of Los Angeles. The devastation was not nearly as bad as up north but still significant. Many expensive homes were lost and many neighborhoods were uprooted.
Last week a few miles from my office in Temecula a fire started in the mountains west of Murrieta. We had thunder storms earlier in the day and I would suspect that lightning may have caused the fire. No official word on the cause has been released however. The fire quickly flared up due to high winds and thick brush. The flames rushed down the hillside quickly consuming over 1000 acres. The fire department threw tons of man power and equipment at the flames. Fortunately, they seemed to make good progress early on and were able to protect the neighborhoods at the bottom of the mountain from major losses.  In the end nearly 2000 acres of brush were burned. Two houses sustained damage and hundreds were evacuated for days.
In response to the fires from last year insurance companies at the beginning of the year started sending out mass letters of non renewals to homeowners. Areas that insurance companies would once cover quickly were ruled un insurable. That has lead homeowners searching for new home insurance carriers and not many companies willing to take on the risks. There are still some companies willing to take on higher risk homes, but areas in rural or near wild growing brush are very difficult to get home insurance on now. The California Fair Plan was designed to fill the gap for the most extreme risk homes that no other insurance carrier would cover. But, now they are getting used much more frequently because there are so few options.
We also saw major increases in insurance rates. All the major companies increased the rates significantly for residents in Northern California. Areas that were once considered safe to insure are not considered riskier. For a long time insurance companies had two tiers of risk. Southern California was considered high risk and we all paid more for home insurance than Northern California did. Now insurance companies look at both areas as high risk and the rates have leveled out.
The first few fires are a good reminder to be prepared. If you live anywhere near open brush, hillsides, dry grassy fields have a plan. Know where your important documents are. Have more than one way to get out of your neighborhood and be ready to go. Your safety is the most important thing.
If you get a non renewal letter from your home insurance company give me a call. I still have options for homes that have more than 100 feet clearance from brush. I also sell the California Fair Plan and can give you a price. Call today for your home insurance quote! 951-395-0754

​Oh the things “millennials” have brought to the world. My favorite is that they now call growing up… adulting! Back in my day we just called them life lessons and we figured things out. I guess I am old at this point. So, adulting lesson for the day involves one of my favorite topics Renters Insurance.
I get a lot of young adults who will go to rent their first apartment and they find out the landlord requires they buy renters insurance before they get the keys. This leads to a panicked call where they just want to pay the minimum to make the landlord is happy. They aren’t actually interested in buying the policy, they just do it because they have to.
What should you know about your new renters insurance policy? First all policies are not created equal. You can find cheap renters policies out there and guess what? Those cheap policies aren’t going to do much if you actually need to make a claim. You might as well spend a few extra dollars and but a policy that will actually protect you and your stuff. 
The first coverage you should care about is coverage for your belongings. Insurance companies call this “personal property”. Basically what that means is anything you can pack up and move into your apartment is covered for fire, theft, water damage, smoke damage and whatever other claims the policy allows for.  Buy enough coverage to actually replace your stuff. I’m sure you have clothing, some electronics, furniture and some appliances.  It may not seem like it is very valuable, but if you were to try to go out and replace your stuff it adds up quickly. 
There is another part to your property coverage that is vital to know. Some companies offer Actual Cash Value or you can also add Replacement Cost Coverage. Here’s the difference ACV gives you a depreciated value of your belongings. For example if you have an old pair of sneakers they will give you 50 cents to pay for your loss. Replacement Cost gives you new stuff for your old stuff. Same old sneakers are stolen now you can get money to buy yourself a new pair of shoes. The payouts are vastly different and for the extra few dollars buy the Replacement Coverage.
The next part of your renters policy is your Liability coverage. That covers if someone comes over to hang out and now slips on your freshly moped floor. They throw their back out and can’t go to work for a few weeks. This will protect you from being sued. Most landlords required 100 thousand dollars minimum.
Med Pay is also included in your policy. That covers minor injuries, stitches or casts if a visitor gets injured at your place.
Loss of Use. This is a great coverage that comes with your policy. It means that if you have to move out because there is a fire or a toilet overflows. You can get some money to stay in a hotel for a few days or rent a new place while your old place is getting fixed.
You will also be able to select your deductible. Basically, your deductible is what you are responsible for before the insurance company pays out anything. 
So, that’s your adulting lesson for the day. You may not have wanted to buy renters insurance but it is a great policy to have. Just pay the couple of extra dollars to add the replacement cost coverage onto your policy. You can get a basic policy for between 10-15 dollars. That’s less than buying a large pizza once a month! Call me today to get your renters insurance started. 951-395-0754 

Have you ever wondered where hurricanes get their names? I have and after doing some research apparently there is a top secret department at the National Hurricane Service that comes up with them. They are alphabetical so Dorian being the fourth letter was the fourth storm of the season. Most letters get a name but they skip a few letters. I guess there aren’t many good names for U. Sorry Ursula you won’t be named for a hurricane just a giant sea hag! 
It feels like we have been watching hurricane Dorian for a month now! What started as a tropical depression on August 24 and grew into a monster storm before hitting the Bahamas still continues to work its way up the east coast. Currently it is soaking the eastern part of North Carolina. It will be several more days before this storm finally heads out to sea.
The devastation left behind in the Bahamas is unimaginable. With maximum winds reaching a frightening level of 185 miles per hour the hurricane sat for days over the island. The entire island was basically left uninhabitable when the Dorian finally headed north. The basic survival needs like water, food, shelter and sanitary place to bath are now a major challenge for the people living there. The total loss of life won't be known for awhile due to the enormity of the situation. Judging from the photos entire families could have been lost in the storm. Hopefully the help that is beginning to arrive will be able to get people off the island and get basic services restored soon for the ones that decide to stay.
Since this is an insurance blog here are some things to keep in mind. Home insurance for damage done by hurricanes falls into a few different categories. You have your wind damage, you have damage done by driving rain and you have flood damage done by water rushing into the house. Most insurance companies cover wind damage and damage done by wind driven rain. But, most policies don’t cover flood damage. And the flood is what tends to cause most of the destruction.  If you look at all those blank concrete slabs in the Bahamas you can see the damage flood and waves can cause to a home.
If you are in an area where you can get hit by a Hurricane you should definitely consider buying flood insurance. It seems like these storms are increasingly rain events and like in Houston a few years ago the floods can be the most devastating part of the storm. Between rivers overflowing, lakes exceeding their banks, ocean tides rising well beyond normal. Flood insurance is an important policy to consider when covering your home. Out here in sunny southern California it may not be as necessary but earthquake insurance is definitely something to consider.  Oddly, I sell more earthquake insurance when hurricanes hit than I do after small earthquakes. A good insurance agent can run a flood quote for you. They can also sometimes provide a flood map. The flood map will show how your home is situated in relation to rivers, lakes and tides. The higher the risk the more you will pay for insurance. But, if you are in a low risk area the cost is pretty affordable. If a hurricane the size of Dorian was to stall over an area even the low risk zones would sustain major damages.  Talk to a professional insurance agent and get the details. If you are in California give me a call and I can discuss your options. 951-395-0754

​So, you are at a cocktail party and you meet a person who states they are an insurance agent.  Hey, congratulations, you are probably talking to the most interesting person in the room. Maybe that’s not actually the case but lets say the insurance agent is the only other person in the room and you have no choice but to talk with him or her. What could you possibly talk about that won’t bore you to death? I have compiled a fascinating list common auto insurance myths. They are great conversation pieces! Feel free to use them even if you aren’t talking with an insurance professional.  They might even make you seem like you are the most interesting person in the room!

Myth 1:
The color of your car impacts your insurance rate!

So, this myth for some reason continues to persist. On the surface it makes no sense that a particular color car would somehow impact your insurance rates. But, some people out there still think it does. Now, the roots of this myth date back to a study that showed certain color cars get more tickets. The old study implied that red cars tend to get pulled over more and in turn the drivers are issued more tickets. Now, tickets do impact your insurance rate, but the color of your car does not.

Myth 2
At age 25 your auto insurance rates automatically go down.

Now, there is some historical accuracy to this myth. Back in the day insurance companies used to be able to use age as a rating factor for auto insurance.  But, that was ruled to be age discrimination. So, insurance companies had to remove age from their rating factors. They replaced it with years of driving experience. Age does still have an impact on your rate, but you will no longer see some magical rate reduction at age 25. Instead you will see a gradual reduction of your insurance rate as you get more years experience driving a car.

Myth 3
You hit a car and did some minor damage to a person’s bumper. The best thing to do is pay out of pocket for the repairs so it doesn’t impact your insurance rates.

In California you will not be charged for an accident if your insurance company pays out less than 1000 for an accident. That means if you scratch someone’s bumper and the repairs and rental car cost comes in at less than 1000 you will not have an accident on your record. That means there is no benefit to not filing a claim if the accident is really minor. Now, if it your auto insurance pays more than 1000 dollars you will have an accident on your record. But, from my experience almost all people would rather use their insurance than pay out of pocket more than a 1000 dollars. Additionally, it is a lot easier to just let your insurance company pay for the repairs. You won’t get a call six months later saying “oh, by the way the person who fixed my car did a bad job, I now need more money”. Just let your insurance company handle it.

Myth 4
My auto insurance will cover me when I drive to Mexico.

Living close to the border we get this question a lot. Now, there are some companies that will pay to get your car fixed if you have an accident in Mexico.  Usually there is a maximum distance they will cover up to. But, here’s the thing. NEVER RELY ON YOUR AMERICAN INSURANCE WHEN DRIVING IN MEXICO! Wow, I just used all caps. I must be serious. There are several reasons to not use your American insurance in Mexico. The first is Mexico doesn’t recognize American insurance companies. So you are basically driving without insurance. Secondly, if you have an accident in Mexico you will most likely be found at fault if you have American auto insurance. You will also be responsible for getting your car back across the border to get it repaired in the U.S.  So, make your life easier so that you don’t have to spend a night in a Mexican jail. Buy Mexican auto insurance before you cross the border.
Those are the four myth’s for the day. I have a few more which I’ll do in a later post. If you have ideas please put them in the comment section or just email them to me. And when you need to get insurance give me a call at 951-395-0754

​According to reports by TMZ ‘Shark Tank’ judge Kevin O’Leary was a passenger on a ski boat that had an accident with another boat in the middle of a lake in Canada. Mr O’Leary the bald headed judge on the show who generally has a very high opinion of himself reportedly was out for an evening cruise when the two boats collided.
One passenger on the other boat sadly passed away and another was seriously injured. Mr. O’Leary seems to be fine but his wife did suffer minor injuries. According to the TMZ report Mr. O’Leary’s wife was the driver of the boat at the time of the incident.
As Labor Day quickly approaches this is an unfortunate reminder that if you are going to take the boat out on one last run for the season make sure your boat insurance is up to date. This incident happened in the evening when visibility probably wasn’t very good. Mrs. O’Leary reportedly passed a DUI test at the scene. Accidents on the water do happen and in this situation the worst thing that could happen did.
Before you take the boat out get some watercraft insurance. Make sure your liability limits are high enough to protect yourself. And if you need an umbrella insurance policy like Mr. O’Leary definitely does make sure you have one. If you don’t have a valid boat insurance policy in place your Umbrella insurance may not pay out to protect you. In the time that it takes to clean the boat after running around the lake you can have a completed boat policy.  Tragedy’s like this are a good reminder for everyone to protect themselves, because accident’s do happen.  951-395-0754

​I am often asked when should my son or daughter get their own auto insurance policy? The answer is not as simple as just stating an age. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that at age 23 ½ your kid is required to get their own auto insurance policy?  That would make things easy for both the parents and the insurance agents. But, the truth is it varies on the situation.
Is getting your own auto insurance a moment you will always remember? Well, I definitely remember getting my first auto insurance policy. I had moved out to California and I had been on my parents auto insurance policy. After working in Los Angeles for a few years I started to make enough money to consider replacing my aging car. I eventually decided to buy myself a cool little Ford ZX2. It was a sporty little coup and since my brother was working for Ford at the time I was able to buy it with the “family” discount. I picked out the color, silver. I also decided to get it with a manual transmission. I figured it would be fun to drive and more sporty. Despite me not really having a firm grasp on driving a stick shift car I walked into the dealership and signed some paperwork. They handed me some keys and off I drove slowly. I knew the basics to driving a manual transmission thanks to a few girlfriends along the way. But, getting that clutch and gas and the gears just right took a little while to get right. My first trip in my new car was to the insurance agency, I may have stalled the car a few times along the way. I met with an agent and he discussed the coverage. He asked me if I had any assets and I told him how much I had to my name. We went the 50/100 for bodily injury. I don’t really think I knew what that was but he seemed to thing it was good coverage. He put me at 50 thousand property damage and gave me a 500 deductible for the car. I rolled out with a shiny new Mercury Insurance policy and I felt pretty good about myself. I wasn’t really sure what I was buying but I knew the company and the coverage seemed appropriate.
Now, not all kids are going to run out and buy their own insurance. I have always tried to be independent from my parents and I wasn’t about to ask them to cover me driving a new car on their policy. But, some kids might ask. If you are the parent you need to tell them “no”. If they buy a car in their own name they really should have their own auto insurance. The reason is because they need to understand what insurance does for them. They need to learn how it works, what it covers and they need to know if they stop paying they are no longer legally able to drive in the state. Additionally, if they have a loan on the car the bank will force them to keep the insurance in place too.  If you put your kid and their new car on your policy you are opening yourself up to risk and lawsuit. Injury attorneys are always looking for the most money to make off an accident. I'm going to assume the parents have more assets and if they were to injure someone with their vehicle they are going to be knocking on your door.
I usually advise my clients to get their child off their policy as soon as they can. But, if your son or daughter is driving a car in your name you will want to keep that car on your policy until you can transfer it out of your name. If the car is in your name it puts you at risk for a lawsuit whether they are on or off your insurance.
I kept my daughter on my insurance until she moved out of the house.  Since she was living in NYC she doesn’t need a car. But, if she ends up moving she will be on her own to buy a car and get her own insurance.
Once the car is in their name get them their own insurance. It may not be cheaper but it is a wise investment. Call today to get your auto insurance quotes. 951-395-0754

​Every so often a story about a kid taking his parents car for a joyride pops up online. I’m always fascinated by these stories. I guess it’s hard for me to imagine one of my little kids not only figuring out how to drive the car but just the whole reaching the steering wheel and pedal aspect confounds me.  
For fun I decided to google “kid takes parents car” and to my amazement stories from all around the world showed up. Who knew this was a common thing. I just thought American kids took their parents cars to get cheeseburgers and fries occasionally.
The story that got this all started was about an 8 year old German boy. He apparently just wanted to “drive for a bit”. Gosh, I wish I could get my 16 year old daughter excited about driving for a bit. But, this kid got on the freeway, got up to over 80 miles an hour before he decided he no longer felt safe. He pulled over to a service station per the report. He then put his hazards on and placed a reflective safety triangle out. He put his little feet up on the dashboard grabbed a piece of bubble gum (I added this part) and waited for his mom to show up. Uhm, are we sure this kid was eight? Because I know a lot of full grown people who wouldn’t know how to put their hazard lights on and would never think to put a safety triangle out on the road.
So, what would happen with your Auto Insurance if your ten year old kid decided to take your SUV down to McDonald’s to get a big mac and fries? Well, the kid can’t really get a ticket because they don’t have a license.  I’m pretty sure being under age they can’t get a ticket for driving without a license either. I sure do hope my ten year old isn’t reading this, don't get any ideas honey.
Now, if your kid takes your car and has an accident along the way your auto insurance should pay to get your car fixed minus your deductible.  Auto Insurance companies don’t exclude kids that aren’t old enough to drive. If you have a 16 year old in the house and they take your car that might be a different story. Just make sure your insurance company covers your vehicle if someone decides to “borrow” it.  There are some companies that are more restrictive in who is allowed to drive your car. You'll need to check with your auto insurance carrier to find out how they handle that.
If you want to have a good time check out some of these stories online. Not all the situations where the car is taken by the kid end as uneventful as the practical German boy.  There are kids that run from the police, there are kids that get together and take an under age road trip. I saw one kid took his parents car because the parents took his Playstation. And, my personal favorite was the kid who took the car and when pulled over told the police he was just a “Little Person”, that happened in Norway.
Before your kids take your car for a road trip give me a call to get some insurance. 951-395-0754

There are lots of expensive trucks and SUV’s on the road these days. Since the cost of gas has remained low for the last few years people are trading in smaller cars for SUV's. Even in California where we pay the most for gas bigger vehicles are still the most popular. We Americans do love our SUV’s and Trucks and along with buying these monster vehicles people are spending a lot of money to customize them. There is a huge market that sells everything from custom paint, to expensive sound systems, to lift kits and custom wheels. You can easily drop tens of thousands of dollars on this stuff and it’s important to make sure your auto insurance is going to cover these expensive additions.
Most morning as I drive to work I run across the same giant truck.  One day I should go introduce myself to this guy since we live parallel commute lives.  Normally, I wouldn’t notice a car. But, this is no ordinary Toyota Corolla.  This guy has a custom sound business and his entire truck is wrapped with graphics. He has a huge lift on the truck. I can only imagine that he gets gallons per mile, compared with miles per gallon as he drives.  The truck is huge, the lift is huge, he has every other custom item you can add to a truck. Mud flaps, running boards, light bar on the roof, custom grill and I can only imagine the sound equipment in there. Since that is his business and all. Once you start adding equipment you need to check with your auto insurance company to see how they cover all these additions
Some auto insurance companies will automatically cover any wheels, lifts or running boards. Other companies will only cover what was stock on the vehicle originally. It’s important to check with your insurance carrier to see how they would handle a claim.
Additionally, things like stereos, navigation and other aftermarket sound equipment are covered differently. Most auto insurance companies will cover the stock equipment, but most companies offer the ability to add and endorsement the upgrades. The cost to insure equipment on cars varies dramatically by carrier.
When you are getting insurance quotes make sure that you mention any additional equipment so that you can make sure it is covered properly.  Save all your receipts for your upgrades too. Take some pictures of your vehicle with the equipment. Both of those things will help your insurance claims adjusters value the additions to your vehicle and help you get paid. If your agent asks what type of car you have mention the additional equipment so that they can make sure you are covered properly. If you'd like a quote on your cars, trucks or SUV's give me a call at 951-395-0754.