We are shopping around for insurance and I'm hoping I can get opinions from everybody here about which ones to avoid and which ones you have had a good experience with. thanks.

Allen

what state are you In? I am in Middle TN and the popular choices here seem to be Farm Bureau, and Allstate for price and customer service.

I agree with TN. Allstate, State Farm and Farmers here in AZ.

I recommend Larson Insurance Agency in Las Vegas, Nevada. Information about their servies can be previewed here: http://www.las-vegas-nevada-real-estate-relocation.com/home_insurance.html.

Thanks for the tips I've search around and compare the insurance that available like AllState Insurance, AAA Insurance and Geico Insurance. I checked out Insurance-Quote-Free . They're kinda like brokers 'cause they have a couple of companie here of which i think they'll contact then i'll get to choose which one i'd prefer. have you experienced this?

I prefer to use someone local....that way if you have a claim, you have a personal relationship with the insurance agent who can assist you with the adjuster or otherwise help you with expediting your claim.

Kind of hard to get that personal touch when you're dealing with a .com or a 1-800 insurance sales rep.

Just a personal preference.

Insurance agent is no different from a realtor in terms of how people get to know them - referral. You can ask fellow realtors to refer you the best one they normally use. You can ask your clients. You can ask other professionals - doctors, accountants, lawyers.

I would suggest that you interview and choose 2-3 agents and refer business to them consistently. It will benefit you in the form of creating a professional relationship with 2-3 agents who would refer business to you (sometimes, not every month). Anf you get in agreement with those guys of being a part of the professional network. You ask them to introduce you to their centers of influence. And you do same thing to them.

You need more than one insurance guy to be save and to provide good service to your clients. Insurance agents and brokers are limited in which insurance companies they represent. In California Farmers Insurance does not take woodshake roof. AllState requires automatic gas shutoff to be installed, many companies will not insure more expensive properties. Whatever the limitation - you need to have a solution at the time of closing the escrow.

When interview agents ask them about limits of their binding authority. For example, Farmers gives agents binding authority up to $1,000,000 in replacement cost of the building (not purchase price, land in not included). It means that when you need it, the Certificate of Insurance is just a phone call away for properties in that category. What if we insure 10,000 sq.ft. mension with $2.5 mln in replacement cost? - it will take an inspection to get it approved, which might be up to 48 hours or much more sometimes.

Insurance agent is a resource in building your business. Treat the issue that way.

Another suggestion - get LOCAL people from that list http://www.recamp.com/professionals/

Recamp is the program, which supplies insurance agents with outstanding REAL ESTATE follow up cards. They send it to your clients on your behalf. You sign the cards. They put the card and your business cards into the envelop, sign, stamp and mail. It comes to your client from you, not from the insurance guy. That way you get people doing follow up work for you at their expense to earn your referrals.

I don't know what area you are in but often your mortgage company can give you a good lead on an insurance broker.

On another note: It is easy to reply to posts but for the life of me I see no obviouse way to start a new topic. None of the icons have alt text and I don't know what any of them do till I click them. So far i haven't found one to let me start a new topic. (Yes I know this doesn't below here but hey - I would RATHER start a new topic ) can anyone tell me how?

Thank you for such a informative thoughts on the Insurance...By the do you heard about the site http://www.gentlerainaffluentmarketing.com/. They providing good Marketing tips and Advices on the selling Insurance, Financial services.....

Insurance is also a lot better if you bundle all insurance with one company to get a further discounts across the board. Allstate and Farmers are generally good.

I agree that bundling does save you money on your insurance. In Indiana you get multiple discounts that way.