When we were shopping for insurance, I wrote a letter to every insurance company in our area, with an attachment that showed the levels of coverage from our current policies, and asked for a quote. We got responses from all of them, and used their quotes to make our decision. It saved us a significant amount of money, and we ended up with an agent who is very professional and responsive. Good luck!

You can do it all online. For instance, go to GeicoDirect.com or any insurance company and fill in the fields for home insurance and they'll give you a quote. If you put your car and home with them they give you a better deal. I've researched them all and, for me, Geico was the best.

Same as Wanda. Every few years, fax a copy of current policies to different companies for quotes. We're with Safeco now.

Just last year I made the mistake of going online at Esurance to get a quote for health insurance. It gives you a form to fill out along with a contact number. I wanted the quotes to come by email but that option wasn't available. Within 20 minutes, the phone started ringing and ringing and ringing. I kid you not, it seemed like every agent within a 50 mile radius called my home. And not to just give me a quote on health insurance, it was auto, flood, home owners and all kinds of other insurance that I did not want quotes on. This happened over a year ago and to this day I still get an average of 10 insurance people calling me a month to discuss my insurance options. I would go through an agent personally by phone or visiting their office. Don't go online. Good luck!

It is nice to have an agent as a buffer between you and the insurance company in case you have a claim. They will answer any questions that may arise, too.

I recently changed Auto and Homeowners ins. I did it by phone. I went with a local agency that is independent and writes ins. for several companies. When I gave them the coverage amts I wanted, they were able to compare and give me the best and cheapest when they called me back with the quote. They wrote up the policies, I went to the office to sign, quick and easy.

Definitely went with an agent, that is what we have always done. If I have a problem or a question I can just email (or call)the person in charge of my accounts and they reply almost instantly. When we were selling our house and buying this one she was awesome went above and beyond to help me get a lot of stuff done and gave me some great advice. We have to have flood insurance here which I had never dealt with and they took care of every thing.

I'm married to my agent so going without an agent isn't really an option for me ... unless he doesn't behave himself, then all bets are off. :-)

Jodi-

LOL Jodi!

Thanks for the responses, everyone, including the reminder that agents can be helpful as well as convenient. I haven't had to call mine in ages, but I remember when they were very helpful. I guess I'll start there. Wouldn't want a repeat of Renee's experience!

Don't forget AAA, your Hartford Insurance discount. I found Hartford had higher limits of medical pay available than any OTHER company(it pays your medical bills if your hurt in a car accident before the claim is settled or if your medical insurance has deductibles or co-pays). Then I found in my area the prices were within $50 of being the lowest available.

Be sure your comparing apples to apples. Just a thought.
I go through this search about every 2 years just to be sure.....

I would never go without an agent. Mine called a couple of weeks ago. She said after looking over my umbrella policy which is due soon, she found I can save some money and give me a higher medical coverage on my car insurance. I believe it pays to have an agent even if it cost more. I would never go with a new company. I like Farmers Insurance group, Allstate, State Farm. It's all my family I and have ever used.

back in 1968, newly divorced and looking for insurance went to aaa office...they were about the only ones who let me sign in MY name (others wanted to use ex h's name) and have stayed with them since...i'm sure you can get quotes from any of the companies...we were assigned an agent here thru aaa, ands he was wonderful when we had 4 drivers under the age of 20! sadly he retired few years ago and just havn't required an agent per se..when i was rear ended, just called the office and everything was handled...they have our home as well...the only thing was they removed the rider we had on the house we had, using current rate for rebuilding, and now stuck with a standard one...

I have AARP Ins, give them a call. Geico is good too.

Having a local agent is very beneficial when it comes to processing claims either against you by another, or one of your own. I've turned down several offers because there was no local agent; Claims would have been processed remotely and the claims adjuster would have been an unknown under contract (at lowest cost) to the company. I would have been saddled with expediting the whole affair and making many phone calls and dealing with no answers and leaving messages on answering machines and hoping I was home when a call-back arrived. I was in the situation one time when a car rolled back out of a driveway and smashed my door. It was a simple, uncontested claim. However, the car was driven by a wife of a serviceman and he had insurnace through a company that catered to men in the military. There was no local agent. The uninjuried party merely gave me a phone number and company name and did nothing more. It fell upon me to make the phone calls and co-ordinate the process if I wanted them to pay for the repair. And then, there was always wheedling to pare down the repair award. They wanted me to run around and get 3 estimates and then mail in the paper work. I balked unless they were willing to pay me for taking time off from work. I told them that if I did not get satisifaction within 2 days, I would file a complaint with the police. A claim adjuster contacted me rightg away, but he wanted me to chase him all over town. I refused and told him when and where he could find the car. I needed to keep using for my job. He came to my driveway and inspected the damage. That was the first real person-to-person contact I had with that company. The repair was made.

In my opion, its worth a few dollars more to have an agent in your corner.

It hadn't occurred to me that using an agent would cost more. I guess I assumed the insurance companies pay them a commission.

I'll look into the above suggestions. I knew I asked at the right place! :-)

Years ago they charged a single woman more than they did a married one or a man. I don't think they can do that anymore. My sis got Geiko for her daughter, no one else would accept her. That makes me wonder if they are eithical.

We used State Farm for 40 yrs. (yes, did check rates every few years) and then moved back to FL and they won't do homeowners.(No "major/agent office" companies will.) We had them bundled for a discount with home, autos & umbrella. Now we have Amica for renter (are in process of buying) & umbrella and that's really bothering me that there's no agent and it's all online. When I've been involved in car accidents the agent has always run interference for us. Hopefully, we'll never have to make a renter/homeowner/umbrella claim.

When you say, "Agent", I imagine that you mean one as part of a brokerage, who seeks service from many insurance companies, not a tied agent that works for only one company.

Good idea to check around among your relatives, friends and acquaintances to find out what kind of service they received when they made a claim.

Cheap fire insurance isn't so hot if they're ice cold (or claim that you're all wet) when one makes a claim.

ole joyful

I call my insurance "salesperson" an agent. I always have and I think that is what they are, an agent for Farmers Group or Allstate, whatever.

I agree - that usually we lump both kinds into the one designation, as "agent" ... but there's a big difference between the one who works for a brokerage, that seeks quotes from various insuring companies. A good agent of that variety makes it his business to become aware of, and usually will share with clients, the kind of results when one makes a claim.

Others work for only one company, and cannot offer services provided by any other company.

Big difference, in my opinion.

ole joyful

An agent of a brokerage, who isn't tied to one company, is more likely to go to bat for you when you make a claim, as well ...

... and let you know if s/he feels that the settlement offered is inadequate.

Plus ... may well move you to another company when it comes time to renew.

ole joyful