John Sentena

There are many factors that go into determining the cost of your auto insurance policy – mileage, your age, your credit rating, prior insurance coverage, your driving record, where you live, even your gender and marital status. Some of these things are uncontrollable, but most of them can be determined by you.

One of the biggest factors that you can control is what type of vehicle you drive. This is a major concern when figuring out policy costs. What exactly makes an insurance-friendly auto?

First of all: sports and luxury cars will always be vulnerable to theft, as will high-tech cars with brand-new features, for obvious reasons. Try to go with a car that won’t need hard-to-replace parts (like a Volkswagen).

Vehicles with a lot of horsepower are an insurance no-no because the faster your car can go, the more tempted you’ll be to take advantage of that…thus, making you more likely to be in an accident.

High-performance vehicles like Audi, BMW, Jaguars will increase your auto policy because they require more money to repair.

Large SUVs will add to your auto policy due to the amount of gas they need, as well as their likeliness to damage other cars in the event of an accident.

Finally, some insurance companies suggest not getting tiny cars, since they get very damaged in accidents.

As for the vehicles that will be good for your policy? Vans and station wagons are the best choices because they’re not big enough to cause large amounts of damage to other cars in the event of an accident, but they are big enough to cause less damage to their drivers and passengers, and in addition, both have lower repair costs and less theft history.

DC Insurance is an independent insurance agency in the Olympia, Washington area. Visit their Virtual Insurance Office today for more information on auto insurance.

Every homeowner knows that they need home insurance. It’s common knowledge that a home insurance policy covers theft and damage caused by weather or fire. But besides that, what’s really involved? What is protected, and what isn’t? It’s important to understand what you’re getting.

The typical home owners insurance policy will cover:

a) Dwelling (your house, attached structures, built-in appliances, plumbing, heating, permanently installed air conditioning systems, and electrical wiring)

b) Other Structures (garages, storage sheds, and fixtures attached to the land like fences, driveways, sidewalks, and patios)

c) Personal Property (the contents of your home and other personal items owned by you or family members who live with you)

d) Loss of Use (covers living expenses if you can’t live in your home while repairs are being made)

If you need something to be protected that isn’t listed above, you may need endorsements. This provides extra coverage for things such as unauthorized use of credit cards, secondary homes, and personal property inside your car, trailer, or watercraft. Endorsements can also give extra protection to things like jewelry, furs, stamps, coins, guns, computers, and antiques. If you work from home, endorsements can protect your office equipment and inventory.

Your home insurance policy should also include Personal Liability, which protects you and all family members who live with you against claims or lawsuits resulting from bodily injury or property damage to others caused by an accident on your property.

Medical Payments includes coverage to pay medical expenses for persons accidentally injured on your property, regardless of fault. Medical expense payments do not apply to your injuries or those of family members living with you or to activities involving your at home business.

Now – what’s not covered? Most home insurance policies have limited coverage for small boats, firearms, artwork, business property, electronic data, jewelry, and money. If this is a problem for you, again, we suggest endorsements. Additional coverage can also be purchased for things such as debris removal, along with damaged trees and shrubs, fire department service charges, property removal, and collapse of buildings.

As for things that are almost never included at all: a typical home owners insurance policy does not cover injuries to animals, damage to motor vehicles, or losses due to floods, mudslides, or water damage from sewer backups; nor does it cover damage resulting from war or nuclear hazard, neglect, earthquakes, power failures, seepage, dry rot, or vermin.

All home owners insurance polices are different. Tell us your needs and concerns, and we’ll help tailor your homeowner’s policy to make you comfortable.

DC Insurance is an independent insurance agency in the Aurora, Colorado area. To learn more about Colorado, Arizona, and California home insurance, contact them today.