What Happens During an Auto Claim Process in Colorado?

Making a claim with your auto insurance company can be a little intimidating at first. Although, once you know the steps involved, you will be on your way to getting your vehicle repaired. If you have been involved in an accident, or if there is damage to your automobile from a storm, you will want to get the auto claim process started.

The first thing you will need to do is contact your Lakewood, Colorado insurance agent. He will ask you for details about the accident and about the damage. If there is another party involved, your agent will also ask you for their name, address and insurance information. Depending on the type of coverage you have, you may be able to request a rental vehicle immediately. People who drive their cars to and from work do not have time to be without a reliable vehicle. The next step is to obtain quotes for the damage to your car. If you have full coverage, you should be able to get the repairs made quickly. Once your deductible is met, your insurance company will pay for the repairs or if the car is a total loss, will give money for what your car is worth. If your vehicle is not paid off, that money will go to your lender to take care of the outstanding balance on your loan.

If you own an automobile in Lakewood, you need to make sure you have excellent auto insurance. You never know when the time will come that you may need to file a claim. You can find affordable premiums on car insurance by comparing quotes with several companies. An independent agent can check out the rates for several different types of insurance and give you a quote for the best deal.

What are the Insurance Related Closing Costs when Buying a House in Colorado?

Closing costs can add a significant chunk to the amount of money you need to put up when you buy a home, and several of the closing costs are related to insurance. Knowing what these costs will be can help you save the right amount of money for your home closing and avoid unpleasant surprises when your statement of estimated closing costs arrives.

One type of insurance that you need is title insurance. You usually purchase this through the title company that handles the closing when you’re buying a house. Title insurance protects you and the lender from problems that come up in the future with regard to the title. Costs vary, but the average homeowner in Colorado pays about $700 at closing for the lender and owner title insurance policies.

The other insurance related closing costs you’ll pay are for homeowners insurance. Lenders require this to protect their security in the home, and of course, the policy also protects you as the homeowner. Costs vary depending on the value of your home and possessions, but the average Colorado policy costs $800 to $900 per year. You need to pay for the first full year at closing. In addition, many lenders require you to deposit another 3 months of homeowners insurance payments into your escrow account at closing.

Between these two insurance related closing costs, most homeowners will need to bring about $2,000 to closing when buying a house. Shopping around for the best deal on homeowners insurance can help lower your costs, so contact a Colorado insurance agent to start getting quotes today. The earlier you start, the more time you will have to evaluate your options and get a policy in place before your closing date.

Who is Liable if a Neighbor’s Tree Fell on your Property in Lakewood, CO?

It was just starting to snow when you went to sleep in your Lakewood, Colorado home. You slept like a baby and then woke up and fixed yourself a cup of coffee. As you reached for a blueberry muffin, you happened to look out the window and were startled to see that your neighbor’s tree fell on your property. Worse yet, a huge limb landed right on top of your brand new Jeep.

Immediately, you slip on a pair of boots and trudge through the foot of snow to report the incident to your friend and next-door neighbor. You are sure that he will be sympathetic to your cause, but instead, he is more upset about his tree than the damage his tree did to your property. You see that he is being very defensive so you leave and call your insurance agent. He says that your neighbor is responsible. Your neighbor says it was an Act of God and he will not be held responsible for the damage to your property.

The law is rather straight forward when it comes to who is liable. If your tree falls on your neighbor’s property, you are only responsible if you were negligent. That sounds reasonable except that it is often extremely hard to define negligence. What constitutes negligence? If your tree was obviously dead or diseased, you should have known that it could topple. A reasonable person could anticipate that a heavy coating of snow might cause the tree to fall.

On the other hand, if your tree was healthy and full of leaves, you might not know that it was unstable. Most cases are difficult to prove. They can take a long time to litigate. If your neighbor’s tree fell on your property, it can be hard to determine who is liable. The best thing to do is contact your insurance agent and allow them to deal with your neighbor and your neighbor’s insurance company.

Does my Homeowners Policy cover my In-home Business in Colorado?

Homeowners insurance usually does not cover an in-home business in Lakewood, Colorado. A home insurance plan is meant to protect your property and your personal belongings. If you run a business out of your home, you will probably need to purchase separate business coverage to make sure your inventory is protected and you have enough coverage if a customer is injured while visiting your home.

Consider this. A client comes to your home to pick up products from your home business. He then slips and falls on the ice and injures his back. He not only has extensive medical bills, but he is also unable to work for an extended period of time. He decides to sue you for damages. If you are counting on your homeowners insurance to take care of the accident, you will be in for a shock. In Lakewood, CO, if you are running an in-home business, your home policy will not cover business related incidents. Instead, you should purchase a small business insurance policy that will take care of all of your needs.

Before you decide you cannot afford a separate insurance plan from your homeowners policy, think about the consequences of not having coverage. You could lose your life savings if a customer had an accident on your property and you were not properly insured. Instead, talk with a local insurance agent in Lakewood who is able to compare multiple quotes with all of the top companies and find you an affordable policy. If you want to save money, raise the deductible or bundle all of your insurance plans with the same company. It is worth the time and trouble it takes to make sure you have the insurance protection you need for both your home and your business.

When the Accident is Your Fault: What You Need to Know in Colorado

When you have been in an accident in Lakewood — or anywhere in Colorado, in fact — there are some essential things that you need to know. An accident, especially an accident that is your fault, must be taken very seriously and you need to conduct yourself properly from the moment of impact. Don’t panic: Your insurance coverage and your insurance agent are there to back you up! However, you should make this entire process as easy as possible for yourself and everyone involved by taking the right actions post-accident.

What You Need To Know When You Caused The Accident

The number one thing that you need to be aware of after your Colorado accident is that you should never discuss your guilt or innocence with anyone immediately. Even if you feel certain that the accident is your fault, you need to keep that information to yourself initially. In most accidents, there are multiple contributing factors. For example, the other driver may have contributed to the accident, there may have been road conditions that contributed, perhaps weather conditions were partially responsible, or even a malfunction in your vehicle or another person’s vehicle could have contributed. These are all factors that you can’t be aware of immediately after the accident. You need to wait until the authorities discover factors that could have contributed to the accident because they are the ones who will assign guilt here, it is not your job to do so. Do not discuss the accident with other involved drivers in any way, and wait until the police arrive to produce your insurance information. Give your insurance coverage information only to the police.

You need to contact your insurance coverage provider as soon as possible. Your insurance agent is your best friend during this difficult time, so it is important that you are as forthcoming as you can possibly be. Your agent will help to file claims, to deal with the other people involved, and to handle any problems arising from the accident.

Accidents are the time when insurance agents truly shine, so allow your insurance provider to help you through this!

Is there Homeowners Insurance for a Home that Needs Repair in Lakewood, CO?

Often it is easier to afford a home if it is a fixer upper in Lakewood, Colorado. There are many foreclosure properties on the market and investing in a home in a great neighborhood can be a great deal. The problem arises when you need to find a homeowners insurance policy for a home that needs repair. At this point, you need to contact an insurance agent in your local area who can help.

Many insurance companies will have strict requirements about what they will and will not cover when you are refurbishing your older home. Whether the repairs are major or minor, you will need to choose a policy that will protect your investment in the event of a disaster. Usually and insurance agent can compare multiple quotes for the type of coverage you are looking for. You will need to assess how much your home is worth in its current condition. When you finish the repairs to your home, you may then need to increase the amount of your coverage. Colorado may see damage from wind or snow and making sure your insurance plan will cover expenses if your home is damaged is important.

Contact an insurance agent who will not only find a rate you can afford, but will compare quotes from several top providers. You want to find a company that stands behind its coverage and will be there when you need it. If you purchase a plan just because it is cheap, it may not take care of your needs when you file a claim. It is better to spend a little extra money upfront and know you are fully insured. Using an insurance agent in Lakewood, CO is the best way to get the coverage you need, for your home that needs repair.

Why it’s Important to Check to see if you Have Off-Premise Protection on Your Policy in Lakewood, CO

It is very important to make sure you have off-premise protection with your home insurance policy in Lakewood, Colorado. This is a portion of your policy that will take care of your possessions while you are traveling or away from home. Usually this type of coverage is included in your insurance premium, but you may want to check to make sure. If you are looking to update your insurance plan, make sure you ask about off-premise protection.

Imagine you are traveling out of the country on business or vacation. You leave your luggage outside the hotel while checking in. When you return – your luggage is gone! This could be disastrous. You peaceful relaxing vacation has now turned into a nightmare. Luckily, if you have off-premise protection with your insurance policy, you will be able to quickly file a claim and be reimbursed for your losses. Off-premise insurance will also take care of the items your children take with them when they go off to college and live in a dorm. It is important to check and make sure you have this coverage on your Colorado homeowners insurance policy. If your child’s computer, television, iPod or other items were taken from his dorm room, you would be able to file a claim.

Off-premise coverage is important whether you travel often or only occasionally. The additional amount on your premium is worth the protection it offers you and your family. When you have your local insurance agent compare quotes for homeowners insurance, make sure they include the comprehensive coverage on your plan. You can easily find great rates for insurance when you shop online. Working with an independent agent makes the process simple and you will know you are getting the coverage you need in Lakewood, Colorado.

Preventing Accidents in a Parking Lot in Colorado

Parking lots are surprisingly dangerous places for drivers, with the busiest of lots the scene of frequent accidents. And accidents in parking lots will cause your car insurance rates to rise just as much as will accidents on busy highways or side streets. Fortunately, preventing accidents in a parking lot requires little more than normal safe-driving habits.

As any resident of Lakewood knows, the area’s shopping malls, lifestyle centers and strip malls become busy places on weekends, holidays and after normal working hours. This is good for merchants. It’s not so good for motorists trying to navigate the sometimes confusuing parking lots outside Lakewood shops.

Parking lots are notorious for blind spots. It can be difficult for motorists to get a clear view of their surroundings when their parked car is surrounded by mini-vans and SUVs. Parking lots are also often home to confused pedestrians who can’t remember where they parked. These pedestrians often forget to focus on the other vehicles in the lot as they chat on their cell phones or search fruitlessly for their own cars.

Add to this the generally crowded condition of parking lots throughout Colorado and you a recipe for a high number of fedner benders or worse.

The best method of preventing accidents in a parking lot? First, drive slowly, at all times, when you are navigating a parking lot. Parking lots have many hidden corners from which other motorists can come. Secondly, make sure to back out of any parking space very slowly and cautiously. This way you’ll have enough time to react should a pedestrian or car get too close.

And finally, never talk on your phone while drivnig through a parking lot. You need to be fully aware of your surroundings, and you can’t be that if you’re sharing the highlights of your day with your spouse or sister.

Passenger seat: Are you covered by the driver’s insurance in Lakewood, Colo.?

Auto insurance provides financial protection shoud you suffer a serious car accident. But what about the person in the passenger seat next to you? Who pays for whatever medical costs that person incurs following an accident? In Lakewood, Colorado, that depends: The person in the passenger seat might be covered by the drivers insurance, but only if that driver pruchased personal injury protection as part of his or her auto insurance policy.

Personal injury protection isn’t required by law in Colorado, though it is in several states. But it might prove to be a worthwhile investment.

If you get into a car accident that you caused, you might suffer serious financial consequences if the person in the passenger seat next to you is injured. Medical care is expensive. Without the right insurance protection, you could be responsible for paying at least some of these costs.

Fortunately, you can avoid this risk by making sure personal injury protection is included in your auto insurance coverage. And with the ability that you have to shop around for the right insurance policy, you won’t have to spend a small fortune to include personal injury insurance in your auto policy.

Your best option is to search for live auto insurance rates online. Today, instead of calling local insurance companies, you can find the information you need to make an informed insurance decision online. The live quotes you find will tell you how much a particular insurance policy will pay and what level of protection it will offer. You can quickly compare, then, auto insurance policies with personal injury protection to see which offers the best value for your dollars.

Auto insurance isn’t cheap. And when you boost it with such additions as personal injury insurance, its price will rise even higher. But that cost might pale in comparison to the fees you’ll have to pay should your passenger suffer a serious injury because of an auto accident that you caused.

Can I Lower my Car Insurance Cost if I’m a Single Parent in Lakewood, CO?

There are several ways to lower car insurance cost in Lakewood, Colorado if you are a single parent. Economic times are hard for everyone, and if you are supporting yourself and your children alone, you need to save every penny. One of the best ways to save money on car insurance is to compare quotes from several providers. Even if you have been with the same company for a long time, saving money on the same amount of coverage, is worth the time to compare rates.

Once you have started shopping around for different car insurance, ask your local agent about discounts and ways to save money. Sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars per year by raising your deductible. As a single parent, you may wonder if you can afford more out of pocket expense if you are involved in an accident. The best way to make sure you can afford a higher deductible is to put some of your savings into an account for emergencies. This way you will not have to worry about meeting your deductible and you can still find a lower car insurance cost.

Another option for saving money on car insurance in Colorado is to drop full comprehensive coverage and go with a basic liability insurance plan. As a single parent, you may be driving an older car and you do not really need full coverage. Since the insurance company will only pay you the amount your car is worth, you may be able to save a lot of money by going with liability auto insurance. Once you have started comparing rates will several top insurance providers, you will have a better idea about the discounts available and ways to save money. Ask your local independent insurance agent in Lakewood, CO today.