Flor & Associates Insurance Agency

El Paso Texas Insurance Agent Flor & Associates Insurance

benefits of choosing an independent agent

Shopping Around Always Saves Money, Let Your Agent Do That For You

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It’s always nice to have someone help you save money, especially when it’s in their best interest to do so. Independent agents are there to help you, and usually they can do this by giving you the best coverage for the least amount of money! They want to keep your business for when you have to renew, due to this it is not in their interests to push insurance products that are of no use to you or your checkbook.

Outside of just price, independent agents have a vast understanding of the way different companies work, so they can lend insight to the claim process with each company. This might be an important factor for some and this can be a valuable tool in your search as well!

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A captive agent may steer you towards a certain product knowing that you will probably come back if you are exhibiting that level of loyalty to go with a single company in the first place! Avoid that conflict of interest and go with an independent agent in order to be good to yourself, your assets, and your wallet!

Independent Agents Can Provide a Variety and Security

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Going back to the candy shop analogy, what if a candy shop sells only one kind of candy? Now there aren’t many places that I can think of that sells only one kind of candy, but the idea doesn’t sound very appealing to me. I want to be able to pick and choose, and if I want something different I want to be able to have it! This same concept can be applied to many different things, but it really rings true with choosing insurance. 

Story time: Once I had a couple of windows broken from a storm and had a claim filed to get them replaced (Double paned windows are very pricey!), and a couple of weeks later my car was damaged by hail, and naturally I did another claim—a week later I received a nice letter from my insurance provider telling me that my coverage was going to stop forever upon my coverage end date!

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Hail is not fun

And yes, I was using a captive agent to get my coverage at the time; being with a captive agent was not fun since I was not able to go back to her and had to find someone new, so I really learned my lesson with that experience and went with an independent agent!

What is an Independent Agent?

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An independent agent is someone who is representing several insurance companies and can shop around while remaining in-house when making a pricing decision for a customer. Due to this independence, an agent in this capacity is able to make objective decisions when it comes to which policy to choose for their client.

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All those choices!

With this choice to choose, the best interest for the client is usually always taken, so for example if your rates go up and you have an independent agent you can shop around for a better rate with many different companies if you want to keep the same amount of coverage. There’s a huge upside to this in if you have a great relationship with your agent, but not with your insurance company due to a botched claim. If that happens you can just get coverage with another company through your trusted agent!

Like a candy shop there’s many different options, shouldn’t you be able to choose what you want and who makes it?

Why should I choose an independent insurance agent?

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Insurance is sold by two types of agents: captive and independent. Captive agents are tied to a sole company. For example, a State Farm agent can only sell State Farm products. Independent agents, in contrast, represent multiple companies and can provide a variety of products.

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