Is a Car or Truck Cheaper to Insure?

When you go about the process of buying a new vehicle in St. Augustine, FL, you will probably need to consider what the insurance on the car or truck is going to cost you. After all, the insurance premium that you have will determine what you can actually afford. For example, you have a budget for a monthly vehicle payment and insurance. If you are going to buy a car with a payment of x amount of money per month, this leaves you x amount of dollars a month to be paid toward insurance. Some people wonder to themselves when vehicle shopping if it is cheaper to insure a car or truck. Let’s take a quick look at an answer to this question. 

Is it cheaper to insure a car or truck?

When you go to put insurance on a vehicle, there are more than a few factors taken into consideration. First and foremost, your driving record will have a huge impact. If you have questions about specific incidents please give the agents at Tim Huber Insurance a call. If you have a lot of speeding tickets and past insurance claims within the last five years, this will increase your premium rate. Also, if you are buying a vehicle and taking out a loan, this means you will have to have full coverage insurance, which of course is expensive. It really does not matter if you are buying a car or truck in regards to how cheap your insurance will be. Your past driving record and the type of insurance coverage you are going to put on it will determine how expensive or cheap your insurance rate is. 

To learn more about insuring a car or truck, contact Tim Huber Insurance serving the St. Augustine, FL area. 

St. Augustine FL: How sea air affects your home

Living right on the coast in St. Augustine, FL is simply amazing. You wake up every morning to the sound of ocean waves crashing against the beach, you enjoy warm weather all year round, even if you’re a little more inland, you’re never more than a short walk away from the sea. All that salty sea air is great for people, but not always so great for homes.

The problem is that salt is corrosive. So corrosive in fact that when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, they didn’t just drain the salt water from the flooded streets and subways, they had to flush the affected areas with fresh water in order to get rid of all that salt.

Salty air can create structural damage in wooden structures as the salt clings to the wood and creates a fuzzy, salty layer that attaches to, and destroys, the top layer of wood, slowly chewing its way down through the rest of the wood, digging in deep.

Salty air can also chew away at a paint job, which is why you see so many bare homes in beach towns. A lot of people in St. Augustine, FL simply don’t care to deal with salt damage.

Cleaning the surface of your home can help. Giving your home a thorough scrub once a year, not allowing mold or salt to set in. You can also use protective primers and paints. Some of the providers you find through Tim Huber Insurance may even offer discounts if you take protective measures against salty air. 

Looking for Your St. Augustine Insurance Partner?

Whether you are new to the St. Augustine FL area, or you are simply interested in changing your insurance coverage, you should talk with the Tim Huber Insurance and Financial Services Agency. 

In business for 13 years, this is a family business created by husband and wife team Tim and Tammy Huber. The team took a leap of faith while their sons were both still in diapers, and they’ve never looked back. Instead, they built a local agency with the support of their community. 

Both Tim and Tammy Huber had prior experience in the industry; Tim was a successful Sales Professional and Tammy worked her way up from operations into Underwriting. Obviously, there is a wealth of industry knowledge within this friendly agency at 28 Clark Street.

Today, the Tim Huber Agency represents over 50 different insurance companies with wide-ranging criteria and policy programs. What that means for consumers is great coverage and great pricing! It allows Tim to shop around and find the perfect coverage for your needs and your budget. He is not limited to only one company and can cover a much larger range of situations with the multiple companies that he works with on a daily basis. 

In Florida, like almost all of the 50 states, automobile insurance coverage is mandatory. The required minimum coverage limits are $10,000 for personal injury protection and $10,000 for property damage coverage. While these coverage amounts are the only mandatory ones, you would be wise to discuss other coverage types with Tim, as well as higher limits, to better protect yourself in the event of an accident or other incident.

Every driver’s circumstances are different, so the best way to find out what options are available to you is to contact the Tim Huber Insurance Agency and speak with the professionals about your needs.

 

Top 5 Florida Homeowners Insurance Questions

Perils that a typical homeowner can face include damage or loss to their home or property from fire, theft, lightning, hail and wind. While no one plans to lose their St. Augustine, FL home due to these risks, it happens every day. If your home was ever damaged or destroyed, how would you pay to repair or rebuild it? That’s where homeowners insurance has got you covered. Here are the top five questions property owners have about homeowners insurance:

What is Homeowners Insurance?

Homeowners insurance is an insurance policy that protects the investment you have made in your home and property. It provides you with coverage for specific hazards or covered lawsuits.

What Determines My Home Insurance Premium?

While every insurance company is different, and your premium will be calculated on the coverages and limits of your specific policy, there are several basic universal underwriting factors included in most policies, which include:

  • The cost to rebuild (not the market value of) your home, including materials and labor
  • Location
  • Wind resistance upgrades to doors and windows that meet Florida Building Codes

What is Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost Coverage?

Insurance coverage for your personal belongings will reimburse you in the event of a covered loss. Actual cash value reimbursement is typically the amount to replace the item with new property of similar quality – minus depreciation for age. With replacement cost coverage, you will be reimbursed for the value of a new item of similar quality in today’s market.

What Factors Should I Consider When Selecting Homeowners Insurance?

While price is obviously a factor, it’s not the most important things. It is a good idea to compare several home insurance companies by using a comparative checklist before making a decision. Some of the criteria to consider include:

  • The company’s financial stability rating
  • How much reinsurance they purchase for hurricanes and other disasters
  • Service accommodations, availability and convenient hours
  • Location of the company office

Why Does My Homeowners Policy Have Two Deductibles?

Your deductible is the portion of costs you must pay for a covered loss. Florida is one of many states that have a separate deductible for hurricanes and “all other perils (AOP).” AOP deductibles cover damage from calamities such as fire, lightning or interior plumbing disasters. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, due to the devastation, the Florida Legislature introduced separate hurricane deductibles during hurricane season, to make insurance more affordable.

How Can I Lower the Cost of My Homeowners Insurance?

Tim Huber Insurance offers a variety of discounts which can include discounts for the age of your home’s construction, opening protection, policyholder age, burglar/fire/sprinkler systems, roof age/shape, and gated community. Besides discounts, you may be able to make adjustments to your selected policy. Contact our office today to discuss how to arrive at the perfect amount of homeowners insurance coverage for your specific needs.