Liability insurance for small business

California business insurance can be expensive and budgeting for it – and any increases you might need in coverage as your business expands – is absolutely essential. Policies should be reviewed annually. Here are a few things that should be taken into consideration during your business policy review:

§  Have your business assets increased in value? If so, is your coverage for damage and theft still sufficient?

§  Have you constructed new buildings or sheds on your premises? You’ll need to recalculate the cost of rebuilding the premises if you have.

§  Do you have machinery that you didn’t have last year? If you’ve purchased new items are they included on the policy? Do you need equipment breakdown coverage?

§  Are you carrying a higher level of stock than you have done previously?

§  Do you have new products or services? If you do, has your risk of being held liable for injury or damage increased?

An annual review of workplace safety is also a good idea. As your business grows, new risks can emerge. It might be the case that your workplace safety procedures need to be updated or expanded.

Check the cost of your premiums against the previous year. If they’ve increased significantly it could be a good time to shop around for better prices.

If you need assistance with your business owners policy review or if it’s time to reduce the cost of your premiums, talk to the Excelsure. We’re experienced in assisting California businesses big and small to manage their insurance needs.

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Understanding Flood Insurance Risks

Flood risk is such a generalized term. But insurers cannot generalize about any risk – it’s their job to be specific. An excellent place to find good information about how flooding and flooding risks are defined is www.floodsmart.gov, the official NationalFlood Insurance Program site.

Granted, flooding can happen almost anywhere, but there are particular areas, which are especially susceptible to raised water troubles. Risk areas can be broken up as follows: high-risk, moderate-to-low risk, and undetermined-risk regions.

High-risk areas have at least a 1% chance of flooding every year. If you do the math, this equals a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a typical 30-year mortgage. In these regions, every homeowner with federally regulated or insured lenders is required to purchase flood insurance.

Moderate-to-low risk regions are outside the 1% annual flood risk floodplain. Flood insurance isn’t required for these places, but it is highly recommended. “Undetermined” risk areas are regions where no flood-hazard analysis has been commissioned.

Perhaps you’re new to the area you live in and don’t really know what to expect when the rains come. The best way to find out the level of your flood risk is to have your insurance agent perform a risk profile.

If you’d like further information about flood insurance or your need coverage, contact a customer service representative for information and a quote.

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Preventing Fires in Your Home

Whether you live in the city or in a rural area, dwelling fire insurance in California is just as important as it is anywhere else. And while making sure you’re covered against the financial impact of a fire is a really good idea, taking steps to prevent it from happening to your home is an even better one. Even with modern reporting devices, many new safety standards for home construction and work being consistently done to make appliances safer there are still many home fires that lead to death and homes being destroyed. Here are a few fire prevention tips that go a long way to making an impact on prevention:

• install smoke detectors and change the batteries regularly
• clean clothes dryer vents regularly
• keep flammable objects away from your stove while cooking
• have electrical wiring in older dwellings examined
• repair or replace any faulty appliances
• make sure curtains, clothing and blankets are kept away from heating appliances
• have an electrical safety switch installed
• blow out candles when you leave a room for any period of time
• Clean fireplaces regularly to prevent chimney fires

Even if there is no bodily injury, a fire can cause extreme financial damage. In just minutes, everything you've worked so hard to accumulate can be lost. If you don't have some sort of fire coverage, you could find yourself starting from scratch. Not to mention the emotional stress from being displaced.

If you need dwelling fire insurance in California ask us for a competitive quote today.

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Commercial Property Insurance Quote

Commercial property insurance can be an expensive item but the risk of being uninsured or under insured is one most property owners can’t afford to take. If you need a commercial property insurance quote you’ll need to speak to experts. It’s one of our specialty areas so we can help you find the right coverage without paying more than you need to.

If you have a large property, like a city office building or an apartment complex, insuring it can cost you a small fortune. Because prices can vary thousands of dollars between insurers for the same level of coverage, an agency like ours can potentially save you a substantial sum of money. Our experience in dealing with this type of insurance means we know where to look for the best coverage for the type of property you own.

Why the large difference in price between insurers? Insurers all have their preferences as to the type of risks they’re happy to insure, and those they consider a little high - and each has their own way of assessing those risks and calculating premiums. So basically, one insurer may assess the risk level of insuring your property much higher than another.

Our experience can help you save money so if you need a commercial property insurance quote call us today to discuss insuring your property.

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Renters Insurance from a local agent

Are you looking for affordable renters insurance in California? Let us help you find the right policy for you.

In the event of a burglary, would you be able to afford to replace your furniture, clothing, books, DVDS, sporting equipment and other personal possessions from your savings? No? Most people can’t and that’s why some level of insurance is usually necessary.

Rented homes are just as vulnerable to theft as owner occupied ones and just because you’re renting doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable possessions! So how do you determine how much coverage you need? Simple – add up how much it would cost you to replace everything in the event of a fire that destroyed it all.

While you’re doing that, make up a list of all the property you own. Against major items – particularly appliances - make a note of when you purchased it, and the cost. It’s a good idea to keep receipts for appliances. In the event of a claim you may be asked by the insurance company to show proof of purchase. If you don’t have the receipt, the packaging or box that the item came in, or a credit card statement verifying its purchase is usually sufficient. Having that proof will help speed up the claims process.

Don’t delay in covering your possessions against theft and destruction. Get an online renters insurance quote now from Excelsure Insurance or call us for assistance, we’d be glad to help you figure out would level of coverage you might need.

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Questions Asked When Purchasing Umbrella Insurance

If you knew the questions they were going to ask you on a game show beforehand, chances are you’d probably do very well. Life is not a game show, however, and it’s rare anybody becomes wealthy just from knowing the answers to a few trivial questions.

Nevertheless, you may just feel like a game show winner if you are ready for the questions your agent or broker might ask you when you are purchasing umbrella insurance. Naturally, you cannot know everything they’ll ask. But the more you know, the better it will go.

You might be asked what you own in addition to your auto. Do you have any other motorized vehicles, such as motorcycles or mopeds? Now, this may be an uncomfortable one, but are there any drivers in your household with mental or physical impairments? You might be quizzed about whether or not you have any employees at your residence. Your agent or broker might also ask if you care for any property that is not your own, which exceeds a value of $1,000.

Knowing how to respond to these queries won’t make the audience go wild or cause some witty game show host to reach over and shake your hand. But by being prepared, you’ll help the process go a whole lot faster.

If you have questions about umbrella insurance or you’re ready to take out a policy, contact a customer service representative now.

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Costa Mesa Auto Insurance Coverage

Do you have sufficient autoinsurance coverage for life in Costa Mesa?

Each year many drivers cause of get into an accident because of our friends in nature. You may not have yet had this happen, but how many times have you driven down a road and had to swerve to avoid a squirrel or maybe someone’s lost family pet. If you have been driving for any length of time, the answer is probably many times. Costa Mesa and Orange Country overall are still growing and that means that the wild animal habitat is decreasing – we are impinging on their space and they have to look further afield for food and shelter.

The best course of action would be to avoid collision a collision in the first place - be more vigilant when driving between dusk and midnight and in the early morning hours when they are more active. Keep your speed at least within the speed limit to give yourself a chance of being able to stop should an animal cross your path. Make sure you know your surroundings. It may sound strange to say but don’t swerve into oncoming traffic be prepared to pull off onto the side of the road if you can. If you are in a less populated area, keep your headlights on high beam to give you a larger field of vision especially when driving on unfamiliar roads (but please remember to dim them if a car is approaching from the opposite direction).

If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a collision, you must have a comprehensive auto insurance coverage for your car and yourself and/or passengers to be covered. The Staff at Excelsure Insurance would be happy to discuss not only your auto insurance needs but all of your insurance requirements – call us today.

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