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Express Insurance

710 Miami Springs Dr., Suite 120
Longwood, FL 32779

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3 Tips to Buying Boat Insurance

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As a Florida boat owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure the protection of your vessel. Boat insurance will not only cover your boat investment but will protect other boaters in the event of an accident out in the water. By taking time to discuss insurance options and costs with an Express Insurance agent in Longwood, FL, you can get a better understanding of what kind of protection boat insurance has to offer. The following tips can help you find just the insurance coverage you need. 

Work with a Reputable Insurer

The first step towards getting boat insurance is to work with a reputable insurer. A trustworthy insurer can help guide you in selecting the right coverage for you. Customizing your policy will bring your coverage in line with your personal boating habits and financial means.  

Become Familiar with Insurance Options

Before selecting an insurance package, become familiar with insurance options. Your choice of insurance will depend on a great deal on the type and size of boat you own, where and how often you go boating, your boating experience, the type of accessories you have (trailer, boating equipment), etc. Naturally, insurance coverage for a new, customized boat will be more comprehensive and expensive than for an older model. By customizing your policy, you can get the protection you need without wasting funds on unnecessary coverage.

Understand Your Policy

When choosing boat insurance, take time to ask questions concerning various policies and what they have to offer. It’s important you understand the protection you are receiving in case you have an accident. If you go boating often, be sure to obtain adequate liability coverage to protect your assets against an accident that causes serious damage to someone else’s boat or injury to others.

At Express Insurance, Longwood, FL, we can help you obtain a boat insurance policy suited to your specific needs. 

What Florida Homeowners Should Know About Hurricane Season

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Homeowner’s insurance can protect your Longwood, FL home against the risk of hurricane damage. By talking to an Express Insurance agent, you can get a better understanding of coverage options to protect your property. The more knowledgeable you are about home insurance and the benefits it has to offer, the better prepared you will be against any eventuality.

Protection of Home

As hurricanes are quite common for the Florida area, you should ensure your home insurance coverage includes storm, hail and wind damage along with such perils as theft, fire, and vandalism. Home insurance can help cover the cost of repairing your home’s roof, siding or windows in the event of a major storm. Home insurance can also cover damage caused by trees or other debris falling on your property.

Protection of Personal Belongings

If rain enters your home due to shattered windows or roof damage, your insurance can help pay for damage to personal goods such as furniture, clothing or appliances. Having an up to date inventory of personal goods will facilitate any claims you may have to make. A policy that provides for replacement costs of damaged goods makes it easier for you to recover your losses. Standard homeowner’s insurance also covers additional living expenses if you have to stay elsewhere while your home is being restored. 

Prepping Home against Hurricane Damage

Home insurance protects your property and personal goods whether you remain in place or evacuate your property due to a hurricane. If you plan to evacuate, prep your home before leaving by putting up storm shutters, securing patio furniture and storing plants, yard statues, etc., to minimize damage and protect your valuables.   

For more information on how homeowner’s insurance can protect your Longwood, FL home against hurricane damage, contact us at Express Insurance.  

3 Tips to Understand Commercial Insurance

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Commercial insurance is confusing for many people, and few can agree on how exactly it should be done. It’s why insurance laws come under review, and why rates change for company owners who are just trying to get by in a competitive world. If you live in Longwood, FL, and just want to learn more about the basics, keep these tips in mind from Express Insurance. 

You Can Tailor Your Policy 

If you have a business in Longwood, FL, you’re required to have certain factors covered, such as workers compensation and unemployment. Beyond that though, you need to start checking off the other major boxes from there. Lawsuits, customer injuries, theft, weather damage — not preparing for these disasters can take a business down quickly. 

Check (and Double Check) Your Deductible

Deductibles can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and most business owners don’t have that kind of cash to pay upfront before insurance starts kicking in. Each policy has their own deductible, so you’ll need to pay attention to hidden costs and fees anywhere and everywhere they may hide. 

Insurance Costs Can Be Written Off

Commercial insurance is a part of your normal business expenses, meaning you can write it off on your taxes. In addition to helping your business stay afloat during the hardest of times, it can help your taxes be a little bit easier to bear. 

Express Insurance is here to give you tips and tricks if you’re looking to make the most of your commercial insurance plan. While we can’t stop insurance laws from changing, we can assist you in helping to pick out a good policy. If you’re looking for a quote or just want to tell us your story, give us a call for further details. 

Steps to Take if Your Car Has Hail Damage

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Hail damage to a vehicle is very frustrating. One, it causes a lot of damage to a vehicle and, two, there is nothing that can be done in order to prevent it from happening. The damage is so drastic in some cases that the federal government will help with the costs if it is a particularly big storm. Unless you live in an area with a lot of thunderstorms, this is probably not an issue for you. If you do sustain hail damage to your vehicle, here are the steps that need to be taken. 

Contact Your Insurer Immediately – Don’t waste time in reporting damage. In many cases of hail damage, the damage happens to a lot of people in the region, meaning there will be a lot of claims. You want to get in early so you don’t have to wait too long to get your car fixed or get your settlement check. The longer you wait to report the damage, the longer you wait to hear back about your claim. In areas of substantial damage, this could be an extremely long waiting period. 

Take Pictures – Be sure to document the damage in order to have proof if the claim is disputed. This usually isn’t an issue with most insurers like Express Insurance in Longwood, FL, but it never hurts to be completely prepared. 

The most important thing that you need to do is make sure that your car is properly insured against hail damage before anything happens. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true if you live in an area where this is a high probability. Most insurers will recommend the coverage as part of your plan when you shop with them. 

How to Make a Claim On Your Home Insurance

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From a burst water pipe in the basement to a tree falling on your garage, knowing how to make a claim on your home insurance is important. It is something not everyone has experience with, so you may not know how to go about making such a claim. At Express Insurance, we want to ensure your Longwood, FL home is not only protected but that you understand how to make a claim on your insurance policy should the time ever arise. 

Contact the Police

Unlike an auto accident, the chances of you needing to contact the police are usually rather slim. However, if your home is broken into you will need to file a police report. This is a serious matter the police need to investigate. After contacting the police, you’ll need to report anything stolen. 

Contact Your Insurance Company

If you needed to contact the police make sure you have the police report number on hand. Your home insurance company will need to contact the police to verify some information. If you did not need to contact the police, you could simply contact the insurance company first thing. Report the issue to your insurance agent. They will tell you what to do next. 

Home Visit

Depending on the situation you may need to set up a home visit. This way the insurance provider can identify the potential cost of making repairs to restore the damaged area of your home (this is especially true if it is damaged during a storm). 

At Express Insurance we are here to assist in all your home insurance needs. If your home falls victim to a robbery, is damaged during a storm or suffers another form of damage, you now know how to make a claim on your Longwood, FL home insurance policy. 

Helpful Tips for Spring Cleaning

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Since winter is almost over, spring is on its way. For many homeowners in Longwood, FL, that means it is time to start spring cleaning. While some people enjoy doing this, most people do not but it is something that must be done. Before you get started, be sure to check out these spring cleaning tips from Express Insurance 

  • Dust everything. Before you get started on anything else, you should take the time to dust everything inside your home. A lot of dust can build up during the summer months and now is a great time to get rid of it. 
  • Consider one or two projects. You may think you have a lot to do around the home this spring but you may not be able to get to everything. When you are making your list of things to do, limit yourself to one or two projects. If you finish everything and still have the time and energy to do more, then go ahead and work on something else. Just do not set yourself up for failure by putting too much on your plate. 
  • Ask for help. You do not have to do all of this alone. Ask for help from family and friends. Not only will it get done faster but you will also have more fun while you are doing it. 

Once you have completed your spring cleaning, next is making sure your home is well protected. The best way you can do this is by having a great home insurance policy. If you do not already have one in place, now is the perfect time to do so. Be sure to contact Express Insurance, serving Longwood, FL. They can help you find a great policy that also meets your budget needs. 

Should I Agree to Driving Monitoring to Lower Insurance?

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A trend that has been increasing in the insurance world involves customers voluntarily agreeing to restrictions in their behavior that inherently reduces risk for the insurance provider. For example, health insurance policies have been giving Longwood, FL customers bonuses for quitting smoking, exercising or reducing their weight. In terms of auto insurance, the most common restriction/benefit offered is one where the driver agrees to have a monitoring tool installed in the vehicle to track speed and general driving location. According to Express Insurance experts, If the driver agrees and follows a voluntary restriction of driving slower, safer and avoiding specific hazards, he or she then gets a reduction in a related insurance premium the following billing cycle.

The fear of big brother watching, the idea that the government or some large entity is invading a person’s privacy, has always been a counter-argument. However, it’s important to understand that any kind of insurance monitoring on a vehicle is voluntary and agreed to by the customer. Unlike justice programs that require monitoring for penalties, the insurance monitoring only "watches" the car’s performance and specific measurements, like speed of travel. And a customer can end the monitoring as well when desired. Granted, the rate cut benefit then disappears as well. The two go hand-in-hand. That said, a good number of customers who have tried the monitoring agreement have found it was pretty simple, no great conspiracy, and a convenient way to save some hear-earned money on a regular basis.

To find out more about what sort of monitoring programs and rate cut benefits are available in the Longwood, FL region, car drivers can give the folks at Express Insurance a call or email. They can provide the details on which insurance company offer the option with car insurance and how it works. And a little bit of knowledge can go a long way toward adding some savings in the bank account.

 

The Latest Home Safety Devices: Smoke Alarms, Carbon Monoxide Detectors, and More

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The latest and greatest innovations in home safety devices provide advanced features for increased protection of you, your loved ones, and your home. Alerting you about smoke progression, fires, and carbon monoxide infiltration, these handy safety devices have been around for over a 100 years. Through the years, the features have changed, but the concept remains the same – signal systems of danger. With all the high-tech devices on the market, you can find one to fit and address your needs, so let’s clear the smoke and dive into some alert systems.

When looking for a defense against fire and smoke, you’ll find some of the most cutting-edge smoke detectors and fire alarms for your house. Now, there’s a difference in the mechanics and functionality of these two systems. A smoke detector checks for the presence of smoke, and a fire alarm provides heat sensors and sprinklers. For latest types of smoke sensors, you’ll find Ionization, photoelectric, and dual-sensor devices. Ionization models provide peak testing of minute particles usually found in fast, flaming fires. Photoelectric styles test for larger particles associated with heavy, more dense and smokey fires. Dual-sensor protectors combine the abilities of both of these models for small and large particle detection. Whether it’s a smoke detector or fire alarm, you can connect these types of systems to your mobile or Internet-accessing device – a techie feature.

So how do these fire detection systems provide you with mobile fire alerts? These systems are integrated with the world of app connections, so you receive these signals from a downloaded app linked to your alert device. With an app link through a mobile device, phone, laptop, or desktop, you get a whenever and wherever connection to the alarm activation. Other features not to be missed are digital functionality with a link to a monitoring service that notifies the police, fire department, or your phone; and voice alarm systems. Along with these defenses against fires, there are devices that detect silent, odorless, but highly dangerous carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide detectors check for the existence of this lethal gas. A toxic substance that is the top cause of death due to poisoning in the United States. This gas is released from the burning of gasoline, natural gas, wood, propane or charcoal. The most advanced devices function in one of three ways through a biomimetic sensor, metal oxide semiconductor, or electrochemical sensor. Some more advanced features include a digital screen showing gas levels and Smart detectors that sync with apps to provide alerts to the end user. And, of course, the best of both of these detection worlds merges the capabilities of a smoke and carbon monoxide system into one device.

So, whether it’s a single or dual safety device for the home, there are now more sensitive and reliable sensor devices to detect smoke and carbon monoxide. With these latest technology systems, you get advanced capability to defend you, your loved ones, and your home. Keep it safe with the most current detection devices, and let Express Insurance, serving Longwood, FL, protect your risk of damage to or loss of your home with insurance coverage. Having both home safety mechanisms and home insurance, you’re protected on both ends in the event of a covered fire or carbon monoxide leak.

How Home Insurance Keeps Longwood Residents Safe

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The people of Longwood, FL care about their homes, there’s no doubt about this. However, home insurance is often overlooked or not discussed as one of the primary ways it keeps people safe. Express Insurance has been in the business long enough to know that it has a lot to do with safety, and we want you to know more about why.

Sending the Right Message 

Even if you have the best possible home insurance, that doesn’t mean that a criminal won’t decide to target your house. However, what home insurance does do is give you (and the people in your neighborhood) a means to fix the damage that does happen right away as opposed to leaving it for months on end. The better a street and neighborhood is maintained, the more criminals get the impression that they will not only be not welcome in the area but likely be seen or caught because people look out for one another.

Keeping the House on Solid Ground 

Homes that have the right foundation stay upright, even during bad storms in Longwood, FL. There are so many potential dangers on a property that you may not even notice. Express Insurance knows that one dying tree can cause a lot of damage to the house if it falls unexpectedly. These are just a few ways that homes stay safe when they have home insurance, and there are so many other ways that it protects you. If you’re looking for a quality home insurance policy that will benefit both you and your neighbors, then give our agency a call today. We have agents and experts who can assist you, so contact us for more information or a quote on your property in Longwood.

Distracted Driver Facts

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Safe driving campaigns often focus on the dangers of drinking and driving. Although driving while intoxicated is a serious risk, distracted driving incidents account for 80 percent of crashes, according to a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study. Now, many areas, including Longwood, FL, are passing laws to prevent distracted driver accidents.

Types of Distractions

What causes a driver to lose focus on the road? Distractions are broken down into three basic categories: manual, visual, and cognitive. Manual distractions force your hands away from the wheel. Visual distractions take your eyes off the road. Cognitive distractions cause your mind to wander off the task of driving.

The following are the most frequent driver distractions:

  • Texting
  • Mobile Phone Calls
  • Mobile Web Browsing
  • Eating and Drinking
  • Using Dashboard Devices (Radio, mp3 player, GPS, etc.)
  • Talking to Passengers

How Serious Is the Problem?

In 2014 alone, the U.S. Department of Transportation attributed over 3,100 fatalities and 431,000 injuries to distracted driving. Each year, the number of accidents caused by text messaging and cell phone use is steadily increasing. More than 28 percent of all vehicle crashes can now be traced back to mobile phone use.

National surveys have shown that 90 percent of all drivers recognize the risk of driving while using a cell phone. However, three out of four drivers admitted to talking on the phone while driving and one in five acknowledged texting and driving. High school students are particularly high risk for distracted driving behaviors. In 2013, the CDC reported two out of five high school drivers stated they drove and sent out a text or email within the last 30 days.

Drivers must use common sense while on the road and put down the devices. Any distraction that takes their mind or body off of operating vehicle should be ignored. Driving safety is not only important for your well-being but your insurance rates as well.

Contact an agent at Express Insurance today to learn more about how we are helping serve Longwood, FL area drivers.