Find An Agent
Choose Wisely
There are two different kinds of insurance agents you can deal with for your insurance needs. To understand and then choose the correct agent for your needs will ensure you receive the best insurance policy and rate. These two insurance agent types are: (1) Captive Agent, (2) Independent Agent.
Captive Agent
The Captive Agent is an agent who works and represents just one insurance company. They are trained on their insurance company’s insurance products only and only get paid on the insurance policies they sell from their company. For example, an AllState insurance agent can only sell AllState insurance. This “captive” relationship with the insurance company only gives the agent the ability to quote your insurance needs from one source…their company.
Is dealing with an Captive Agent bad? No, of course not. However, understand you are only receiving one company’s product offerings and rate. There are many, many other insurance companies out there looking for your business and are very competitive with product offerings and cost to you.
Independent Agent
The Independent Agent is opposite of the Captive Agent. Where the Captive Agent can only sell from the insurance company they are employed by, the Independent Agent sells insurance policies from a variety of insurance companies. Because they are not tied to any one insurance company, they can work for you to explore the many different insurance policies available from the many insurance companies out there to ensure you receive the best insurance policy and rate for your needs.
So…How Do I Contact An Independent Agent?
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There are many ways including searching on the internet, looking in yellow pages and other forms of advertisements. However, the quickest and most effective way is to use a free online service that notifies Independent Agents of your insurance needs and tells them you are interested in a quote. The agent receives this request and then gives you a call to discuss your needs. There is no cost to you to use this service.
A great example of this type of service is HomeTown Quotes. They take your contact information, type of insurance you are looking for and then contact agents to give you a call. You can’t shop for insurance any simpler than this!
Go ahead and give them a try…see the above box. Just select the type of insurance you are looking for and then click the “Start Quote” button.
Happy shopping!