If your only concern about your Florida insurance policy is price, don’t call Sun Insurance Services…

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Tonia Brewer

The truth is, we are excellent at what we do, we KNOW insurance. We are a Florida independent insurance agency with access to lots of insurance options! For you, that means that we will provide the absolute best policy for your specific needs!

It is not by accident that SERVICE is part of our name. Our agency was begun with the focus on our customers. We are continuously educating ourselves in the industry, as well as searching for new products, technology, and carriers. This focus assures that we can serve you at the highest level!

In a nutshell:

We promise to listen to your needs.
We will help educate and inform you.
We will reach into our vast resources and present you with our best policy recommendations.
We will be here to serve all of your Florida personal and business insurance needs.
We will make attending to your insurance issues as much fun as possible!

We can’t promise you that the policy we suggest to you will be the cheapest but, it will the best policy at the best price we can offer!

We know you have lots of choices for your Florida insurance concerns. The truth is, there are lots of insurance companies that are only interested in your money. They use professionals like lizards, pigs, and deep voiced actors, to attract you. If that is truly all you want in your Florida insurance policies… we wish you luck. However, if you want an agency that truly cares about you, and all of your insurance needs, then Contact Sun Insurance Services TODAY!

Sun Insurance Services, We revolve around YOU...

A true and regrettable story of one of our long-term clients…

Donna, one of our sunny agents, worked with our client, who is retired and living on a fixed income, to find the best coverage for their home and auto. We provided them with a policy that had solid coverage, and was well priced, and we have reviewed it with them every year. When the latest auto renewal arrived, the price of the policy had increased a bit, like all auto policies in Florida. The insured balked at the increase and wanted to gut the policy thereby losing most of its value, to reduce the premium. Donna worked to convince them not to take drastic action. The client insisted on removing the collision coverage from his auto policy. He rationalized that he had not had an accident in over 40 years and was an excellent driver. His net savings from this change was $120 annually.

We received a call from this client last Wednesday telling us he had been in an accident. Thankfully, he was OK. His car, not so much. The other driver was at fault having run a red light, hitting him broadside. Unfortunately, without collision insurance he is now exposed to a potential loss of $5000+ in damage to his car, replacement car rental reimbursement of up to $900, and storage fees of $100 per day until the claim is settled. That’s a total of about $9,000 out of pocket. To save $120. And what if he has a repeat accident during the same policy period??

At Sun Insurance Services we will always do our best to give you the best advice, policy, and price, for all of your Florida insurance needs. All YOU have to do is take it….

Do you have/know a story like this? Share it with us below..

Get some green for being green!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Tonia Brewer

Sun Insurance is Green!

Sun Insurance is proud to “be green”. We recycle, re-use, and re-purpose everything we can. We don’t just do it, we think it! We encourage all of our family, friends, and clients to do what you can to help our environment.

In the late 1980’s the home building industry coined the term “green building” which refers to the incorporation of environmental considerations. When building or renovating your “green” house, you make certain deliberate choices such as:

Energy efficiency improvements such as high-performance windows and solar panels
Resource conservation using materials such as recycled building materials and engineered wood
Indoor environmental quality considerations such as low emission paints and carpets

Not only do green homes use 40 percent less energy but also, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, they use 50 percent less water than standard homes and toxin-free materials reduce indoor air pollution. The Insurance Information Institute says that people who are green-focused are less likely, for example, to neglect home maintenance, or smoke in bed — making them a lower insurance risk and that there is a “strong link in their behavior that reduces the risks of accidents and damage.”

It doesn’t appear that being green is just a fad either. In a recent survey of homeowners, as much as 75 percent said that they are more likely to buy a green home, or purchase green products in the coming years! If you are making an effort to be green, here are some incentives from insurance companies that you should contact us about today:

Travelers Insurance offers a 5 percent FL homeowners Insurance discount on green homes and provides additional expenses up to 10 percent of the loss amount (for homes without green features) to repair or rebuild with green methods and materials. Travelers Insurance defines “green” as “products, materials, methods, and processes that conserve natural resources, reduce energy or water consumption, avoid toxic or other polluting emissions or otherwise minimize the environmental impact
Farmers Insurance offers an eco-rebuild homeowners endorsement, which affords $25,000 for additional costs incurred to rebuild, repair, or replace damaged property with Energy Star-rated contents and materials. (The Environmental Protection Agency sponsors the Energy Star certification.) This endorsement also provides reimbursement for recycling debris rather than disposing of it.
Fireman’s Fund Insurance, a pioneer in this area, provides certified green dwelling coverage. Consumers with this coverage enjoy a 5 percent discount on their base premium.

It really is easy being green! How have you adapted green thinking? Leave us some of your tips below and we’ll share them!

Paying your Homeowner’s Insurance while in Foreclosure is the smart thing to do…

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Tonia Brewer

We are certainly not out of the woods yet, but certain economic indicators seem to be hinting at better times. Retail spending was up this past holiday season and, unemployment is coming down. Unfortunately, here in Florida we are still dealing with a very high rate of home foreclosures. Florida has consistently been among the Top 5 states with the highest foreclosures rate since the subprime mortgage mess exploded. The combination of speculative buying and rising consumer debt have resulted in thousands of homes being abandoned.

Many people are unable to make their mortgage payments and are sitting tight waiting for the foreclosure process to reach their door. Others are opting to walk away. Times are tough and we are all looking for ways to cut back. While it might be tempting, one bill you should not skip is your homeowners insurance policy. You could find yourself in a much worse situation by letting your policy lapse or not renew.

The foreclosure process can be quite lengthy and until it is completed, YOU are still liable for what happens on the property. Let’s say you are not living in, or maintaining the home, and the pool turns dark green and a child falls in and drowns… or, a tree from your yard falls on your neighbor’s house… You are responsible. Just because you are not paying your mortgage or maybe not even living there, does not absolve you of your accountability. Moreover, do not forget, the policy is in place to protect you and your belongings!

Another downside to not paying or renewing your homeowners insurance, is that the mortgage company could opt for a Force Placed policy that could cost you 4x the average rate. This policy (paid directly to the lender) only covers the remaining loan balance and lacks two things you need…liability, and, contents coverage. If you cannot afford to pay your insurance, here are some things that could be done to assist you:

Alter coverage’s
Raise deductibles.
If you are not living at the property, it might be possible to lower your liability insurance.

It can be expensive to reinstate insurance and some companies may even require you to pay a year’s premium upfront if you have lapsed. Don’t be stressed or embarrassed. You are not alone in this situation! Sun Insurance is here to assist you! Contact us today; we will help you do the right thing!

Are YOU ready to get out of Citizens?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Tonia Brewer

Citizens was designed to be the insurer for FL homeowners who have no other options, not for insurance agents who have no other options! Currently, Citizens is talking about increasing premiums, decreasing coverage’s, and non-renewing policies!

Did you know that as a Citizens policyholder:

If Citizens sustains a deficit as a result of hurricane losses (or any other reason), your policy could be subject to surcharges as high as 45% of your premium?
Despite what you may have been told, Citizens Property Insurance is not supported by the full faith and credit of the state of Florida?

Based on information we have received from Citizens, we believe you qualify for coverage with one of Florida’s most prestigious, stable, insurance companies, Tower Hill Insurance.

If you would like to talk about better coverage, premiums and service, than you currently have for your home, contact us today for a quote with Tower Hill!

Sun Insurance, we revolve around you…

Our SUNny agents are ready to treat you right!

Call us 866.786.4615

Allstate Removes Florida Homeowners Alarm Credits

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Dee Brandt

Earlier this week, WFTV reported that Castle Key, Allstate’s Florida insurance carrier, is removing the alarm credits from all of its homeowner’s policies. This change could result in an increase in premium of 10% – 20%. If you currently have a Florida h omeowner’s insurance policy with Allstate, check your renewal to see if your policy has been affected by this adjustment.

If you have been affected and would like to talk about better options, contact us today. As an independent insurance agency based in Orlando and serving all of Florida, we have access to dozens of homeowners’ carriers that have not removed the alarm credit…