Are Solar Panels Covered On My Homeowner’s Insurance?

It depends…Here’s how it works with Allstate in the state of Washington.

If you are looking at getting Solar Panels for your home, there are a few things that you need to think about first.

How you attach them to your home makes a big difference!

Attached

If the panels will be permanently attached to your home, then they would be covered under your dwelling coverage. If you are adding the solar panels after your policy has been written, make sure that you talk to your agent to increase the dwelling coverage.

Detached

If they are going to be standalone panels, such as set up in the yard, then they would be covered under the “other structures” coverage, such as your detached garage. Most policies include an automatic 10% of what the dwelling amount is for other structures. It’s a good idea to verify that you have enough coverage.

Portable

If you are going to have portable panels, those would be covered under your contents coverage, like your furniture and belongings.

If you are considering solar panels and want to make sure that you are covered correctly, please give us a call at Matt Elwood’s Allstate Agency at 360-452-9200. 

Your Insurance Financial Plan

Do you have a financial plan? Many of these plans include a family budget, savings for emergencies, retirement savings, and….insurance! 

There are many important parts to having a strong financial plan. Let’s review!

Protect Your Stuff

This is usually what comes to mind when you think of insurance. Fixing your car after an accident, or replacing your belongings after a loss. When setting up your financial plan, or reviewing it, you want to make sure that your assets are covered. Those would be your cars, home(s), jewelry or artwork, boats, motorcycles, ATV’s, etc. Make sure that you have full replacement cost coverage and that your deductible is reasonable. (These details we can explain.)

Protect Your Money

Liability is extremely important, but can be misunderstood. If you were to be in an at-fault accident, your assets and money are at risk! For example, what would happen if you or your teenager were involved in an accident and got sued? What if you didn’t have enough liability insurance? Making sure you have enough coverage can make sure this doesn’t happen! We look at what your assets are (i.e. home, car) and create a plan that best suits you and your needs. 

Protect Your Family

Belongings can be replaced, but how do we make sure your family is protected? The best way to make sure your family is covered is with good life and disability insurance! If something were to happen to you, would your family be able to pay off debt, pay for college and be able to live on their wages? We can craft a plan to make sure that everything that is important to you is covered. 

This may seem like a lot to take in, and we understand. At Matt Elwood’s Allstate Agency we strive to take the stress off of your shoulders. You can trust us to take care of you! Call us at 360-452-9200 to schedule a financial planning review with our agent, Matt!

Life Insurance is Affordable

September is Life Insurance Awareness month. You have probably seen media advertisements and articles talking about why this coverage is so important all month long. And you probably already know it’s important. But that doesn’t mean you have your policy set up yet!

Life insurance is the perfect way to make sure your family is covered financially if you aren’t able to care for them anymore. The best part is we can tailor it to your needs. 

The Life Foundation says that only 62% of people who believe they need life insurance actually have it. And even those that have insurance only carry enough to replace their income for 3.6 years. If you have young children to support, that is simply not enough time! And if you are skipping life coverage all together, then you are putting your family at risk. 

Why do so many people wait too long to purchase life insurance? The Life Foundation says that 86% of Americans say they haven’t purchased their policies because it’s “too expensive”, yet studies show they overestimate the cost by more than DOUBLE!

Life Insurance rates are based on a number of factors, such as: age, health conditions and smoking status. By purchasing when you are younger and being a non-smoker, you can save a considerable amount of money. Actually, many term life policies are less than $30 a month!

We recommend calling our office at 360-452-9200 to make an appointment with our life insurance specialist, Matt Elwood. Make sure to bring information such as annual income, as well as any debts (like your mortgage). We will give you an idea of how much coverage you will need, as well as different ways to make it fit your budget. You can always drop by our office at 707 East Front Street in Port Angeles and start your conversation about life insurance. 

Allstate Insurance Agent Receives National Recognition

Jorgen Goller, left, presenting Matt Elwood, right, with the Allstate Honor Ring for his outstanding efforts in 2014. 

Matt Elwood of Allstate Insurance in Port Angeles accepts a national award from Allstate Field Sales Leader, Jorgen Goller. The level of “Honor Ring” was awarded to Matt for his agency’s extraordinary efforts in 2014. For more than 60 years, the Honor Ring has been Allstate’s symbol of outstanding achievement and honorees whom have proven to be champions in serving Allstate customers and growing their agencies. 

“The award is a tremendous honor and represents all the hard work our agency does in serving our customers and community every day,” says Elwood. 

The Matt Elwood Allstate Agency is ranked in the top 1% of Allstate agencies countrywide for customer satisfaction. Matt’s office is located at 707 E Front in Port Angeles and can be reached at 360-452-9200.

How Does An Accident or Ticket Affect Your Insurance?

Questions like this come up all the time. Tickets and accidents can affect your auto insurance a great deal. 

When you get a ticket or are involved in an at fault accident, these will be reported to your driving record which can affect your premium. 

Tickets and accidents can remain on your insurance for 3-5 years. 

At Matt Elwood’s Allstate Agency, we strive to help you save money and make sure you are covered. We offer our Platinum Package, which includes Accident Forgiveness and a Safe Driving Bonus check every 6 months as long you don’t have an accident. 

Depending on the type of ticket, you may be able to get enrolled in a Defensive Drivers class, and have the ticket removed from your record and policy. This decision is up to the court. 

If your rates do go up, call us and we can make sure you are taking advantage of all discounts available to you to offset the increase. 

One way to make sure you are taking advantage of your discounts is to bring all of your insurance to one company. Another way of saving money is to raise your deductibles for a while so you pay more when an accident occurs but pay less each month. 

Have questions? We’re here to help! Just give us a call at 360-452-9200 or visit our agency at 707 East Front Street in Port Angeles and we can assist you with your insurance questions. 

Car Insurance For Teenagers

Is your teenager excited about getting his/her license? Are you absolutely terrified?

You have plenty of things on your mind about your newly licensed driver, but your insurance should not be one of them. We have many options to keep you and your child covered, but to also keep your premiums low. 

When purchasing a vehicle for your teenager there are a few things to consider. When having comprehensive and collision coverages on your vehicle, the premiums are higher. If you were to buy a vehicle that is older you have the choice of not buying these coverages. 

Comprehensive covers damage to your vehicle outside of a collision accident, such as a rock chip to your windshield or if you were to hit a deer. Collision covers to repair or replace your vehicle if you have an at-fault accident. You have the choice of both, one or none of these coverages.

We also have discounts to take advantage of including DriveWise®, Smart Student and Allstate eSmart. With Port Angeles High School starting on September 3rd, it’s a great time to talk to your teen about setting up an incentive plan to make sure they keep up those grades, which in turn will keep your premiums low!

While you are out shopping for vehicles, we can help you weigh the cost and risk of the vehicles you are looking at. Just give us a call with the year and the VIN # and we can give you a price estimate.

Still have questions? Please call our Agency at 360-452-9200 or visit us at 707 East Front Street, Port Angeles, WA to review your policy and help you manage the cost of having a teen driver.