Beware of The Insurance Onion – What You Don’t Know Stinks and Will Make you Cry
When we discuss personal insurance we’re discussing the insurance that protects your home, your cars, your boat, your motorhome, umbrella policies and even the extras like your jewelry, antiques, etc. Most of us have coverage we bought because an insurance agent recommended it – but do we really understand what we have? I know I don’t! Experience shows that what you don’t know can definitely make you cry! Kim Marshall, top Pinellas Luxury Insurance Agent with Carlisle Fields in Clearwater Florida is our Personal Insurance Chef. She skillfully peels back the layers of the Insurance Policy Onions (especially our Homeowners) for us so we can make informed choices and not have any unwanted surprises and find ourselves crying when we least expect. I love surprises, I just don’t want them when it comes to finding out my home or my family don’t have the financial coverage or protection we thought we did. Kim takes a consultative approach to educating her clients, explaining all the layers of insurance onion and her Insurance Recipe (her recommendation) is tailored to each individual’s needs. This is why she’s our Personal Insurance Chef
The Home Insurance Dish with Kim Marshall
We are pleased to announce that Kim will be a frequent guest here on Sandbars to Sunsets and she will continue peel back the different layers of the Insurance Onion and dish out the straight scoop on Clearwater Florida Home Owners Insurance. Kim will also answer the Insurance questions we hear most often and will keep us posted on what is new on the Insurance Menu and what’s changing with regards to home owners insurance in the Tampa Bay area. The Florida Legislature continues to work with the insurance industry to address the need for improved home owner insurance options. We sat down with Kim today and discussed Onion Layer #1 – The New “fine print” in many home owners insurance policies today that means you don’t have sinkhole coverage. It’s often these little changes that can be overlooked or misunderstood and can cause Clearwater home owners a get costly education down the road.
Onion Peel #1 – Are You Really Covered for Sink Holes in Florida – Understanding the Fine Print?
In the video interview below our Clearwater Home Insurance Agent explains that many Clearwater residents have policies that only cover their home if it’s “swallowed” by the earth and it won’t cover the cracks and damage that often occurs with local sinkholes (like in Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Hudson and New Port Richey). It reminds me of a TV commercial out right now where the guy asks if he’s covered for a recent car accident and the lady responds – Oh you would have been but you bought the policy that only covers if your name is Al on your drivers license, not Alexander, not Alex, etc.(paraphrasing from what I remember) – it’s entertaining – and it points out the problem – in this case “Al” comes from Alexander and the guy could also go by “Alex” – yet if it isn’t an exact match – he’s not covered. The irony is most of us just trust our insurance agent to be the expert, like Kim Marshall, and to recommend the right options since we don’t even know all the options and the associated ramifications. Now working with Kim we’ll learn more about what we already have and if we’ve got the protections we need. If you’re like me, I want to know now not when I need it and all I get are tissues for my tears. Kim Marshall, Specializing in Waterfront and Luxury Home Owners Insurance explains the different “sinking” options:
Let me know what Home Insurance Question would you like her to tackle next?
[flv]https://sandbarstosunsets.com/videos/homeinsurance10507/MVI_3774.flv[/flv]
Cyndee Haydon is a Waterfront Real Estate Specialist and Broker Associate (BK3142780) with over 20 years of full-time experience in Pinellas County Gulf Beach communities. She has helped more than 450 buyers and sellers and closed over $230M in waterfront homes, beach condos, and short-term rental properties across Clearwater Beach, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Redington Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Madeira Beach, Treasure Island, and St. Pete Beach. Cyndee specializes in waterfront and short-term rental “going concern” sales, with more than 90 STR transactions, and brings deep experience with1031 exchanges, flood zones, insurance exposure, permitted use, and regulations that directly affect value and long-term ownership. She holds the CLHMS, RSPS, and CRS designations.