Question: What is the most efficient way to shop for both auto and home insurance? I know that major companies have websites for you to enter information or request someone to call you. I prefer not to have to repeat the same information to multiple people or websites. Also, to make things more complicated, it seems different companies handle home insurance differently, and give different discounts if you have both auto and home insurance with them.
Answer: Shopping for Scottsdale personal auto and home insurance is going to be what you make of it, and your experience will be influenced by which route you choose.
Input Your Information on Many Sites
As you mentioned, you can go to each carrier that you have heard of and input your information individually on each site. This would be time consuming as even at 15 minutes as is routinely advertised by GEICO, you’re spending a lot of time entering in information which doesn’t fit your efficiency requirement. To get even 5 quotes this way would take you over an hour just in entering your information.
One Site to Sell Your Information for Many Quotes
On the other end of the spectrum, you can go to a website that distributes your information to many insurance agents and input your information in once. This is an efficient use of your time, but your experience may or may not be a pleasant one. Because these lead generation websites mix in fake leads along with quality ones, insurance agents have become accustomed to calling the lead as quickly as possible to first make sure the lead is real and then gather as much information as possible to give an accurate quote. Depending upon the website that you choose, this could be anywhere from 1-12 agents calling and e-mailing you in a short period of time. It certainly is an efficient way of getting your information out there, but for those who have experienced it, the experience can be less than satisfying.
Independent Agents
Lastly, you can work with an independent insurance agent/broker like Smart Move Insurance in Scottsdale, AZ who represents many companies to find you the best coverage and rate available. Depending upon the number of markets they represent, there could be a lot of carriers competing for your business and the independent broker will do the shopping for you. In addition to not having to input your information more than once, an experienced broker will understand the differences between carriers and all of the tricks found in each carrier’s website. This route can be both efficient and a pleasant experience, as long as you find the right agent to work with.
Know what you want to accomplish for the Most Efficient Route
Just as there are carriers you will not have access to without working through an agent, there are some that work independent of agents so it’s important that you know what kind of carrier you want to work with and what type of experience you are looking for regarding your insurance. By first knowing what the end result is that you wish to accomplish, you can choose the right way to efficiently shop for home and Scottsdale auto insurance.
