R&R Insurance Blog

Buying a new home for the first time can be a very scary experience if you don’t know how to prepare yourself for some of the difficult issues that can come up during the process. If you are thinking of buying a new home asking yourself these 7 questions can be a good way to avoid speed bumps further along in the process:

1. How is my current credit score?
Credit score can be a big factor in whether or not you have the ability to purchase a home. If you do not have a good credit score, it will be more difficult to receive a loan for your new home.

See also: How to Raise your Credit Score 100 Points in 45 Days

2. What does my savings account currently look like?
You should always have a considerable amount of savings put aside for home emergencies when you are a home owner. These funds should be reserved for emergency home fixes, such as a broken water heater, or a flooded basement.

3. Have I considered all of the costs that come with purchasing a home?
There are many additional costs that come with purchasing a home. In addition to your mortgage payments and taxes on your home, you should account about 1-4% of your home’s value for maintenance each year.

4. How secure do I feel in my current job?
Because of the added costs I mentioned above, you should get into a stable and secure career before purchasing a home. A loss of income could mean foreclosure on your home in this economy. You should also ask yourself: how will I pay my mortgage if I lose my job?

5. Am I committed to the location and surrounding area that the home is located in?
If you don’t like the location of your home and the surrounding area, you won’ t feel strongly tied to the home. Check out the surrounding school systems if you plan on having children. Try the local restaurants and see which stores and attractions are nearby. Checking this out before you purchase a home can have a large impact on which home you ultimately decide to purchase.

6. How long do I plan on living in the home?
Purchasing a home should be considered a long-term investment. If you are looking to live in one place for only a few years, home buying may not be the best option for you. Typically, a homeowner should stay in their home for at least five to seven years before reselling the home. When thinking about this question take into consideration the following:

• Will I be changing jobs anytime soon?
• Do I want to start a family, and how big do I want that family to be?
• Am I going to get married (or divorced)?
• What other types of unknowns may occur within the next 5-10 years?

7. Am I mentally prepared to be a homeowner?
There are additional factors to consider other than just the financial aspect of buying a house. You should be emotionally as well as financially invested in purchasing a home. If your heart isn't in it, it may not be the right time to buy. Owning a home is akin to being in a “long-term relationship” that has no easy way out. It will be a painful and drawn out process to resell the home once you have purchased it, so make sure you are ready for the long term commitment.

So now you're ready to purchase your home? Congratulations! (Don't forget to speak to your knowledgebroker about having the proper insurance coverage!)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

Staying organized has always been a struggle for many homeowners, especially when it comes to keeping homes up to date on safety issues, cleaning, and ensuring that their homes are safe year round. Well fear the disorganized chaos no more, because I have a checklist for you!

The following link provides a great tool for keeping yourself organized, and your home clean and safe on a month-to-month basis.

http://www.womenhacks.com/homemaking/homeowners-yearly-checklist/

This list provides a number of helpful hints on when to clean and check on certain items in your home. The list is printable, which makes it easy to hang on the refrigerator, or someplace you wont forget! I have already used some of these great hints around my own apartment!

So click on the link above and become the organized homeowner you have always dreamed of being!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

There comes a time when we all have to buy a used car, and it seems that every used car comes with baggage. That being said, you should always thoroughly inspect a used car that you intend to buy. There are 6 major aspects of a used car that are important to inspect, both inside and outside the car.

Before you get in the car, take a look at:

1. The Tires
New tires can be expensive, so you should check to make sure that there is no unusual wear and tear on the tires. Inquire to the seller when was the last time they replaced the tires. You can also double check this by looking at the miles to see if they match the wear on the tires. For example, if the car has low miles, but the tires are very worn down, it could indicate that the tires came from another car or the odometer is incorrect. Neither of these situations is ideal.

2. The Paint Job
The main thing you should be looking for is rust. Rust is fairly easy to spot if you look closely for it. Also look for waves or ripples in the paint, this should indicate that a paint job was done on the car. Another giveaway that a paint job was done is sticky residue from paint tape where the body panels meet. If there appears to be a paint job done, you should ask the owner why there was a paint job done. The car could have been in an accident.

3. Under the Hood
There are three things under the hood that you should be checking when buying a used car. First, check the engine to make sure that there are no cracks or leaks anywhere. Next, check all fluids in the car using by checking the dipsticks. You should also ask the seller when they last refilled their fluids/got an oil change. Finally, you should check that all of the hoses and belts are in good condition. This means making sure that there are no cracks in the rubber or that the hose is not too soft.

Get behind the wheel and take a look at:

4. The Dashboard
Check over the dashboard to make sure that no engine lights or other problematic lights come on. If there are lights flashing on the dashboard, ask the seller about them. Also check out the odometer. You shouldn’t buy a used car with too many miles, or you will end up putting even more money into fixing the car. However, if you are looking for a very cheap car and there is nothing initially wrong with the car, high miles on a car may not be of concern to you.

5. The Mechanics
Make sure all the “extras” in the car work. This means checking the lights, windshield wipers, the windshield wiper fluid, air conditioning, etc. works in the car. The brake lights and head lights are especially important to check, as they could be a safety hazard if not working properly. Air conditioning and heat may not be a priority for some buyers, but you may need these things to de-fog or de-frost your windshield during those cold Wisconsin mornings. The windshield wipers and windshield fluid is very important because they are a safety hazard if they do not work. It will be difficult to drive your car through a thunderstorm without them!

6. The Brakes
This is the most important aspect about the interior of the car to check. Ask the seller if you can test drive the car to test the brakes. Chances are if they say no to a test drive, you don’t want to be buying this car anyways. Check to make sure the regular brakes and the emergency brake works also. No, this doesn’t mean you can drift a car while on a test drive. Try parking on a hill and engage the emergency brake.

If you check all 6 of these things when buying a used car you should definitely still bring the car to a mechanic to check over the vehicle. Sometimes it takes an expert’s eye to catch something that may be wrong with the car. Take the car to a mechanic that you can trust. Happy used car shopping!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

Transportation has changed quite a bit in the past decade, particularly in the taxi industry. With the rising prices of taxis and other public transportation, rideshare services like Lyft, Uber, and Sidecar have changed the transportation industry. Unfortunately, any changes in the transportation can also mean new dangers for passengers.

Ridesharing is a convenient service where drivers that live in a certain geographical area will drive their own cars to pick up clients. Clients use the company’s app to request a driver to their location. The drivers will then get a notification on their cell phones telling them when and where to pick up the client. These drivers originally used their own insurance for their vehicles because the vehicles were primarily for personal use.

This became a serious problem for both the drivers and the clients they were picking up. Personal auto insurance has an exclusion of coverage for any delivery that a vehicle is making. This means that when a driver is giving someone a ride for any type of profit, their vehicle is not covered by their personal insurance. If a driver were to get in an accident with a client in the vehicle the driver is susceptible to a lawsuit, and there is no coverage for any medical expenses from the accident. Accidents were happening quite frequently due to the fact that many drivers were using cell phones while driving to get notifications for clients. (See related article: Distracted Driving Causes 8,000 Accidents Every Single Day!)

Only recently did certain companies require commercial vehicle insurance for drivers. There are also some states that require this as well, though not all states require this.

If you are considering using any rideshare company for transportation, be sure to check on the following things:

1. Make sure the company requires its drivers to have commercial vehicle insurance.
2. Tell the driver when you get in that you do not condone driving and cell phone use at the same time. The driver should not be on his or her phone while you are in the car.

If you are thinking of becoming a Rideshare driver, check with your potential employer on the following aspects of your job:

1. What kind insurance, if any, do they provide for their drivers?
2. If you need a certain type of insurance, where can you get the insurance from?
3. What are the specifications needed for the insurance?

If you verify all of these questions with the company or your driver, you can get to where you need to go, save money, and stay safe!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the author: Lauren is an R&R Insurance intern learning about the insurance industry through sales and service experiences.

Annual revenue record set by October P&C and Benefits

Top 100 P&C agency

Website award

WELCOA award

Snyder acquistion

And it's only October!

According to Forbes, every 34 seconds, a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash and more than a third of children killed in crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. Car seats, car restraints, and seat belts are required by law in the state of Wisconsin.

What you need to know about car seats:

1. Car Seats have an expiration date. Usually 5-6 years from the date it was manufactured unless stated otherwise. Manufactured dates can be found on a label usually on the underside or back of the car seat. Sometimes, do not use after dates are printed into the plastic of the seats.
2. Car seats are only crash tested once. So, if your car seat has been in use during a crash, you should replace the car seat for the safety of your child.
3. It's important to turn in your car seat's warranty card because this will allow the car seat manufacturer to notify you if there are any recalls or other problems with the car seat you own. You can verify your car seat was not recalled by going to the Seat Check Website http://www.seatcheck.org

For more information you can check out one of these sites:

• Safe Kids Worldwide Website http://www.safekids.org
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Website http://www.nhtsa.gov
• Seat Check Website http://www.seatcheck.org
• Online Sunshine http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/