Fire Insurance

 It's devastating to see fires rip through a neighborhood like this. Lives may be lost and families will struggle with this trauma for many years. It was not too long ago that we experienced something like this in Oregon. 

When the fire burned through the Santiam Canyon in 2020, one of my customers called me as they were being evacuated. They asked me how much coverage they had, thinking that they might need to file a claim. I thought for sure they would lose their home. 

Here are the coverages we talked about:

• Dwelling- This is the amount the insurance company will pay if you have a total loss. This is often confused with Market Value but the dwelling coverage pays to rebuild the part of the house that you live in.
• Personal Property- This coverage pays for the things like furniture, clothing and appliances that are not built into the home. 
• Separate Structures- This is for fences, sheds, retaining walls, hot tubs, etc, that are not attached to the dwelling. 
• Loss of Use- This is money to help you pay for a place to live while your home is unlivable and being repaired.

Most people nowadays have this policy information online or in an app on their phones. You may not think to look for your insurance documents if you are being evacuated, so having this information on your phone is handy. At least have your insurance agent's number on there like my customers did. 

Fortunately, my customer's home was spared by the forest fire.  

Insurance Office Open On Saturdays

Your busy weekday schedule might make it difficult to meet with a licensed insurance agent. That's why we are open on Saturdays, to help you get coverage on your time. You can come into the office or give us a call at 503-967-6734.

Our office is at:

3853 River Rd N, Keizer, OR 97303

Open from noon to 5p

We write Home, Auto, Life and Business insurance. We service Oregon, Washington and California. See you soon. CA License #: 4140181

Auto Insurance Coverage- Property Damage Liability

Let's say you crash into a 2020 Tesla, how much will your insurance pay if it's totaled? According to a CarGuru.com valuation, a Model 3 of that year is worth about $63,000 at the time of this posting. Auto insurance normally pays Actual Cash Value.

Your Property Damage Liability is the amount your insurance company will pay to the owner of that Tesla. If you don't have enough coverage, you may have to pay the difference. 

It may not be another car that you hit. It could be a streetlight, a building, a sign, a road barrier, etc. Those aren't cheap, either. Check the amount of Property Damage coverage that you have on your auto insurance policy and ask yourself, "Is that enough?"

Auto Insurance Coverage- Bodily Injury Liability

"Why are there two numbers?" That's a common question I hear from customers as they inquire about their auto coverages. This is your Bodily Injury Liability(BI) and it might look like one of these on your auto policy:

• $25,000/$50,000
• $50,000/$100,000
• $100,000/$300,000
• $250,000/$500,000

This coverage pays for injuries that you caused to someone else. Medical bills of the other driver or pedestrian that you hit, for instance. 

The first of the two numbers is the limit your insurance company will pay for any one person that is hurt. The second number is the total your insurance company will pay for everyone who you hurt in the accident. 

The state minimum in Oregon, at the time of this post, is $25,000/$50,000. To legally drive your car in Oregon, that is the minimum amount of Bodily Injury Liability insurance you must have on your policy. 

It's easy to imagine that $25,000 would not be enough money if you caused a major accident. If you can afford to pay for more coverage, you should. 

 

Farmers Insurance Agent in Salem and Keizer, Oregon

Seven years ago, I was standing out in the rain, covering car accidents and house fires, working for a Portland TV station. It was an amazing career where I got to travel around Oregon and tell people's stories through video. Today, I'm in a dry heated office with a bathroom across the hall. Boring right? No way, I'm having the time of my life helping people with their insurance needs. Lessons I learned from meeting folks from all walks of life and seeing tragedy and triumph up close for over 20 years has helped me become a better insurance agent. 

I'm going to use this space to talk about insurance and promote my business. I write insurance policies for a lot of things including: 

• Homes
• Autos
• Life
• Business
• Earthquake
• Flood
• Motorcycles
• Recreational Vehicles
• Travel Trailers
• Boats
• Jet Skies
• Snowmobiles
• Events

I want to write insurance for you. Go to my web page: https://agents.farmers.com/gcorridori or call me at 503-967-6734. I will show you how to make your insurance work for you.