When shopping for auto insurance, you have many choices and finding the best Oregon insurance agency is not as easy as just making a phone call. It’s assumed you’re not only searching for a competent insurance agent, but you also want to find the lowest possible price.
With American Family, Allstate, State Farm and Farmers all competing for business in Gresham, it’s hard to tell which will give you the lowest rates and best service. Thankfully, you can use online quotes in order to build a list of insurance agents to choose from.
How to compare Gresham auto insurance rates
Licensed agents can answer important questions and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain better rates but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is definitely important in Gresham.
After completing this simple form, the coverage information is immediately sent to companies in Gresham who will give you bids to get your business. You never need to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How’s that for easy! You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Captive or Independent: There is a difference
When finding a reliable agent, there are a couple of different agency structures that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are either independent or captive.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparison shopping, we recommend you get quotes from multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
Below is a list of independent insurance agencies in Gresham who can help you get comparison quotes.
Western Insurance and Financial – 1217 NE Burnside Rd # 204 – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 661-0900
Country Insurance and Financial – 1042 NW Norman Ave # 210 – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 492-2228
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents have only one company to place business with and examples are Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. They receive extensive training on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.
The following are Gresham captive insurance agents willing to provide comparison quotes.
Farmers Insurance Group – 638 N Main Ave – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 546-3792
State Farm Insurance – 135 NW 1st St – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 665-3111
Allstate Insurance – 21721 SE Stark St – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 665-5125
American Family Insurance – 1217 NE Burnside Rd # 703 – Gresham, OR 97030 – (503) 491-9441
For a full directory of auto insurance agents in Gresham, please view this page.
Picking an insurance agent should depend on more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Oregon?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
After receiving good answers to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide auto insurance.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Oregon?
- Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
- Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Oregon?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Gresham?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an agent.
Online companies can help you save
Auto insurance agents are important, but you can also find affordable Oregon auto insurance directly from online companies. Certain companies, such as State Farm, Allstate and Farmers, who have local Gresham agents also give you the ability to buy a policy online, and that is helpful.
If you’re apprehensive about not receiving proper advice when buying car insurance direct, that shouldn’t be an issue. Online companies give you access to trained agents for getting advice on proper coverages. You may also access a frequently asked questions page that can help answer basic questions.
Does buying online save money? Many people think so, but it’s hard to say for sure because there are so many things that influence the price you pay. Common sense would say that going direct reduces premiums because there is no agent. But that assumption is generally incorrect because advertising and marketing take a lot of money and that can quickly cost more than paying an agent.
When trying to find the best rates, the only way to determine who has the best deal, local agents or online insurance companies, is to compare price quotes from both. It’s not unheard of to actually get different prices when quoting both agents prices and online prices returned by the same company.
Quote often and quote early
When you buy insurance online, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at the best price.
Consumers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including questionable increases in premium, unfair underwriting practices, poor customer service and delays in paying claims. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching auto insurance companies is actually quite simple.
More information is located on the website for the Oregon Insurance Division located here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, find out industry alerts, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Also read more on Wikipedia and this list of insurance agents in Gresham.
