When buying auto insurance in Council Bluffs, selecting the best Council Bluffs auto insurance agent for your needs takes more work than just randomly choosing from the yellow pages. We’re guessing that not only do you want a friendly agent, but you also want the best rates possible.
With State Farm, Allstate, Farmers and independent agents all competing for your business, it can be hard to know which provider will provide you with the best rates, service and coverage. To begin, consumers can use insurance quotes online to get a list of agents and thier coverage prices.
Car Insurance through a local Council Bluffs agent
Insurance agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. The best thing about getting online price quotes is you can get the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying from small agencies is definitely important in Council Bluffs.
For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, your insurance coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Council Bluffs who will compete for your business. You won’t need to leave your house since price quotes are sent to your email. How’s that for easy! It’s the lowest rates AND a local agent.
The type of auto insurance agent you choose is important
If you’re trying to find an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents from which to choose. Agents are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When searching for an agent, you should always include price quotes from several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. Most have the option of insuring with different regional companies which can save you money.
Below is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Council Bluffs that can give you pricing information.
- Oswald Agency Amer Family Ins – 2715 E Kanesville Blvd – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 329-3350
- Masters Financial and Insurance – 114 S 6th St – Council Bluffs, IA 51501 – (712) 325-0126
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 126 E Broadway # 1 – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 322-0251
- Home Agency Iowa – 100 E Broadway – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 325-0631
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents can only place business with one company and examples are American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They are unable to give you multiple price quotes so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captives are trained well in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers sometimes choose to use a captive agent mainly due to loyalty to the company and strong financial ratings.
The following is a short list of captive agencies in Council Bluffs that can give you price quote information.
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 126 E Broadway # 1 – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 322-0251
- Allstate Insurance – 1920 Rue St # 9 – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 322-6474
- American Family Insurance – 651 Simms Ave – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 323-1900
- State Farm Insurance – 600 E Pierce St – Council Bluffs, IA 51503 – (712) 328-3076
To view a full list of Council Bluffs captive agents, visit this site.
Picking an auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
Once you have good answers to your questions and an acceptable price quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to insure your vehicles.
Also keep in mind buying direct
Local insurance agents are a valuable resource, but you also have the option of buying from online companies direct. Some companies that are more known for using agents, also let you buy a policy online, and that can save time if the lowest rate is your goal.
If you’re concerned about not getting proper coverage when buying direct, don’t sweat it. Online car insurance companies that allow you to purchase coverage have customer service departments for answering any questions you have.
If you have the time, the only way to find out if prices are better online or from an agent is to make apples-to-apples comparisons of both. Lots of times people will get different prices using an online quote and an agent quote from the same insurance company. It’s not possible to know where you can get the lowest rates unless you get rate quotes for both.
Can buying online lower your premiums? Many people think so, but it’s hard to say for sure since there are many things that determine the price you pay. It would make sense to think that a shopper who purchases direct saves the cost of an agent commission. For the majority of companies, however, online and traditional media advertising are expensive and those expenses can offset most of the savings by selling direct.
In the end, you save
As you prepare to switch companies, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
Insureds who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as high prices, lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium and being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
More information can be read on the Iowa Insurance Division website located here. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read state legal mandates and laws, and discover disciplinary actions.
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