Seaside Safety: Jacksonville Insurance
Once a year, there’s a rivalry that divides Jacksonville as clearly as the St. John’s River. When the Gators and Bulldogs roll into town, they bring The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party with them. When it’s all said and done, everyone-well, almost everyone-knows it was just fun and games. Jacksonville insurance is a different story. You may feel some inner turmoil about spending for great Florida insurance coverage, especially if you find Jacksonville insurance quotes that don’t fit your budget. But in the end, there’s only one side to take if you want to keep your life as steady as the Treaty Oak.
Jacksonville Home Insurance
At the turn of the last century, it took just eight hours to leave 10,000 Jacksonville residents homeless. The Great Fire of 1901 was in fact the worst fire disaster in an urban area in the entire Southeast. The city is more prepared now-but are you? A basic Florida home insurance policy covers fire damage (along with wind damage, theft, and other “normal” dangers), but also covers your home’s contents at about 50% of the home’s value. Is this enough? Most of your fellow residents choose an HO-3 policy, which costs about $1,386 per year. Spend some money on smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and maybe a sprinkler system. You might save $190 or more a year, and thus make up those extra expenditures in no time at all.
The Mighty Winds
If you do an online search, or even flip through an old almanac, and you might notice that Jacksonville has received only one direct hit from a hurricane since 1871. Compared to a lot of Florida, that seems pretty safe. You may decide that you don’t need more comprehensive coverage, but at minimum, check your policy to make sure you understand how much you’ll be compensated for wind damage. It’s wise to consider expanded coverage for the contents of your home past the basic level. This doesn’t add a great deal of cost to your Jacksonville insurance quotes, relative to the benefit. Also, make sure you’re covered against any flood waters that might result from hurricane rains. Flood policies are completely separate from a home insurance policy, as they are under FEMA regulations.
Car Insurance Requirements
Once you’re behind the wheel in Jacksonville, you’re subject to Sunshine State law. To drive, you must buy the following policies: $10,000 in property damage liability and $10,000 in personal injury protection. These Florida auto insurance laws are actually pretty lenient standards compared to most of the country; drivers are definitely advised to investigate numerous Jacksonville insurance quotes to see how much it will cost to get enhanced coverage, particularly for bodily injury liability.
Get Creative
For example, the annual premium for a 42-year-old Jacksonville man to insure his 2005 Honda Accord, which he drives eight miles one way to work, would be about $1,238 for the state minimum coverage. This might seem a little expensive for someone staying within the Duval County lines, so he should consider some options to turn up lower Jacksonville insurance quotes. Perhaps the public transport system is inadequate, so he decides to carpool with his 39-year-old wife. And then he adds her to his policy, with just one car. The result? They could end up paying less to cover both of them driving the Accord.
Practice Smart Driving
It’s not always so easy to simply add another driver and save money. There are many things you need to consider when searching for lower Jacksonville insurance quotes. One is insurance history. Let’s say the man’s wife from the preceding example let her insurance lapse for over a month, since she was counting on carpooling with him. If they then look for a new premium, they can expect to spend at least $200 more. And generally speaking, the key to low-priced premiums is a clean driving record. If you’re caught once driving 16-20 miles per hour over the speed limit, you’ll add $150 or more to your annual cost. In this way, car insurance is just like any other Jacksonville insurance quotes: if you seem like someone an insurer can depend on, you’ll spend less. Take the initiative and turn to NetQuote.com to compare offers for you. It’s the kind of reasonable decision that would make Andrew Jackson proud-and will save you money on home insurance, car insurance, and more.
