Today I chose who I will be using for my home and car insurance. After making inquiries into a few insurers I got a pretty good idea of what rates were for the house I want to buy. I was also surprised by how some agents (including my current car insurance agent) weren’t interested in giving me a quote. Don’t you want new business? I guess not, because my car insurance agent that I’ve had since I was 16 never got back to me. Oh well, his loss.

I reviewed the quotes provided by the agents who felt I was worth their time an once I got the coverage the same (initial quotes were a best guess on what I’d want covered) they were within a few dollars of each other. That said, getting the coverage the same wasn’t always possible. Two things that aren’t covered by a standard home policy are sinkhole coverage and sewer backup. I personally know someone who had sewage back up into her basement and it’s not something I’d ever want to endure, let alone have to pay for, so that was a must. Also, anyone who lives in the Lehigh Valley knows that the entire region is on top of a huge bed of limestone so sink holes are a very real possibility. Strangely some insurance companies just don’t offer sink hole coverage, so anyone who couldn’t do that was immediately out.

With the dollar amounts between insurance companies very close it really came down to reputation and how the agent made me feel. The cheapest may save a few dollars, but if you don’t get quality service, is that small savings really worth it? As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. With multiple unprompted positive comments about Erie insurance, that pushed me in their direction and after my own interactions with her over the past few years along with my formal inquiry for a quote, it was very easy to choose to work with Hosfeld Insurance. Donna and her staff were professional, yet easy to talk with and I was comfortable the entire time I worked through getting a quote tailored to my needs. I’ll be heading over on Monday morning to finalize all of the paperwork and in the end it will cost me less to insure my new home and my car than it has been costing me to cover just my car with my old insurer.

With three weeks left until closing, there really isn’t anything else for me to do except wait. It’s frustrating, but I’m confident that the things that are out of my hands are going well. My Realtor spoke with the bank today and everything is moving along with the mortgage approval. It’s like waiting for Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to show up on the same day. I’m beyond anxious and can’t wait for September 30th to get here.