We know car insurance in Florida can take a big chunk out of your budget. Choosing an independent insurance agency like Lakewood Financial is one way to get the best deal—our agents are experts in the local insurance market and we represent dozens of great standard and non-standard car insurance companies. We’re committed to helping you find low-cost car insurance—but there’s something you can do to help us do that.
Information please
To give you the most accurate rate, your Lakewood Financial insurance agent will need some information from you. We keep all your personal information confidential, but we do need certain details in order to give you a quote. Taking a few minutes to compile this information will help us to serve you better.
Here are some things we’ll need:
- Make, model, and year of all vehicles to be insured.
- VIN numbers of vehicles.
- Names and ages of all drivers in household. If you have a teen driver in the household, does the student driver maintain a 3.0 grade average? You might qualify for a discount. Also let your agent know if your young driver is living away at school, whether or not he or she took a car with them.
- Driving record information for each driver. Agents will pull reports that show claims and violations, but be sure to tell your agent if there is anything new not on record yet.
- Your current insurance coverage and limits if you already have insurance. You can find this information on the declarations page (“dec page”) of your current auto policy. This helps us quote the same coverage you are currently carrying so you get a fair cost comparison.
- Your insurance history: how long you’ve been insured overall, and how long you’ve been with your current company. Discounts are available for maintaining continuous coverage.
- Your address, where vehicles are kept when you’re not driving. Your location can affect your premium.
- How much you drive. If you’re working from home now and putting very few miles on your car, let your agent know. There are insurance companies that will reward you for that.
- Any business use of your vehicles. If you use your vehicle in your work, drive for a ride share service (Uber/Lyft), or deliver pizza, you’ll need a commercial auto policy. Don’t just assume a commercial policy will cost you more. Ask your agent if you have questions.
- If your vehicle has any of the newest special safety features, like automatic emergency braking, lane-assist, or blind spot detection. While many safety features are now standard and insurance companies account for that, some are not yet common and might earn you a small discount.
Communication with your agent is key. If you don’t or can’t give your agent full and accurate information, he or she cannot give you the most accurate quote. It often backfires if you hide things from your agent because you think you’ll get a cheaper rate. It could cost more in the long run because you could be charged an additional premium, or you might have a claim denied. If your agent had the most accurate information to start with, he or she likely could have placed you with an insurance company more appropriate for your needs.
Your neighborhood insurance agency
The agents of Lakewood Financial call the Sarasota/Bradenton/Lakewood Ranch area home, too, and we take pride in being able to help our neighbors with their insurance needs. Remember, even though we represent many quality insurance companies, we really work for you. If you need a car insurance quote—or information on another type of insurance coverage—please give us a call at 941-747-4600 or contact us online. Thank you for giving us the chance to serve you!
Lakewood Insurance also offers commercial auto policies, homeowners and renters insurance, health insurance, Medicare Advantage plans, and real estate investors policies.