Improve Your Winter Driving Skills

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You should always be looking to improve your driving skills. As you drive throughout Washington, you may experience snow, ice, and even freezing rain. There are ways for you to improve your skills so that you can navigate the road in a more expert way, and reduce the chance of being involved in an accident.

One of the most important things to do to improve your driving skills is to have the right equipment. This includes having snow tires on your car. If you have 4-wheel drive, it can help with your traction, but don’t depend on it for everything. You still need to exercise caution when it comes to taking turns as well as braking.

Another thing you want to do is stock your car with supplies. This includes gloves and a hat, jumper cables, as well as a shovel. A flashlight can also be helpful if you encounter a problem at night.

Watch what is going on as you drive. Don’t look at the car in front of you only – look several feet ahead. There may be an animal getting ready to cross the road or there may be shadows from buildings or billboards that could be hiding a patch of ice.

Approximately 80% of collisions can be avoided simply by being more alert. Be ready for anything. By not following too closely, you can make sure you have enough room to brake without hitting the car in front of you, too.

At Linda Dugan Insurance, we can help you to find an affordable auto insurance policy in Longview, Washington. Call and speak to one of our agents today so we can answer questions you have, provide you with more winter driving skills, and get quotes from some of the top insurance companies in the state.

 

How To Decide On Home Liability Coverage

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Deciding on home liability coverage in Washington can be difficult. You want to make sure that you have sufficient coverage so that you don’t spend a fortune of your own money in the event someone gets injured on your property. You are the homeowner and therefore you are often held liable if someone slips and falls, burns themselves, or potentially even dies.

There is a significant amount of expenses that can be incurred. These include:

  • Legal costs
  • Medical bills
  • Pain and suffering
  • Death benefits
  • Lost wages

You don’t want to be responsible for all of these expenses on your own. It is easier to have them encompassed within home liability coverage, which is part of your homeowner’s insurance policy. When you purchase your homeowner’s policy, you can determine what level of coverage you have in place for home liability. This is going to involve working with an independent insurance agent who can guide you through all of the options.

You can choose to add various scenarios where home liability coverage will take care of the incident. This can include basic negligence as well as if someone were to leave your property inebriated and get into an accident.

As the homeowner, you can be held responsible for all sorts of incidents and the financial repercussions can be astounding. You can increase the limits as high as you want to minimize the chance of having to pay out-of-pocket. You can also choose to add a personal umbrella policy as optional coverage, providing additional liability protection.

At Linda Dugan Insurance, we’re here to work with you on homeowner’s insurance in Longview. Let us get quotes and answer questions you may have about home liability coverage. We can help you to find an affordable policy.

 

Don’t Lose the Money You Make from a Garage Sale

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If you’re looking to make some extra cash, having a garage sale is an excellent idea. You don’t want to lose all the money you make from a garage sale in a liability lawsuit, though. If you’re thinking about holding a sale in Astoria, OR, let us at Linda Dugan Insurance help you check your liability coverage before the weekend of your sale.

Maximize Your Earnings

One of the main reasons to have a garage sell is to sell things — and get money. There is an art to successfully selling items at a garage sale, though. To maximize your earnings, you can:

  • clean items before placing them out for sale
  • price items reasonably at ¼ to ⅓ of their original price
  • combine your sale with neighbors’ sales to attract more people
  • let people know you’re willing to negotiate on the last day of the sale

In general, success at a garage sale doesn’t come from selling a few items at prices that are just slightly lower than their initial values. Instead, it comes from presenting items well, attracting people and pricing items low so that they sell.

Check Your Liability Coverage

Accidents at garage sales are rare, but they happen occasionally. If someone is hurt at your garage sale, you might be held financially responsible.

Liability coverage, which is included in most homeowners insurance policies, provides homeowners with protection against covered incidents. If you have adequate liability coverage, and the accident is covered by its terms and conditions, your homeowners insurance policy might protect you from any lawsuits filed over the accident. This is the best way to protect yourself and your garage sale earnings from such a risk.

For help checking your liability coverage, contact us through our website. Even if you didn’t purchase your policy through us, our agents would be happy to review your coverage with you.

 

Car Care In The Fall You Need To Take Care Of

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It is important that you take care of your car in the fall. There are several things that you will want to do to ensure it is capable of driving through the road conditions that are inevitable in your area of Oregon. By caring for your car in the fall, you can prepare for the winter more effectively.

Schedule a time to go into your local mechanic and talk about ways to improve performance during the winter months. This will likely include:

  • Checking the condition of your battery
  • Inspecting tire tread on all four tires
  • Testing the HVAC system
  • Have your brakes checked

All of these are important because you want to make sure that your car is prepared for the snow, ice, and other road conditions that are going to occur throughout the winter.

This is also a great time to remember to replace several things in your car. Take the time to replace your wiper blades so that they can clear the windshield effectively. You will also want to replace the cabin air filter so that you are more comfortable as you drive around.

Depending upon how much driving you are going to do in the winter, you may also want to think about placing winter tires on your car because they are designed to grip the roads better. Talk to your mechanic and find out what recommendations they have to care for your car this fall so you can have greater peace of mind.

At Linda Dugan Insurance, we look forward to helping you find an auto insurance policy that will protect you in Astoria throughout the fall months as well as the rest of the year. Call us now and let us find coverage that is affordable.

 

 

A Maintenance Checklist For Your Home

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You likely want to do all that you can to protect your home in Oregon. As the fall months approach, there is a lot that you can be doing to ensure your home is in good condition. The fall leads to the winter and what you do in the fall as a way of protecting your home even further, especially against any snow and ice that may fall in the coming months.

Gutters – Gutters need to be maintained, just like everything else in your home. They may fill with leaves and various other items. Have a company come out and clean them – or clean them on your own. This can also minimize the chances for an ice dam during the winter.

Roof – Have your roof inspected annually, and do so in the fall. This will ensure that you don’t have any loose shingles or any that are missing – which could wreak havoc when snow and rain begin to fall.

Chimney – Your chimney should also be cleaned annually, especially because you don’t want a fire taking place just because you weren’t able to get it clean enough. Hiring a chimney sweeper can go a long way for peace of mind.

Inside Your Home – There are quite a few things that you can do inside your home for general maintenance as well.

When you want to cut down on your electric bill, reverse your fans so that the warm air is being distributed better.

Go through and replace batteries in all your smoke detectors so that you can be confident they are going to work when needed.

At Linda Dugan Insurance our agents look forward to helping you with your home in Astoria. Call today and learn about the many ways that we can assist with finding you an affordable homeowner’s insurance policy.

 

 

Tips For Saving Money On Auto Insurance For Students In Astoria

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If you’re going to school in Astoria, whether it’s at a college, university, or even a tech school, you may have the ability to save money on auto insurance. It’s important to know about tips that can lead to big savings.

The first thing you want to do is be the safest driver you can be. Don’t be in a rush to go anywhere because it can lead to speeding tickets. If you have a clean driving record, it will be easier to get the safe driver discounts that are given out by virtually every insurance company licensed to issue policies in Oregon.

Another way to save money is to get good grades. There are many insurance companies that offer a “good student” discount. The grades you have to get to qualify for this can depend on the insurance company. A call to an agent can give you an idea, but generally it is a 3.0 GPA or better. You may get a bigger discount if you make it to the dean’s list.

You may also want to enroll in a defensive driving course. If it has been a few years since you took a driver’s ed course or you have never taken such a course, then the 5 hours you spend in class could add up to your advantage.

Yet another way is to look at how much you are driving on a daily basis. If you have low mileage throughout the week because you live on campus, or at least close by, you can save because you’re considered low risk.

At Linda Dugan Insurance our independent insurance agents can help you to save money on auto insurance. Call today whether you are a student or not and let us find you quotes from top insurance companies in Oregon.

 

 

Why is Having Renters Insurance Important?

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Is it important to have renters insurance coverage? This is a common question asked by many of our clients—and our answer at Linda Dugan Insurance is always a resounding yes! Here are two common reasons why renters insurance is vital if you rent where you live.

Renters Insurance Covers Your Personal Property

One of the most common reasons why tenants need renters insurance is to cover their personal property. This means that if a fire, theft, weather event, or other covered claim situation happens, they would have the ability to replace each damaged item accordingly without having to pay out an exorbitant sum out of pocket.

Looking at the facts, it is important to remember that landlords are not responsible for taking care of renter’s personal belongings in the event of an incident. By having a policy in force ahead of time, you can rest assured that you have the means to replace the items if something unexpected occurs.

Renters Insurance Helps Protect You Against Liability Claims

We’ve all heard of stories about people sued because a delivery person slipped and fell on a wet floor or a would-be robber tripped on some stairs and broke an ankle. While some of these stories may seem a bit extreme, they do happen.­

Most basic renters insurance policies have a special section of coverage called liability. This portion of the policy contract helps pays for claims like the ones mentioned, plus any other time someone is injured while visiting your home or as a direct result of your actions. Other examples of liability claims include your child damaging a neighbor’s property with a toy or even your normally docile dog biting someone at a local park. Failure to have liability coverage in place could mean you are responsible for damage and medical bills of others—plus, you could be sued.

As you can tell, these two reasons make having renters insurance quite important. For more information about renters insurance or to receive a no-obligation quote, please contact us today.

Follow These Tips To Extend The Life Of Your Vehicle

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Living in Astoria, Oregon is great. There are a lot of different adventures that you partake in, and you may even want to drive out of state periodically. Whether you stay in the state or go out, there are some tips that you can follow to extend the life of your vehicle.

Maintenance

Regardless of what your make or model is, there is a maintenance schedule that you need to follow. This includes having your engine checked on periodically. A properly tuned engine is going to result in less car problems, and a better fuel consumption.

Avoid Speeding

Don’t accelerate to more than 60 mph because it’s going to cost you more in gas. It can also result in needing to use your brakes more often, and this is going to have a negative impact on your braking system and overall performance for your vehicle.

Check Tire Pressure

Your tire pressure is something that should be checked on a regular basis. The PSI is suggested and is found on the interior of your driver’s door panel. If it is lower than it should be, it can make it easier for you to experience a tire blowout – which is not only dangerous, but expensive to repair.

Clear Out the Trunk

It may sound simple, and it really is. If you clear out the trunk, you can reduce the amount of weight and improve fuel economy as well as improve the overall alignment of your car.

At Linda Dugan Insurance, we can help you in many areas when it comes to your car. Let us help you find an affordable policy by calling today. One of our independent agents can ensure you get an affordable policy in Astoria so that you can feel safer when driving on the roads.

  

Why Wouldn’t You?

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you have a business in the Astoria, Oregon area, we have some questions for you.

If you could find better commercial coverage for your business, why wouldn’t you?

If you could find this better commercial coverage at the same price you are currently paying, why wouldn’t you?

If quotes were available for the same coverage that could actually save you money, why wouldn’t you want to know about them?

If you could get competitive commercial insurance from a local company that is here to answers your questions, that can help with claims, and help our local economy at the same time, why wouldn’t you?

If you could easily get a comparative quote for your auto and homeowners insurance right online, why wouldn’t you?

If an insurance review that is free and puts you under no obligation could provide you better peace of mind in knowing where and how you are covered, why wouldn’t you take advantage of it?

These are the questions our agents ask every day at Linda Dugan Insurance. These are questions that help people realize we can save them money, improve their coverage, and sometimes accomplish both. We can help them better understand where the risks currently are, and we do it without cost or obligation. We search a data base of insurance providers to find coverage that is affordable without sacrificing coverage. Many of our clients start with just one policy. Soon, we are helping them save on all of their insurance coverage.

So let us ask you one more question. With the ability to review your insurance coverage, potentially save you money and perhaps even improve your coverage just a click away, why wouldn’t you take the opportunity?

Contact us at Linda Dugan Insurance. After all, why wouldn’t you?

Getting Help with Insurance Claims

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“She flies with her own wings,” the motto for the state of Oregon remains true to this day. There are many instances where the state of Oregon acts alone and sets an example for other states. One such example is the decision to acknowledge same-sex marriage in insurance. With both the Supreme Court and the Oregon District court upholding the validity of same-sex marriage, insurance companies must treat same-sex marriages as they would heterosexual marriages. This means same-sex partners can be covered by insurance, and they have the right to file claims for insurance.

How to File Insurance Claims
The process to file an insurance claim, whether commercial insurance or consumer insurance or concerning heterosexual or same-sex marriages, the process is the same. You can contact your local office if you are involved in a traffic accident, or you can call the customer service number, which is generally operational 24-hours each day. When you call, it is critical to have important documents and information handy that pertains to the accident. For instance, have your account number, your coverage levels, and the information concerning the accident.

Having Difficulties Filing a Claim?
There are times when some claims will not be processed as quickly as other claims. Delays in processing claims can stem from concerns about the validity of the claim, or more information may be needed for the claim. If you are filing a claim, and you are denied as a result of your same-sex marriage status, you do have options. After working with the insurance company, with no luck, you have the option of contacting the Oregon Insurance Commission to file a complaint.

Whether you have concerns about business insurance or consumer insurance in Oregon, our local agents can help you with your questions. Give us a call when you are interested in getting a quote for auto, commercial, or any other type of insurance.