Earthquake Insurance

Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance carriers will be getting numerous calls today after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits the east coast. It was felt as far south as Georgia and as far north as Canada.

Earthquakes a more common on the west coast because the ground is softer, and not as dense. Here along the east coast there is granite and hard pack which makes it harder for the earth to shift and move.

Your homeowners insurance policy does not automatically include earthquake coverage. There is an extra premium and usually a 5% deductible with it. That means if you have a $250,000 house the deductible would be a $12,500 deductible. That's high. However many new homes near the ocean are elevated because of flooding concern. The average cost of an elevated foundation is more than $40,000. A standard foundation can cost upwards of $20,000. At that rate, even the 5% isn't too bad.

We can answer your questions about how you can benefit from having Earthquake coverage. It's peace of mind knowing if your foundation, tile floors, plaster walls will be fixed if we have another one.

Please call or click today!
www.jmdins.com

Thank you!!

HD

Never Fail Business Insurance

Have you ever bought an item because it came with a never fail promise? Never fail chocolate cake is one thing…Never fail Insurance is another!
Murphy’s Law: If something is going to fail, it will be at the absolute worst possible time!
I had my own experience with Murphy’s Law recently, when my neighbor and I decided that we would
put his small sailboat on its mooring for the summer. We loaded everything on the trailer and set out on our mission. We rigged the mast, set the tension, and launched it. The small outboard motor had been running just fine until we left the dock. We get about 200 feet from the dock when…the engine dies!

My neighbor is frantically trying to start the thing! We are heading closer and closer to the rocks…when putt, putt, putttttt…she goes! WHEW!! The engine is running strong we are on our way. Did I mention we are taking this boat through the Hurricane Barrier out from New Bedford harbor? Well just as Murphy’s Law states that an engine will fail at the worst possible time! We are smack dab in the middle of the channel, in the middle of the Hurricane Barrier when…She dies again!!!

The engine cover was already off. My neighbor is pulling and pulling on the starter cord. There are some BIG boats coming in and going out. We are getting rocked all over. I see one of my customers on his boat. He’s asking me “are you OK”? Yes, thanks…I tell him. ALL SET!!! I no sooner tell him we are good when that little engine fires up, no sputter, no hesitation…off we go. AGAIN WHEW!!!
Murphy’s Law is why people buy Business Insurance in Massachusetts. When you have a catastrophe, it’s there to protect you.

You want to be proactive with your insurance planning. Commercial General Liability Insurance is the first place to start. You can add property to that and save on the over all premium. We can help you determine what’s necessary to get your business covered.

Commercial Auto Insurance: We offer free registry services to our customers. If you are incorporating and don’t have a vehicle in the business name yet, we will take the paperwork to the registry and get you on the road. That saves you time. Time = money!! Let’s say you’re buying a vehicle from a private party and not a dealer. The same free registry service applies.

Attention: Builders, plumbers, electricians, Excavators…Contractors Insurance is something we do everyday. Are you being asked for a certificate of insurance? We issue certificates every day! No more waiting 2-3 days for them to be sent out. Get paid sooner! We can handle your needs better. We know which questions to ask.

We invite you to click today. www.jmdins.com or please give us a call. It’s not rocket science. It’s business insurance.
Thank you!! HD

Get More Spend Less

It is possible in this economic climate to get more auto insurance coverage for less money. That may
sound hard to believe, but it’s true.

I recently had a customer who was insured with one of the national companies. They called in for some
quotes. We asked them about current their current coverage. What kind of limits do you have now? We
asked if they owned a home, and if they would like us to quote some different options. We could see,
based on the answers they provided that the “minimum” was not enough.
To our surprise when we ran the figures for the higher coverage limits, the cost was less than what they
were paying for basic insurance. This customer had always thought the cheapest coverage had to be the
lowest coverage. That is NOT true!

We always try to find the happy medium between cost and coverage. The staff at J.M. Doherty
Insurance will look to balance your budget with your insurance needs. For some individuals “basic”
insurance is OK. However, most people realize that state minimum insurance doesn’t protect them well
enough I n our, sue happy, society.

I would like to invite you to contact us today for a no obligation quote for your Massachusetts Auto
Insurance, Massachusetts Home Insurance, or even your Massachusetts Business Insurance.
We have been offering straight talk and advice for almost “40” years.

If you are looking for a professional review or second opinion for any of your insurance, we can help.
For us at J.M. Doherty Insurance it’s about getting it right the first time. We know that 95% of our clients
are not insurance people. We don’t fluff it up with fancy terms that you need a dictionary to figure them
out.
Save time, save money, get expert advice at J.M. Doherty Insurance Agency.
For almost “40” years we have been “steering you in the right direction.
Thank you!!
www.jmdins.com
H. Doherty

Back to School and Insurance; What You Should Know

It’s important to know that the premium you are charged for your Massachusetts Auto Insurance policy is partially based on garaging, that means where the vehicle “sleeps at night”.

You can understand. If you live in a small country town and the crime level is low then the cost for insurance is less than if you live in the city where crime is more prevalent.

If you have a student lives at school and they take a car with them, it’s important that the
insurance company knows it. We have seen claims delayed by incorrect garaging. Sometimes
it’s easier to pay the additional premium, than it is to find out that the company is denying
your claim for this reason.

Something else we see regularly, lack of renters insurance. If your child lives in the dorm then
your contents (your stuff) is covered by the parents home owner insurance policy. Watch out
for items like computers, golf equipment, cameras, bicycles. These things can have a high
value. Many insurance companies will have a maximum limit on how much they will pay for
such items. Get the values, notify your insurer. Then there is no question about what’s
covered and for how much.

We recommend Renters Insurance for those students that live off campus in an apartment.
Renters insurance covers the items you bring into that dwelling. Your clothing, furniture,
dishes, drapes…This insurance policy also includes liability protection. If someone gets hurt in
the apartment and says you were negligent, the insurance company will help defend the
claim. Be aware that some policies exclude things like dogs or animals completely. Other
plans don’t cover you for host liquor.

Let’s say your college student has a party at their off campus house. Someone has too much
to drink and hurts another person later that night in an automobile accident. The injured
person could bring litigation against the people who supplied the booze. No Host Liquor
means NO defense in that situation.

We handle Massachusetts Auto Insurance, Massachusetts Renters Insurance and everything
in between. Our staff is waiting for your call regarding student away at school. We invite you
to call or click today. www.jmdins.com

For almost “40” years J.M. Doherty Insurance Agency has been “steering you in the right
direction”. Thank you!! HD