home insurance

Yes, we know. Getting home insurance quotes might not sound like the most thrilling thing in the world. You might be dreading the prospect of reaching out to an insurance agency for a home insurance quote because it seems overwhelming and time-consuming. But that’s just the reason why our team is committed to making insurance easy. There are plenty of reasons why you should get an Atlanta home insurance quote – we’ll go over a few of them. 

4 reasons to get an Atlanta home insurance quote. 

1. Your insurance situation could have changed. 

It’s a good idea to get insurance quotes because your home insurance situation could have changed since the last time you got quotes. And that means you might have different options than you did in the past. You never know – it doesn’t hurt to explore the different choices that are out there. Just like with any big purchase, you want to do your research and see what’s available to you. And it’s also really important to make sure that your insurance still suits your needs. 

2. You could save money on your home insurance. 

If you get a home insurance quote, you might be able to get a better rate. If you never take the time to explore the options that are out there, you might never know if you could save money. Who doesn’t like paying less for their insurance? (Yes that’s a rhetorical question, because the answer is no one.) Insurance is something that’s important and necessary, but that doesn’t mean you have to shell out a small fortune to pay for it. 

3. You can consider bundling. 

You can also consider bundling your home and auto insurance. (That’s pretty much when you get multiple lines of coverage from the same insurance company.) Not only is it convenient to have just one insurance company to deal with, but a lot of insurance companies offer a discount to people who bundle their home insurance and auto insurance. If you’re already getting quotes for your home insurance, why not find out about bundling your home and auto? You could get some great savings. 

4. Getting quotes is easy when you work with our team. 

Like we mentioned earlier, our team makes getting home insurance quotes as easy as possible. That way you don’t have to stress about it. Here’s how our process works:

You let us know that you’re looking for home insurance quotes. First you have to let us know that you need home insurance. We have an online quote form, but you can call us or message us, too. 

We’ll chat with you about your insurance. We’ll have a quick talk with you about your insurance situation. 

We’ll get your quotes. The next thing that happens is we’ll go get some home insurance quotes for you. We want to help you find the best fit for your insurance. 

We’ll answer any questions that you have. We get that insurance is complicated, so we’ll answer any questions you might have about your coverage. We’ll go over your quotes with you. 

We’ll be here to help. Our team will be here to take care of any questions or concerns you might have about your coverage. You can reach out any time and we’d be happy to address any issues that you might encounter. 

Get Atlanta home insurance quotes.

So, those are four reasons to get an Atlanta home insurance quote. It’s important to look into different options if you have gotten quotes for a while. You could stand to save some money, and you might decide to bundle your home and auto insurance if that’s the right choice for you. And our team is really good at making insurance easy. Get started with your quotes by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us. 

When you’re setting up your Atlanta home insurance, there are a lot of decisions to make. There are a lot of questions to answer, a lot of details to go over, a lot of big, fancy insurance words you’re dealing with. It’s a bit overwhelming and a bit draining, perhaps. One of the many words that might have come up is deductible. What is that, and what does it do? How does you deductible affect your home insurance premium? We’ll explain what that all means.

What is your home insurance deductible?

Okay, so there are a lot of insurance words that come up when you’re handling Atlanta home insurance. And yes, those terms can be a lot. One word that may have arisen during your insurance quest is deductible. So – what exactly does that mean and why does it matter? Here we go.

The deductible is the amount you agree to pay if you have a claim. Basically you cough up that money towards the claim and then the insurance company coughs up their part of the claim. (Of course, your policy comes with a limit, so you have to be aware of that.) Your deductible is definitely something you need to consider when you set your home insurance. It can make a difference – and we’ll explain why in just a moment.

But first – an example.

Let’s say that there’s a covered loss to your home – so your insurance is going to help you out. Your deductible is $1,000. The claim ends up coming to a total of $12,230. (Just go with us, we know that it’s a random number.) Anyways, you would end up paying that $1,000. The insurance company would end up paying $11,230. So – if it’s any consolation, the insurance company has a lot more money to pay. Yes, having to pay your deductible is unfortunate, but take comfort in that, maybe?

(Side note: since you may end up having to pay your deductible if you have a claim, consider saving some money and keeping it safe as a sort of “in case of emergency” fund. Whether it’s a home insurance claim or a car insurance claim, having a bit of money earmarked as a deductible for a rainy day can come in handy. Just a tip so that you’re prepared for claims if one ever does befall you.)

So, that’s the deal with what a deductible is and how it works. It’s an insurance reality that you’ve got to be prepared for.

How does your deductible affect your Atlanta home insurance rates?

There’s more that you need to know about your home insurance deductible.

Your Atlanta home insurance deductible can have an effect on your premium, or the amount you pay for your home insurance. How does that work, you may ask? Well. The thing is that if you choose a higher deductible, you could see a lower home insurance rate. (If you have a higher deductible, you could be less likely to file a small claim.) So, by setting a deductible that’s higher, you could lower your home insurance rates. However, you probably should give it some serious thought. You don’t want to raise your deductible so much that it would be a big burden to pay if you have a claim.

It’s all about balance. You have to decide how much you could comfortably afford to pay if you have a claim. Would you rather have a higher premium, but a lower deductible to pay in the event of a claim? Or would you rather have a higher deductible to pay if you have a claim but a lower premium? That is a question you have ot ask yourself. And then answer according to your situation.

So, that’s the scoop on your deductible and how it could affect your home insurance rates. The deductible is the amount you agree to pay if you have a claim – the insurance company has the rest up to the policy’s limit. If you have a higher deductible, you could see a lower premium. That’s usually how it works.

Get quotes for Atlanta home insurance.

Now – another way you can get lower Atlanta home insurance rates is by getting multiple quotes to look at options. That’s where our team can help. We would be happy to help you get some Atlanta home insurance quotes. Get in touch with our team by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat. We love helping people save money on their insurance.

There is a lot of uncertainty and stress going on right now due to the pandemic. If you are managing employees who are currently working remotely, it’s important to be aware of the fact that your workers might have kids doing online school. They might be lonely, they might be having issues separating from work at the end of the day, they might be having trouble staying focused. How can you as an employer support and help your employees, or reduce their stress level? There is a lot going on in your employees’ heads and lives right now. Here are some tips for supporting your workers while they’re working from home.

How you can support employees who are working from home?

1. Listen to suggestions from employees.

Your employees are the ones who are doing their jobs at home. They might have some suggestions for how to improve work-from-home and what could make the situation better. Your work-from-home system has to match your company and your employees’ needs. The team might have some feedback, so encourage them to go to you with their thoughts or concerns. You can let them know that they can tell you if they have any issues.

2. Check-in with your employees often.

It’s also important to check in with your employees often to see how they’re doing. That can help them feel more connected. Think about doing some video calls or setting up a messaging system so people can have some social interaction. You need to gauge how often these check-ins should be done – you don’t want to overdo it, either. You can arrange virtual team meetings and your management can do one-on-one check-ins. Of course, you can adjust the meeting schedule as you go until you find the balance and what works best for everyone.

3. Do virtual get-togethers.

It’s also really helpful to arrange virtual get-togethers to give your employees the opportunity to have some social time with each other. These can be very casual meetings. It’s just a way for your team to catch up with each other outside of work. During these times, having a nice, informal virtual get-together to have a chat can feel really refreshing. So, see if you can make that happen.

4. Encourage routine.

Your employees are going to need some routine in their lives. And with the current situation, it’s important to understand that your employees might need some flexibility within the routine that they establish to get through work-from-home during quarantine. Encourage your employees to be open about the things that might need to shape their schedules or routines – for example, child care and/or online school – with you and the relevant team members so you can make it work and help make everyone’s lives easier. It’s important to reduce everyone’s stress by working with people’s schedules.

5. Consider offering trainings.

Even though employees are working from home, you can still help them grow their skillset. Can you do online training? What about webinars or online classes? Your workers might not be able to come to the office, but you can still provide opportunities for your employees to learn and develop new skills. So, think about different ways you can help your employees continue their professional development.

6. Encourage wellness.

As an employer, it’s important to recognize that this is a really stressful time for your employees. It can have some very real effects on peoples’ mental health, so consider how you can encourage your employees to look after themselves. How can you support the mental health of your workers? Can you start doing meditation breaks? Is there a way you can be promoting fitness? Can you encourage people to take time off if needed so they can refuel and recharge?

7. Remember that loyalty begets loyalty.

This is a difficult time, and you might be asking a lot of your employees. But remember that you need to prioritize the mental and physical well-being of your employees. Remember, people are loyal to those who are good to them and treat them well. Loyalty from you towards your team can inspire loyalty from your team in return. Besides, what if remote work doesn’t just go away? By figuring out a system for work from home and supporting your employees through that, you’ll be all set even if work-from-home persists past the pandemic. Your team is extremely important and you care about your people, so remember that a bit of kindness and compassion goes a long way.

Remote work is a new thing for a lot of employees and a lot of employers. If you’ve got your team working from home, you need to support them and take care of them as an employer. Be sure to get feedback from your employees and listen to their suggestions. Check in with them and understand that with online schooling and kids at home, your employees might need to adjust their routine or schedule. The important thing is that your team knows you’re there for them and on their side.

Get home insurance quotes.

There’s a lot going on right now, but maybe you need to get some quotes for Atlanta home insurance. Our team would be happy to help you get some quotes and save money on your insurance. We strive to make insurance easy. You can get started with your quotes for your Atlanta home by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat. Our team of agents is ready to help you with your insurance needs.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/07/06/how-to-support-employees-while-they-work-from-home/#3d98cfa17d94

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hvmacarthur/2020/04/01/company-survival-guide-to-care-for-staff-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/#2a4b63d9327a

The pandemic has not been easy. There are many, many challenges that families are facing and dealing with together. Many metro-Atlanta area schools have gone to online learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That has created many new challenges for parents who are having to work from home. Not only are you having to support your kids as they do online school, but you have to juggle work and home responsibilities. Here are some tips for balancing work-from-home, kid care, and online school.

Juggling work-from-home and online schooling in Atlanta

1. Be open with your boss and team.

If your kids are going back to school, that creates a whole new set of challenges. You might need to adjust your schedule, or you might need to make some changes. We are in a crisis situation, so hopefully your manager will be understanding and willing to work with you. If you don’t reach out to your manager with a request, you’ll never know if they could have helped you out. Everybody’s in a similar boat, and your boss might very well be accommodating if you need a bit of leeway. Let them know that you’re still dedicated to your job and the company, and be realistic about what you can commit to and what you can do as navigate work-from-home and online school for the kids.

2. Enlist the support of family.

Even though you might not be able to have visits with the grandparents or aunts and uncles, is there a way you can schedule video calls with them? For example, maybe one of the grandparents can video chat with the kids to help them with their math homework. Though they might not be able to be there in person, your extended family can still lend a hand by video calling – whether they’re helping with homework or just occupying the kids so you can attend a meeting without interruption. And besides, that gives your kids an opportunity to have some social time. They can stay connected with their family.

3. Create a schedule with your family.

It can be really helpful to plan out a schedule with your family. That way everyone knows what everyone else is up to. Don’t forget to include time for breaks. You need some time to have a breather, and it might make you feel better if you’ve allotted a specific time to have a break and check on the kids to see how they’re doing. Have set meal times together so you can catch up. Routine is great, and it also gives you the chance to have some interaction so no one feels too lonely – that can happen if you’ve been working or doing schoolwork alone all day.

4. Make sure everyone has their own space.

Everyone needs to have their own place to work. You need your designated work-zone and your kids need theirs. So, set up your workspace and create a mini home-office for your kids. Stock it with the school supplies the kids are going to need. If your kids are old enough and you feel comfortable closing the door to your office space, you can reduce distractions. Peace and quiet are important for kids and grown-ups alike.

5. Think about how the kids can help around the house.

There’s a lot of housework that probably needs to get done. Are there little tasks or chores your kids can do to help out? Maybe you can create a sticker system for good behavior for your younger kids. Can your older kids be encouraged to pitch in? Everybody needs to pull together during this time. All the responsibility for housework doesn’t have to fall on your shoulders. Try to come up with a fun way for the kids to do some chores (suited for their age, of course). It’ll keep them occupied, at any rate.

6. Re-prioritize tasks.

With the current situation, it’s really important to evaluate which work tasks are essential for your job. These are the things you are going to have to balance and juggle along with taking care of your family. Sure, you might have been able to get more done at the office, but this is the new normal for the time being. You have to find the balance. So, check on your deadlines. Find out what items are still top priorities so you can devote your attention to those things. And if you need to call on a co-worker for assistance, you can make sure you’re asking for help on those things that are really, truly necessary.

7. Take care of yourself.

This is a really difficult time. You need to be able to take care of yourself. That means eating well and taking care not to get dehydrated. Try to get plenty of sleep and have time to relax. Manage your stress with things like meditation. You’ve got to look after yourself to keep your energy up so you can juggle work-from-home and caring for your family.

8. Be good about communicating.

You also need to be good about communicating with your family. If you’re not letting them know what’s going on, frustration might build up. Share your thoughts sooner rather than later. Be sure you’re letting your family know about what’s going through your head.

Work-from-home and having kids doing online school can be a huge test of work-life balance. This is a really tough time for a lot of people. But remember – we’re all only human. Be kind to yourself. Juggling is not easy. You and your family are in this together.

Get insurance quotes.

Our team can help you get Atlanta home insurance quotes and Atlanta car insurance quotes. We like to make insurance as easy as possible. We also like to help people save money on their insurance. You can get in touch with us by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us. We’d be happy to help with your Atlanta insurance needs.

Source 1 | Source 2

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on a lot of parts of life. As a result of COVID-19, lots of businesses have had to shift to allowing remote work. But a recent article from the AJC explains that teleworking might hang around in Atlanta long after the pandemic is over. We’ll explain why that is and give some tips for working from home. It’s something that could be long-term for a lot of people, so it’s something that we all need to learn how to do.

Will work from home in Atlanta last beyond the pandemic?

The pandemic has meant that instead of battling Atlanta traffic in the grueling city commute, lots of people are staying in and working from home. The reaction can be mixed – some people enjoy remote work, other don’t. The AJC article points out that some employers have realized their employees are getting more done by working at home. While in the past teleworking was not something that was really encouraged by employers, who feared their employees wouldn’t actually get much work done, the pandemic has forced businesses to adapt to remote work in order to survive. It’s a far cry from pre-pandemic times when employers might not have even had formal policies.

The AJC outlines some of the findings from an Atlanta Regional Commission survey. According to the survey’s findings, commuters used to work .8 days a week from home before the pandemic as compared to 4.6 days a week now. The survey also found that about 70% of employers said there would be more work from home, while 23% said there would be more full-time remote employees. (And 1 in 5 employers could reduce the size of the physical workspace.)

The survey also got a sense of some of the benefits and drawbacks of remote work, according to the AJC. Benefits included saving money, less commute-related stress, and more time to sleep and spend with family. On the other hand, drawbacks included difficulty separating from work during off-hours and contending with distractions. While the survey revealed that more people felt they got more done at home than less, it also showed that the line between home and work could get fuzzier for a lot of people. So, all in all there could be positives and negatives that come along with the future and work from home.

Tips for working from home.

Since it looks like working from home is going to stick around for a while, despite concerns employers have typically shown about work from home, we’ve put together some tips for working from home. As it’s looking like remote work could be a long-term thing rather than a short-term interim thing, keep these tips in mind.

1. Have a designated workspace.

You have to scope out a good place to set up camp. Pick a spot that’s going to be practical and, ideally, free from distractions. It needs to be a quiet spot. And the trick is to keep work to your home office space. That’s the designated “work zone”, so banish all work-related things or tasks to that space.

2. Create a schedule.

It’s also important to have a set schedule. Try to keep the same hours as you’d have at the office. Don’t fall into the trap of working during off-hours. You don’t want to get overwhelmed with work, and so you need to have some limits in place. That’s essential.

3. Take care of yourself.

You also have to be sure you’re taking care of yourself. Be intentional about getting exercise, eating healthy meals and snacks, and getting an appropriate amount of sleep. Don’t feel guilty during your off-hours for not working. It can be hard to switch your brain off of work-mode, and you might feel like you could be working more even during your off-hours. But remember, having time to rest and have breaks from work helps when it comes to recharging and refueling your energy.

(Another part of this is being gentle with yourself. Don’t beat yourself up about the small stuff. If you make a mistake or forget something, it’s okay. This is a difficult time, so cut yourself a little bit of slack.)

4. Try not to juggle too much.

While working from home, you might feel like there’s a lot going on. And you might be juggling a lot. Remember, you can only do so much. Multi-tasking might not be the route you want to go. You might fry your brain a little.

5. Have boundaries.

When you’re at home all the time, with both work life and personal life under the same roof, it can be easy to let the two intersect. However, it’s important to keep some healthy boundaries between the two. Keep your “home life” chores in your “home time” hours. Just pretend that when you retreat to your work hidey-hole you’re really going to the office. The world will keep spinning if the dishwasher doesn’t get unloaded until after hours, right?

6. Have time to take breaks.

It’s not a bad idea to give yourself the opportunity to get up and stretch every once in a while. Get up, move around, get the blood pumping a little. Having small breathers from time to time is a way you can keep your energy up. And it can be helpful to step away for a second and take a few deep breaths to relax if you need to. We’re all only human!

7. Delegate.

Whether at the office or at home, it’s important to know when you need to take some things off your plate. If work is becoming overwhelming, is there a way you could ask a coworker for a hand? You are a team, after all, even if you’re not physically in the same place at the moment. Likewise, if the chores are stacking up at home, could you ask the family to pitch in? Sure, the kids might have online school, but are there little tasks they could take on after school that would help you out? Nobody’s a robot, and we all need a hand sometimes.

8. Be social.

It’s also important to be social – safely, of course, given the pandemic. For instance, do video calls with co-workers rather than just emailing. Interact with your team – it’s easy to be isolated when working at home, but you’re still part of a team. You can also do video hangouts with friends in off-hours. And, of curse, hanging out with your family. Having social interaction, even the virtual kind, can really lift your spirits.

So, that’s what’s going on with working from home and the pandemic in Atlanta. The fact is that working from home is something that we all might have to adjust to and become comfortable with on a more permanent basis.

And if you need home insurance quotes, we can help. Our team is here to assist with your Atlanta home insurance needs. We can get you some quotes – you just have to fill out our online form, give us a call, or message us on LiveChat. Then we’ll be on the case!

Source 1 | Source 2