Are you Confident in your Home Insurance Lead Generation Plan?

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Whether or not you are confident in your home insurance lead generation plan will have a lot to do with your success. Believe it or not, agents who are confident have a much easier time making sales. Those who do not trust what they are doing often times find it difficult to make progress towards their sales goals. Where do you stand right now?

If you are confident in your home insurance lead generation plan you are probably satisfied with the results you are receiving. On the other hand, if you feel that you are not making progress it may be time for some changes.

No matter where you stand, there is always room for improvement. Even agents who are making regular sales need to think long and hard about any changes that could better their chances of increased success. For instance, if you are not buying home insurance leads you are missing out on a great opportunity. This allows you to supplement your other generation methods such as cold calling, billboard advertising, newspaper advertising, and anything else that has worked for you.

If you are not confident in your home insurance lead generation plan you have to change this. You need to be confident in everything you do including the way you generate leads, your sales process, and anything else that falls into this category. Confidence will undoubtedly lead to more sales and profits.

Visit http://www.InsuranceLeads.com to receive 20 free insurance leads worth up to $300.

This is a limited time offer applicable for auto, home, life, and health leads.

Represenative Votes To Extend Unemployment Insurance, First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and Provide Tax Relief To Small Businesses

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Washington, DC - November 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Joe Courtney announced that he has voted in favor of H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which extends an additional 14 weeks of unemployment assistance to all states, including Connecticut, and extends the homebuyer tax credit for first-time buyers and military families. The legislation also provides relief to businesses by extending a five year net operating loss carryback to 2009. The bill passed 403-12.

Click here to download a full summary of the legislation and Connecticut specific facts.

“Many of Connecticut’s families are still struggling to make ends meet as the economy slowly begins to recover, which is why extending unemployment benefits is the right thing to do,” stated Courtney. “As the economic engine once again begins to churn, I believe that extending the first-time homebuyer tax credit will prove to be one spark that helped to make recovery happen. The credit has been extremely successful in Connecticut and impacts multiple industries within the housing sector. Today, Congress has taken an important vote that moves our economy in the right direction.”

Congressman Courtney led an effort in the House to extend the FTHB Tax Credit. Click here to read a bipartisan letter that he wrote with Republican Congressman Ken Calvert.

Congressman Courtney also spoke on behalf of the legislation just prior to the vote. Click here to speak to view the Congressman’s statement on YouTube.

Unemployment Insurance Extension

Unemployment insurance will be extended by 14 additional weeks for all states. In addition, the legislation creates a new tier within the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program providing 6 additional weeks for states with an unemployment rate over 8.5 percent. Connecticut is not currently eligible for that increased rate, as the unemployment rates for the previous three months have been 7.8, 8.1, and 8.4 percent.

In addition, on October 21, 2009, Congressman Courtney joined with Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) to send a bipartisan letter being sent Wednesday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner urging an extension of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Including the authors, 165 bipartisan Members of Congress signed the Courtney-Calvert letter.

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit

As amended by the Senate, H.R. 3548 extends the Homebuyer Tax Credit for first-time buyers and creates a new “step-up” program for homeowners.

First-time Homebuyers

* The measure will extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit until April 30, 2010. In addition, those who have signed a contract before May 1, 2010 will have 60 days to close on the home.
* Increases the income limits to $125,000 on a single return and $225,000 on a joint return (from $75,000 and $150,000, respectively). As with the current credit, the extended credit has a $20,000 phase-out after those limits are reached.
* Those who purchase in 2010 will be able to claim credit on 2009 tax return.
* Definition of first-time buyer remains the same as those who have not owned a home in the last three years.
* The credit will remain at $8,000.

Step-up Buyers

* Those who have owned the same home for 5 consecutive of the last 8 years will be eligible for a $6,500 tax credit.
* The $6,500 tax credit will be eligible for purchases between December 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010. The same opportunity to close within 60 days applies.
* The income limits are also $125,000 on a single return and $225,000 on a joint return and have a $20,000 phase-out thereafter.
* Those who purchase in 2010 will be able to claim the credit on 2009 tax return.

Other provisions regarding the homebuyer tax credit in the bill.

* No homes over $800,000 will be eligible for the tax credit.
* Included revised language from H.R.3590, the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act which passed the House on October 8 and which JDC cosponsored. It will extend the tax credit for the military and other Foreign Service Officers serving abroad through April 30, 2011. It also waves the recapture fee for all military personnel should the individual move and sells the home within 3 years.
* Cuts down on tax credit fraud by providing authority to the IRS to do greater electronic oversight and requires that the taxpayer claiming the credit be 18 or older.

Extension of Carryback Net Operating Expenses Losses
The bill passed today also extends carryback for net operating losses for up to five years for losses incurred either in 2008 or 2009, but not both (at the election of the taxpayer). Businesses will be able to offset 50 percent of the available income from the fifth year and 100 percent of all income in the remaining four carryback years. Small businesses that have already elected to carryback 2008 under ARRA may also elect to carryback losses from 2009. This proposal is estimated to cost $10.4 billion over 10 years.

Refinery vows to pay for damage to homes caused by explosion

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A day after the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross exploded, the company took responsibility for the damage.

Officials told nearby residents their homes would be repaired, the company would pay to fix houses blown off their foundations and replace shattered windows and doors knocked off their hinges.

"We are here to make sure that all the residents' needs are met," said Annalys Wilson, an insurance adjustor working for the company. "Our representatives have been out in the neighborhood letting them know that we are eager to help."

The adjustors from Silver Eagle's insurance company, though, weren't the only ones working with the neighbors around the refinery.

Adjustors from the companies that provided homeowners insurance policies also were there, along with a team of five investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The investigators walked the neighborhoods assessing the damage and met with plant officials in preparation for a government investigation into the blast.

Brittany Bennett, whose home had five windows blown out by the explosion and her front door damaged, said repairs already were under way on the entryway, thanks to representatives from her homeowners insurance company who arrived early Thursday morning.

"The front door is being fixed today," she said. "Two of the windows are supposed to be fixed on Friday. The other three windows will have to be special ordered, so it will take a couple of weeks for them."

"I just hope they are true to their word," she said, indicating that Silver Eagle's insurer has promised that it would even cover any deductible payment that might be required under her homeowners policy.

"Those whose homes were damaged can file their claims through us or through their own homeowners insurance company -- whatever they are most comfortable doing," Wilson said.

The Silver Eagle Refinery, the smallest of five refineries in the area, was built in 1954 when there was little development nearby. The subdivision that suffered the most damage was constructed approximately six years ago after the Woods Cross City Council determined there was little risk.

"That property was zoned for residential development long before I even moved to Woods Cross, which was 18 years ago," said Kent Parry, the city's mayor. "I'm sure the council did its homework."

Parry, however, said when the landowner was requesting permission to build the subdivision, the council commissioned an engineering study to look at the potential risk of building homes so close to the refinery.

Although that study identified potential problems, the council members eventually accepted an alternative study prepared by an engineering firm hired by the developer, Parry said.

"It repudiated the findings of the first study and raised questions about the methodology used."

The mayor said Woods Cross officials will be following the government's investigation, and he hopes to work with Silver Eagle officials to come up with a strategy to ensure the safety of nearby residents.

Donald Holmstrom, the investigation supervisor from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, speaking at a news conference Thursday evening, said the government's investigation will uncover the explosion's root cause with the goal of ensuring that such an incident will not be repeated. But he said the investigation also could examine the issue of zoning around the Silver Eagle and the proximity of homes.

The issue of having a refinery or other type of plant that could suffer a toxic fire or explosion and damage a surrounding community is not a new one.

There are no industry standards, however, that say, "Homes should be built X number of yards away from a refinery," said Ron Chittim of the American Petroleum Institute. "It really has to be looked at on an individual basis," he said. "The siting of the processing units at each individual facility is different."

Woods Cross resident Linda Wood, whose home was knocked off its foundation, said she knew there was a risk buying a home near the refinery, but she didn't believe it would be a problem.

"My folks have lived in the Rose Park area since 1974, not too far from a refinery, and their property was never damaged by an explosion," she said. "I knew the [Silver Eagle] refinery was there when I bought my home. I just wish they'd stop blowing it up."

Florida Home Insurance For Less

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Florida natives are no strangers to hurricanes and windstorms. These storms can be frightening and devastating and insurance coverage for hurricane damage is of utmost importance to experienced property owners in Florida. Unfortunately, due to the number of severe and damaging storms over the past 10 years, Florida home insurance for those who live in hurricane prone areas such as the Sunshine state has become very expensive.

If you own a home, coverage will be needed for the house and all of its contents. This is typically included in most homeowner’s policies. With respect to insurance for those who live in geographical areas plagued by hurricanes, their insurer will often include provisions on a homeowner's insurance policy which call for two separate deductibles, one for standard losses and one specifically for use when you have hurricane damage. While the standard deductible is usually set to a round number like $250, $500, or $1000, a hurricane deductible is set as a percentage of coverage A, which is the amount of coverage set as the limit for your house. This is usually set at 2 percent of coverage “A”.

Beware of something called “inflation guard” with respect to your hurricane deductible. Inflation guard is a mechanism built in to most homeowners insurance policies that automatically increases the coverage limit on the building to take into account the increase in property value due to inflation. If the inflation guard pushes your policy limit up by 4 percent in one year, your deducible also increases by 4 percent. This is important when you consider that your deductible represents the amount that you have to pay toward repairs on a total loss or on a partial loss.

An important thing to note about hurricanes is that damage is caused by both wind and floods. The reason that this is so important is that flood damage is not covered under a typical homeowner's insurance policy. In the event of a total loss to your home, you might find that most of the damage was caused by flooding and only a small portion of the damage was caused by windstorm. If that is the case, the insurance company will only reimburse you for the wind-damaged portion of your home, leaving you to pay for the remaining damage out of pocket. Homeowner's in Florida should have a flood insurance policy as well for full insurance protection in the event of a hurricane with damaging winds and floodwaters. Because flood insurance is issued through a federal insurance program, flood insurance is subject to pre-determined flood zones. These zones will affect the cost and availability of a flood insurance policy.

For those who cannot obtain flood insurance coverage, the state of Florida has a government subsidized insurance company set up for just this situation. That company is Citizen’s Property Insurance Corporation, which is a non-profit, government owned insurance company. Florida’s legislature recognized that a widespread lack of homeowner's insurance coverage could cause economic devastation across the state in the event of severe hurricane, and that property insurance coverage is a necessary mechanism to maintain the Florida economy.

If you currently live in Florida or are considering relocation to Florida, be sure to take property insurance issues seriously. The state is in a geographically vulnerable position with respect to hurricane exposure and a properly designed insurance package is an essential component of property ownership in the state of Florida.

Time for UK Homeowners to Recalculate the Cost of Home Insurance Has Come

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This week, according to major UK household insurers, is expected to bring the number of home insurance claims up by 350%.

Such holidays as Halloween and Bonfire Night, which are traditionally associated with fireworks and bonfires, bring scary consequences not only to homeowners, but to home insurers as well. This week is also a time for many homeowners to understand that they are not adequately insured (under-insured or over-insured).halloween_insurance

In the opinion of head of insurance at an online British comparison source, Mr. Darren Black, many Brits tend to overestimate their buildings insurance as they rely on the price of house itself rather than on the cost of rebuilding it; this increases the insurance premiums by 20% on average. Mr. Black encourages all homeowners either to consult an insurance agent or to check the rebuilding value of a property at the website of the Association of British Insurers prior to making any decision associated with the purchase of building insurance.

While overestimating building insurance, UK homeowners tend to underestimate their contents insurance, as, according to Mr. Black, approximately 50% of all Brits are under-insured. He says that despite the fact that, on average, contents of a 3-bedroom house, is worth £45,000, people generally insure it for no more than £20,000-£25,000 since they neglect such major items as carpets, curtains, clothes, etc. We have earlier reported that, according to LV=, the vast majority of UK homeowners under-estimate the value of their wardrobes by almost 100%.

Mr. Black recommends that all homeowners include costly items into their contents insurance as it typically does not take the insurance premiums up. If it does, however, homeowners are always free to choose from a number of other UK home insurers. The best rules for purchasing an attractive insurance cover are: not to accept the first quote and not to update the insurance policy automatically, says Ms. Hayley Parsons, founder of Gocompare.

Nationwide Building Society Offers FlexAccount Holders Special Benefits

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The Nationwide Building Society is offering a range of select discounts and
promotional offers to FlexAccount customers.

LONDON, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationwide Building Society has today announced
that it is widening the range of special offers available exclusively to
customers using the Nationwide FlexAccount as their main current account.

The offers will include:

Mortgage Rates
-- From 30 October, Nationwide will reward existing customers who use
FlexAccount as their main current account, with access to competitive
mortgages up to 90% LTV.
-- The range of competitive mortgages will support first time buyers and
home movers without a large deposit.
-- For existing mortgage customers moving home, the offer represents a
discount of 0.70% off the current range of mortgages available to them
at 90% LTV (existing customers moving home range, 85-95% LTV tier).
-- Each of these products are available with and without free legal fees,
covering the conveyancer's professional charges relating to the house
purchase.
-- Rate and reservation fee is identical for each of these options.
-- These offers are available to eligible existing customers moving home
and first time buyers.

-- These offers are available through the Nationwide branch network only.


In addition to the 'Flex gives you more' offers, Nationwide has also extended
its tracker mortgage range for new customers moving home and first time
buyers. Tracker mortgages will be available up to 85% LTV (up from 80% LTV).

Personal Loans
-- 7.9% APR typical on loans between 7,500 pounds sterling - 14,999
pounds
on terms up to five years for existing main FlexAccount debit card
customers.
-- This is the lowest rate in the UK and beats the rates set by other
high
street personal loan providers by offering a sub 8% rate.

-- Same low rate applies whether the loan is taken out through a branch,
telephone or the Internet.


Home Insurance
-- Eligible customers get an extra 20 pounds off their Home Insurance
premium when buying buildings and contents insurance together until 3
January 2010.
-- The offer is in addition to the current offer giving customers a 20%
discount now and a 20% discount off next year's premium on renewal of
home insurance, when buildings and contents insurance are bought and
renewed together until 3 January 2010.
-- The 20 pounds offer is applicable to the first year's premium and is
available in branch and over the phone.

-- The Nationwide home insurance product is rated 5 star by independent
body Defaqto (2009) for the quality of cover.


Nationwide Building Society acts as an intermediary for buildings and contents
insurance which is underwritten by Churchill Insurance Company Limited.

Car Insurance
-- 50 pounds off car insurance premium for quotes given from 1 November
2009 until 31 March 2010.
-- The offer is available when eligible customers buy a new Nationwide
car
insurance policy and applies to the first year's premium.

-- The Nationwide car insurance product is rated 5 star by independent
body
Defaqto (2009) for the quality of cover.


Nationwide Building Society acts as an introducer for car insurance which is
underwritten by Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited

Credit Cards
-- New and existing main FlexAccount customers will receive an additional
3
months 0% on purchases with Nationwide's Gold card (available online,
in
branch and over the phone) making the overall period six months.
-- Gold card has a Typical 16.9% APR (variable).
-- Available from 1 November to 31 December 2009.

-- Main FlexAccount customers also benefit from the standard Nationwide
credit card features of 0% on balance transfers for 13 months,
commission-free purchases abroad and a positive order of payments,
alongside the exclusive 0% for 6 months on purchases.


Nationwide's product and marketing executive director, Chris Rhodes said:
"Nationwide is committed to looking after its customers and the launch of the
'Flex Gives you more' does just this. Whether it's taking advantage of the 90%
LTV mortgage to give first time buyers a helping hand or competitive car and
home insurance premiums, all our customers can continue to enjoy the award
winning Nationwide FlexAccount with some added extras."

Other key benefits of the FlexAccount current account:

The FlexAccount has a prestigious five Star rating for features, benefits and
rates, awarded by independent organisation Defaqto for the fourth year running
(Defaqto, 2009).

Customers can enjoy a three month interest-free overdraft when they switch
their existing current account to Nationwide at the same time as they open
their FlexAccount.

Nationwide is the only high-street provider that offers commission-free debit
card use abroad for its current account customers. Other banks charge up to
2.75% for buying goods or services and withdrawing cash abroad.

With Nationwide's Internet Bank, customers can benefit from safe and secure
online banking, where they can manage their money 24 hours a day and be sure
that they are protected with Nationwide's Internet Bank Promise.

Customers can deal directly with Nationwide through branches, online at
www.nationwide.co.uk or by calling 0800 30 20 10.


Contact:
Neil Gatherum
Digital Marketing
T: 01793 654852
www.nationwide.co.uk

Increased Need Of Homeowners Insurance Quotes For Agents

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With talks about extending the home buyer tax credit to existing home buyers coupled with the existing tax credit for first time homeowners, the need for homeowners insurance agents has become increasingly important. The affordability of buying a home has resulted in more buyers that would typically have not been in the market in years past. As a result, they are turning to the advantage of low home values before they see prices start to rise again.

Trusted since 2003, InsureMyHouse.com has helped thousands of insurance agents and homeowners connect nationwide, providing agents with a cost effective way of generating exclusive leads while at the same time supplying homeowners with an easy way to find their local agent. The site is based on one agent per zip code. When a consumer searches for homeowners insurance and selects the zip code an agent has registered only that agents contact information appears. The consumer can now work exclusively with a local insurance agent in their area. This allows the consumer to connect with their local agent and gives the agent an opportunity to build a rapport with their potential client.

The site works with several insurance advisors to gather relevant information for the site's visitors. The "Learn the Basics" section contains articles such as, "Understanding Credit" "Saving Money" "Lightning Strikes" “Home Insurance Tips” “Burglar Alarm Systems” and much more.