Our customers often ask us how to find our Farmers Insurance Agency online. My website is a good place to start, where customers can find more information about my agency and learn more about their insurance products we offer. I'd also like to invite you to connect with me through various social media networks, as seen below.  And where reviews are allowed (and warranted), I would certainly appreciate it if you'd write one for me. 

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Please contact me directly with any insurance questions or needs.

Pavel (949) 436-0736

Hurricane Sandy was one of the worst disasters our nation has ever seen. Thousands suffered horrific property losses from this event and as many were caught not having flood insurance, they suffered tremendous financial losses as well. Here in Southern California, rain isn’t too common. But when it does rains, it seems to pour. Home Insurance policies typically do not cover flooding.

What is a flood?

According to official sources, a flood is defined as "a general and temporary condition where two or more acres of normally dry land or two or more properties are inundated by water or mudflow."  Hurricanes, overtopped levees, outdated or clogged drainage systems and rapid accumulation of rainfall can result in floods. The most common and costly natural disaster in the U.S. is flooding. Water from flooding can cause serious damage to homes, even a few inches that come into a house can leave a homeowner with heavy costs. Most mortgage lenders will require flood insurance if you do live in a flood zone.

Farmers Insurance sells flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance program, which is part of FEMA.

Flood insurance protects two types of insurable property: building and contents. The first covers your building, the latter covers your possessions; neither covers the land they occupy.

Building coverage includes:

• The insured building and its foundation
• The electrical and plumbing system
• Central air conditioning equipment, furnaces, and water heaters
• Refrigerators, cooking stoves, and built-in appliances such as dishwashers
• Permanently installed carpeting over unfinished flooring

Contents coverage includes:

• Clothing, furniture, and electronic equipment
• Curtains
• Portable and window air conditioners
• Portable microwaves and dishwashers
• Carpeting that is not already included in property coverage
• Clothing washers and dryers

If you haven't already completed a home inventory checklist, get going today.  Should you have any questions about Farmers Flood Insurance, please call me at (949) 436-0740.

You may think of your driveway as a simple strip of concrete that takes you from your private property to public roadways. However your driveway is your responsibility, make sure it’s properly maintained so it doesn’t become a hazard.

Driveways don’t stay smooth forever -- uneven pavers or driveway cracks and potholes are a common problem. They compromise the appearance of the driveway, can be hard on your car and most importantly, can present a tripping hazard. If someone trips and falls on your property, you could be legally responsible for their injuries. And some homeowner’s insurance policies may not offer enough protection against major personal liability claims.

What would you do if a mishap occurred on your property and caused damage or injuries beyond the terms of your homeowners insurance? Worse yet, what would you do if you found yourself named as the defendant in a multi-million dollar lawsuit because of damages or injuries that occurred on your property? We don’t expect the unthinkable to happen but sometimes it does. Although there’s no way to completely avoid the possibility of being sued, there is a way to help reduce the potential impact of a devastating lawsuit: personal liability coverage. 

Do you have an umbrella?
Farmers Personal Liability Umbrella insurance supplements the liability coverage you already have through your homeowners or auto insurance and provides an extra layer of protection through increased or excess coverage limits. The umbrella policy kicks in when you reach the limit on your underlying liability coverage. Most importantly, the cost of your legal defense is provided for a covered loss.

Plan for the unexpected
Most of us work very hard to accumulate assets — it’s important to try to protect them. You never know when the unexpected may occur — make sure you’re prepared and don’t forget your umbrella. Umbrella policies are relatively inexpensive, compared to the coverage they provide.  The average umbrella policy, providing an additional $1 million in liability protection, costs under $300 per year. Call me for more information.

You may want to consider purchasing a Personal Umbrella policy if:

• You want greater liability coverage than you already have through your homeowners or auto insurance.
• Your total assets exceed your underlying liability limits.
• You want to make sure your current assets and future earnings are protected.
• You earn or have the potential to earn significant income.
• You have or have the potential to have assets over $1 million, including property and vehicles.
• You are financially responsible for a young or inexperienced driver.
• You frequently carpool young children.
• You own or operate an aircraft or boat.
• You own a swimming pool, trampoline or dog.
• You own waterfront property, a farm or a ranch.
• You own a rental home occupied by tenants.
  
• You employ one or more people in your home.

Read more about umbrella insurance here.  If you have any questions about Farmers Umbrella Insurance or would like a quote with no obligation, please call me at (949) 436-0740.

Do you periodically evaluate your life insurance needs? If not, perhaps you should. As circumstances in our lives change, our life insurance needs may change as well. That’s why it’s a good idea to review your life insurance needs annually. Here are some major life events that might trigger the need to re-evaluate your life insurance coverage:

• The birth or adoption of a child — If you have children, you want to see them realize their hopes and dreams. What if you or your spouse or worse yet, both of you were suddenly out of the picture? Would there be enough income to pay for day care, college, and everything in between? Life insurance may help you answer “yes” to these questions.
• Change in marital status — If you’re newly engaged or just getting married, you probably share many dreams for the future ,you also share each other’s financial obligations. If one were to die prematurely, would the surviving spouse have enough money to cover final expenses, eliminate debts such as credit card balances and car loans, and buy some time to adjust to a new way of life? Life insurance may help ensure that these needs will be met.
  
  If you’re on your own now, whether through death or divorce, you may want to reassess your overall financial situation, including your life insurance needs. It’s almost like starting from scratch again because being on your own will likely affect just about every financial calculation you can think of.
• Home purchase — If you and your spouse recently purchased a home, there’s a good chance you acquired a mortgage as well. Could your spouse manage the mortgage payments without your income? What about property taxes, routine maintenance, utilities and unforeseen repairs? How long would your spouse have before your dream house was up for sale? Life insurance coverage may help keep the family you love in the home they love.
• Job change — If you recently changed jobs, a salary increase may have come with it. You may not realize it, but when your income increases, your spending tends to increase too. If something were to happen to you, you’d probably want your family to be able to maintain their lifestyle. That’s why it’s a good idea to reassess your life insurance coverage whenever your income rises.
• Planning for college — College costs continue to increase so you may want to begin your college savings efforts sooner, in order to achieve your goals. Having a regular savings strategy is just one part of a balanced college funding plan. You may also want to consider a smart risk management strategy to help ensure that your college savings goals will be achieved even if you’re not there, and that strategy may include life insurance coverage.

Call me. I can help you analyze your needs so that you can determine an appropriate strategy to support your individual objectives.

There are additional coverages that can be added to the Farmers home insurance policy, also known as endorsements. There is a charge for most of the endorsements listed below.

IDENTITY SHIELD COVERAGE - With Farmers Insurance Identity Shield, you receive credit monitoring 24 hours a day with quick e-mail notification whenever there is something abnormal in your credit file. Also, you gain 24 hour access to identity experts who can assist you if you ever become a victim of identity theft or other related crimes.

BUSINESS PURSUITS COVERAGE - Farmers offers an optional coverage for your business pursuits. Items that are valuable to your home business can be covered for unexpected losses at or away from your home, which could affect you financially. However, your unendorsed home insurance policy still provides coverage of up to $5,000 for electronic data processing equipment such as your laptop.

EARTHQUAKE COVERAGE - Standard insurance policies do not cover damage caused by an earthquake. Optional coverage may be available for your home and your belongings that are damaged (or destroyed) due to an earthquake. We offer earthquake insurance through the the California Earthquake Authority (CEA).

FREEZER FOOD SPOILAGE COVERAGE - For an additional premium, Farmers will provide additional coverage to cover the loss or damage to food in a freezer on the residence premises when the loss or damage is the result of interruption of power or other utility service originating off the residence premises.

ECO REBUILD COVERAGE - With our Eco-Rebuild endorsement, in the event of a covered loss, policyholders can get up to $25,000 coverage for extra costs to rebuild, repair or replace with green contents and materials. For example, if your dishwasher is damaged or destroyed from a covered loss you can upgrade your dishwasher with the more expensive energy star models.

JEWELRY FLOATER - In case of theft of jewelry or watches, your standard home insurance policy will cover up to $1,000 per item, and up to $5,000 total for all jewelry and watches stolen in any one covered loss. Your jewelry is covered for some losses other than theft up to your Personal Property limits listed in your policy. For true peace of mind with higher-end jewelry, consider purchasing a Jewelry Floater, which can cover the full value of your valuables, including damage to your ring. 

WATERCRAFT COVERAGE - If you own a small watercraft or windsurfing equipment, your regular home insurance policy provides coverage, subject to the exclusions listed in the policy, up to $3,000 cash value. Note: you are not covered for theft away from your home. For increased limits, you may consider purchasing additional watercraft coverage.

CHILD CARE LIABILITY - This endorsement amends the policy to cover bodily injury and property damage resulting from an occurrence under Section II – Liability Coverage for home child care services.

CAMERA FLOATER - Privately owned cameras, projection machines and all equipment used for photography purposes. Miscellaneous property, such as binoculars, telescopes and the like, which may be used in conjunction with cameras and photographic equipment, may be insured under this policy, when included with cameras or projectors.

If you have any questions about Farmers Home Insurance Coverages, or the endorsements listed above please call me at (949) 436-0740.

"Best Insurance Agent Ever! Seriously, Pavel provides fantastic customer service and any time we have a question or new insurance need Pavel responds immediately. He is kind and knowledgeable whether we are dealing with our personal or business insurance needs." - Ruth, San Clemente, CA

"It's all about service. When I needed an insurance solution, Pavel made it fast, simple and accurate. He found me a solution at half the cost and with less than half the time-and-effort than I had been able to find before working with him. I'd recommend Pavel highly to anyone looking for an excellent insurance service experience." - Jeff, Laguna Hills, CA

"Best insurance agent ever!!! I'd pay higher premiums just to have Pavel as my agent, but I don't even need to! When I switched to Pavel a few years ago he lowered my rates significantly. His customer service is unmatched, always knows the best ways to find the most value out of your policy, and always responds promptly to questions & requests." - Brandt, Ladera Ranch, CA
 

"Great service. I am a college student from Orange County at UC Berkeley. I have been with Pavel for just over a year but my parents have been with him for years. I highly recommend Pavel and his services. He is fair in ensuring you have what you need, prompt in his responses, and extremely knowledgeable in his area. Not only is Pavel knowledgeable but he is easy to talk to and caring of his clients." - Justin, Laguna Niguel, CA

If you have any questions about Farmers Insurance or need a Farmers Insurance agent, please call me at (949) 436-0740.

Sometimes there is confusion when it comes to a home insurance policy, what is covered, what limitations exist, and how long the claims process will take.  Below I compiled a summary of answers to customers' most-frequently asked questions. You'll find information regarding the home insurance as well as the claims process:

• Expensive items, such as fine art work, high-end jewelry or collectables, should be declared on your policy. Farmers does require an appraisal from a store or licensed appraiser to verify valuations. Most home insurance policies come with a limit per item of $1,000 or $2,500 for these items. A jewelry floater or endorsement should be added to the home insurance to increase these limits.
• Always make sure to read and understand your homeowners insurance policy to ensure the coverage limits are adequate to cover the replacement value of your home and its contents.
• Make an inventory of the contents of your home (click here for a checklist).  List at least the 10 most expensive items and store it in a safe place.  This should be kept in a fire safe or safety deposit box. Farmers Insurance has a mobile application to help with this process. 
• Take pictures or videos of the damage.
• Try to be at your home when the adjuster arrives to asses the damage.
• Ask your insurance adjuster to explain how the claims and repair process will work, and how long it is expected to take.
• Remember that earthquake/earth movement is not covered under home insurance. The CEA (California Earthquake Authority) writes about 90% of the earthquake insurance policies in California. Our Farmers agent, of course, can help you with adding the earthquake insurance to your home insurance policy.

If you have any questions about Farmers Home Insurance or need a Farmers Insurance agent, please call me at (949) 436-0740.

Perhaps the most important argument for the purchase of life insurance is to provide for our loved ones. Though no one wants to, it’s important to give this some thought: When you die, who is left behind? If your answer is a spouse or children, then consider how their life may change without your income. The mortgage will still need to be paid; other bills will still come due; then there’s your kids’ college plans. Bottom line: Most things that your income currently pays for or helps to pay for won’t go away if something happens to you. One solution: You may want to consider life insurance — an effective income replacement tool. 

Although there are several methods available to determine replacement needs, you may want to consider using a multiple of your current salary. I can work with you so you can determine what suits your individual situation. 

Some of the factors we will review include:

• Your specific age and income
• Your marital status; if married, your spouse’s age and income
• The number and ages of your children; whether any of them have special needs
• Projections for your children’s future education expenses
• Your family’s cost of living
• How much savings you have in place
• Your debts
• Charitable giving goals, if any

I can help
If you haven’t completed a life insurance income replacement analysis, or if any of the life factors discussed above have changed, call me. I can work with you so you can make sure you have the coverage you want. You can’t guarantee that you will always be around to provide your family with an income, but you can help ensure your family’s financial security should something happen to you.

If you have any questions about Farmers Life Insurance or need a Farmers Insurance agent, please call me at (949) 436-0740.

I receive many phone calls each year from customers who have water damage inside their home. Water damage or water-related damage is the cause of many claims and millions of dollars in losses annually. In this blog, I will discuss a preventative maintenance tip for homeowners to avoid water damage inside their home.

The most common types of insurance claims we see at Farmers Insurance are water damage caused from either a pinhole leak in a pipe or a bursting pipe. Often this happens because water pressure is too high.

Water pressure can be regulated very easily by simply connecting a water pressure gauge (a $10 tool that can be purchased at Lowe’s, Home Depot or Amazon.com) to the main outside faucet (the one with a direct line to your meter). When you turn the faucet on, you will get a reading on the gauge which should measure between 40 PSI and 80 PSI.  If the pressure measures higher than 80 PSI, there is increased water pressure entering your home, which can stress the pipes and could subsequently lead to a pipe leaking or bursting and water damage inside the home. If you do find that you have higher than 80 PSI, you should contact a local plumber who can install a water pressure regulator (normally costs about $500 for parts and labor). A water pressure regulator will even out the water pressure, as well as reduce strain on plumbing fixtures and increase their service life.

Obviously the cost of not installing the regulator or not being aware of water pressure issues could be much greater if a pipe bursts and causes water damage in your home. So make sure to check the water pressure at your home a few times a year, or whenever you hear a whistle or high-pitched noise while water is running.

Read more about Farmers Home insurance water-related claims here.

There are many insurance companies out there fighting for your business and I certainly realize that being a Farmers Insurance Agent. You might be asking yourself "Do I Need an Insurance Agent?"  Here is my response to that question.  I believe there is a great value in having a Farmers agent take care of your insurance needs. Today I will list 8 reasons to purchase an insurance policy with Farmers Insurance, and furthermore, through my agency.