Absolutely NEVER wait until the last minute to start the insurance process

[Doug Newman]

Absolutely NEVER under any circumstances wait until the last minute to start the insurance process.

Better yet, start the process as soon as you know a close date.

1) Your agent can't be at his desk 24/7. His assistant can't be available 24/7 either.

2) I had someone contact me late Wednesday about a refinance closing that evening. While the actual task I had to perform only took about 10 minutes, the carrier's website was acting goofy. Also, I had 2 meetings scheduled that afternoon. That could have delayed closing.

3) I had an investor contact me on a recent Wednesday. He was closing on a property that Friday. He had known about the closing for 3 weeks. This particular risk required a policy that could not be turned around immediately. It was going to take 2-4 business days to complete the quote process. There was NO WAY I could turn things around by the closing deadline. I don't know what he did for insurance.

4) I had a realtor call me on 12/13 about a 1/3 closing. While it only took me an hour to gather the information, shop the carriers, and generate the quote, there were several interruptions in the timeline of the real estate transaction. Because the lender, the realtor, and the client planned the insurance piece early, there were no additional unpleasant surprises.

I could tell plenty of other stories. So could most experienced insurance agents.

Do yourself and everybody else a favor: Absolutely NEVER under any circumstances wait until the last minute to start the insurance process.

You're welcome.