Four common myths about motorcycle insurance

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Consumers in Asheville, NC, need to be accurately informed about motorcycle insurance. At Asheville Insurance Center, we make sure that our customers have all the information they need to choose the right motorcycle insurance solution.

Here are four common myths that motorcycle owners need to be aware of when it comes to motorcycle insurance. 

You can decide whether you want to carry motorcycle insurance.

Motorcycle insurance is not optional. Any rider out on public roads must meet North Carolina state auto insurance requirements to drive legally. 

All motorcycle insurance policies are the same.

Motorcycle insurance policies can vary widely regarding how much coverage they offer and what policy features they include. You must fully understand your options when buying a policy to get the best coverage for your unique needs. 

It’s not important to insure a motorcycle that is in storage.

Many motorcycle owners store their bikes during certain parts of the year. If you store your bike for extended periods, you shouldn’t assume you don’t need insurance coverage while your bike’s in storage.

Most motorcycle insurance providers offer policies that can include storage coverage. This type of coverage is adjusted to cover damages to your bike only while it’s in storage so that you’re only paying for the coverage you need at the moment. 

You can rely on motorcycle insurance to pay for maintenance.

Motorcycle insurance only covers you for damage caused by incidents like vehicle collisions. You cannot rely on your motorcycle insurance to pay for your vehicle’s routine mechanical maintenance. 

Visit us online at Asheville Insurance Center to learn more about the insurance products we offer to consumers in Asheville, NC. Get in touch now for a quote on a motorcycle insurance policy. 

Your Business Liability Exposure – Can Umbrella Insurance Help Protect Your Assets?

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If you’re a business owner, chances are you have a significant stake in your business that you’d like to protect. At Asheville Insurance Center in Asheville, NC, we’ve been honored to follow the long-term growth of many clients’ businesses. We’re skilled at helping them choose insurance coverage that matches their growing success and expanding activities. In addition to specific coverages that we recommend for most businesses, umbrella coverage helps protect your business assets.

Reasonable Premiums, Wise Protection

Umbrella coverage comes into play when your company’s exposure extends beyond basic coverage, placing valuable assets at risk. As your business grows, these assets may even be personal in origin, brought into the business to help it succeed. You probably considered the decision based on your business’s future, but did you consider the unexpected? That’s where umbrella insurance steps in to ensure your wise or ambitious business decisions don’t have an unexpected downside.

When Your Business Is Also Personal

One of the primary goals of your business is likely to be asset-building over time, and you’re putting in a lot of effort and dedication to make it happen. Partnering with your insurance agent helps keep your business on track. Many small businesses operate out of homes or garages or otherwise combine personal property and business activities in ways that could have liability consequences. At Asheville Insurance Center, we can help you with your Asheville, NC business. Our team ensures you have the right combination of business and personal insurance coverages to keep your success on track. Call us, and we can get to know you and your business. Then, we can provide the information and insurance guidance to help you succeed!

Safety Tips for the Personal Watercraft

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Personal watercraft are a lot of fun! However, even though this is a pleasure craft, it is crucial to keep some safety tips in mind so that your fun weekend doesn’t turn into a week in the hospital or worse. Your PWC might seem like a big toy, but it comes with some responsibilities to keep in mind. Laws regarding personal watercraft may be even stricter than the ones for ordinary boats. 

Before You Even Hop On

Read the owner’s manual! It will tell you how to operate your PWC safely and give you all the necessary warnings. It is recommended that you wear a neoprene wetsuit or shorts and a Coast Guard-approved life jacket while riding. Other safety gear, such as gloves or eyewear, is highly recommended. Do not board a PWC while the engine is running, and keep hair and loose clothing away from the pump intake. Please find out how much weight your PWC can handle and stick to it. Familiarize yourself with the controls and keep the safety lanyard attached. 

While You’re Riding

Pay attention to traffic. Keep in mind that your PWC has a quicker response and turning radius than the typical boat. Give everyone space, and don’t stray too close to the shore. You don’t want to be in shallow waters. Spraying swimmers, boaters, and beachgoers is not just rude but dangerous. If you fall, try to get clear of the PWC. If the craft flips, a sticker on the back end should tell you how to flip it back up. Above all, only operate your PWC during the day in good weather conditions. 

Watercraft Policies from Asheville Insurance Center in Asheville, NC

If you’d like to insure your personal watercraft and live in the Asheville, NC area, call Asheville Insurance Center today. We’ll give you all the help you need. 

Why is Renters Insurance Important?

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Our agents at the Asheville Insurance Center serving the Asheville, NC area want you to know and understand the importance of a renters insurance policy if you are a tenant.

Many people are under the common misconception that their landlord’s property insurance policy will cover their personal belongings and other items they have purchased for their house, apartment, mobile home, or other dwelling they are renting. This is not the case. The property owner’s insurance policy will only cover the dwelling itself, which is the reason you need your own insurance policy for the things you have purchased and own.

What Does Renters Insurance Cover?

Your renter’s insurance policy will cover your personal belongings and any items you have purchased, such as appliances, furniture, and electronics, if a fire breaks out. These items will also be covered if they are stolen, a natural disaster occurs, and your items are destroyed or damaged. This type of policy will also come in handy if someone vandalizes your apartment, house, or other dwelling.

Why is Renters Insurance Important?

If you are a tenant and rent the space you live in, it is imperative for you to have a renters’ insurance policy since you never know when disaster will strike. This is a prime example of being safe rather than sorry since your landlord’s insurance policy will not cover your clothing, household items, appliances, furniture, and other items you have purchased.

Contact Us to Get Your Policy Started

Do not wait until something happens to wish you had a renters insurance policy. Call our agents at the Asheville Insurance Center serving the Asheville, NC area today to get your policy started!

How Much Motor Home Coverage Do I Need?

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If you live in or near Asheville, NC and own a motor home, you’re likely proud of your purchase. While owning a motor home certainly has its perks, certain responsibilities come with owning one. A critical aspect of owning an RV is ensuring adequate insurance coverage for protection. You might wonder how much motor home coverage is needed. Here is an overview that can help you decide.

What’s Legally Required?

If you own your RV and aren’t making payments, only liability insurance is required in North Carolina. However, if you’re financing your motor home, just like financing a car or truck, full coverage insurance is required. This is protection for you if the RV was to incur some damage.

What is Your RV Worth?

To be sure you have enough coverage on your motor home, you need to have it professionally appraised so you will know exactly what it’s worth. Once you know its worth, you can ensure you purchase coverage for at least that amount. This will enable you to repair or replace the motor home easily. 

How Often You’re Using Your RV

If you only use it once or twice a year, then you might not place a high priority on coverage. However, if you go on trips much more frequently, the chances of becoming involved in an accident increase, so your coverage should, as well. 

So, if you’re ready to protect your motor home so you can enjoy many future trips without worrying about potential accidents, theft, or vandalism, then call us at Asheville Insurance Center. We pride ourselves on providing top-notch customer service, as we go above and beyond to ensure all our customers’ needs are met, if not exceeded. 

What is the value of having a RV insurance plan in North Carolina?

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Many people who reside in the Asheville, NC area will find it a great place to own an RV. When you are an RV owner in this area, it will allow you to see the country by providing a safe mode of transit and a place to sleep at night. With an RV purchase, you also need insurance as it offers various benefits. 

Meet Requirements Set

All owners of RVs will want to ensure they have an RV insurance plan at all times so they can meet any requirements set for them. Having an RV insurance plan is typically required by lenders of RV loans to protect their collateral. Further, you will need to have this insurance to remain in good standing with state law surrounding auto liability coverage. 

Protect Your Assets

Having an RV insurance plan to protect your assets continues to be a good idea. Those that are going to invest in an RV will want to be able to enjoy it for a very long time. A great way to ensure this happens is by getting RV insurance. Maintaining this coverage will offer the support needed to replace or repair the RV if you incur theft, accident damage, or other types of loss. 

No matter where you live in the Asheville, NC area, you need to maintain a proper insurance policy if you are an RV owner. When you are ready to start looking for coverage here, it can be helpful to call our team at the Asheville Insurance Center. There are a lot of choices to make when you are looking for this coverage, and at the Asheville Insurance Center, we can help you build a new plan.

Three Ways To Stay Safe on Your Motorcycle

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Owning a motorcycle can be exciting and a great way to save money on gas. However, it is essential that you know how to stay safe on your bike. Here at Asheville Insurance Center, serving Asheville, NC, and the surrounding areas, we want to help you stay safe on the road. Keep reading to learn more. 

Avoid Biking in the Rain 

One way to stay safer on your bike is to avoid riding in the rain. Rainy conditions increase the risk factors of motorcycle driving. With only two wheels, and nothing surrounding you for protection, it can be easy to lose control of the bike and experience an accident. It is better to have a backup form of transportation for bad weather conditions. 

Take a Motorcycle Safety Course

Participating in a motorcycle safety course is an excellent way to learn all about motorcycle safety and best practices. Most people think if they know how to drive a bike, they must know all there is about motorcycles. This is not true. A motorcycle safety course will be taught by a seasoned bike enthusiast who is well-versed in keeping people safe while biking. 

Observe Speed Limits

Speeding is always dangerous, but when you are driving a bike, this becomes even more of a risk. Accidents are proportionately worse when drivers are traveling at high speeds. Your reaction time is much reduced as well. When you speed on your bike, you put yourself and others at unnecessary risk. 

If you want to learn more about motorcycle insurance, please get in touch with us at Asheville Insurance Center, serving Asheville, NC, and the surrounding areas. We will happily answer your questions and find you the right insurance policy today. 

Is umbrella insurance only for the wealthy?

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One of the many myths surrounding umbrella insurance is that it is only for the wealthy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. What it does is help protect your wealth from the many dangers that put it at risk. At Asheville Insurance Center in Asheville, NC, we can dispel the myths about umbrella insurance and help you to understand what value it has for you. 

What is umbrella insurance?

Umbrella insurance is excess liability coverage that can supplement any policy you already have with liability protection. Many different types of insurance policies have liability coverage as one of their lines. Policies like home, auto, condo, renters, and more all have liability coverage. When you choose to add an umbrella policy to your coverage, your primary policy will pay up to its limit, and then the umbrella policy will add the additional coverage. Usually, umbrella policies begin at around one million dollars. 

Who should have umbrella insurance?

If you are wealthy, you most certainly should have umbrella insurance. But anyone with assets should protect what they have worked hard to earn. This can be the home you love, a cherished collection you have accumulated, or even your vehicle. Defining wealth is a very fluid thing. A millionaire defines wealth differently than a young comic book collector. Still, at the end of the day, they can benefit from an additional liability coverage to protect their possessions from being lost to legal action against them. 

At Asheville Insurance Center in Asheville, NC, we are independent insurance agents who work hard to ensure our customers have the insurance they need to protect their assets. Call us to learn more about umbrella insurance and what it can do for you. 

A Quick Look at the Biggest Floods in American History

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Floods are one of the most devastating natural disasters on Earth. Because they are so devastating, standard homeowner’s insurance policies often don’t cover them. Instead, you may need to take out a flood insurance policy. Otherwise, you and your family could be left on the hook for all the damages. Contact Asheville Insurance Center, serving the greater Asheville, NC area, to discuss coverage options.

Let’s take a quick look at floods so that you better understand the damage they can incur and why it’s wise to have a flood insurance policy in place.

A Look at Modern Floods

There have been many significant floods throughout American history. As severe as flooding can be in the United States, many countries have suffered far more catastrophic events. For example, the 1975 Banqiao Dam flood in China claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

In 1927, the Great Mississippi Flood claimed five hundred or more lives, making it one of the deadliest floods in American history. The flood caused at least a billion dollars in damages, which is a lot of money in today’s terms. Back then, the real costs were much, much higher. Costs associated with the Great Mississippi Flood totaled about a third of the entire federal budget. Today, the federal budget exceeds four trillion, meaning if costs were scaled up to today, the flood caused more than a trillion dollars worth of damage.

More recently, the Great Flood of 1993 claimed more than 30 lives. In terms of damages, it costs about $27 billion in today’s dollars. The flood raged for months, starting in April and not fully residing until November. Large swaths of the United States concentrated near the Mississippi River, were impacted.

Floods can impact the Asheville, NC area, so if you’d like to discuss coverage, contact the Asheville Insurance Center.

 

Does Condo Insurance Cover Repairs?

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Many events might have sparked your search when you’re looking into condo insurance in Asheville, NC. Maybe you have a faucet that is always leaking or a hole in the wall that needs to be patched. Or perhaps you’re just thinking of the future costs of repairs for your condo and wonder if condo insurance could make these fixes more affordable for your budget. Whatever the case, Asheville Insurance Center is here to help you decide if condo insurance might be right for you.

What does condo insurance cover?

Similarly to home insurance and renter’s insurance, condo insurance typically covers some combination of liability related to the condo, the replacement of certain valuables in the event of theft or disaster, and repairs under certain circumstances outlined in the specific policy.

Does condo insurance cover repairs?

While every condo insurance policy has different terms, condo insurance policies can sometimes cover repairs in specific situations. For example, a condo insurance policy might cover repairs after a break-in or a qualifying disaster such as a house fire. These kinds of coverage might have limits or qualifying factors.

For a renovation to your condo for cosmetic purposes, finding a condo insurance policy that provides coverage for this type of repair might be difficult. Still, questions surrounding what repairs are covered and not covered are great to ask our insurance agents. That way, you can decide if condo insurance is right for your needs.

Even if a condo insurance policy does not cover certain types of repairs, having one is worthwhile, just in case.

If you want to know how our condo insurance policies can help you prepare for emergencies, call Asheville Insurance Center in Asheville, NC today!