After we purchased our new condo we quickly decided the old oven needed to go and it needed to be replaced by a new oven. When we pulled the old oven out, the only replacement option was to go with an all gas range – there was no electrical output to power a stove.
When our new range arrived we hooked it up, turned on the stove and wa-la things worked great. Well it worked great until we turned on the oven portion. After just a few seconds we detected an off smell and turned off the oven. Later on we cooked a batch of brownies and the strange smell filled the house, so we finished the brownies with some windows open regardless of the cold winter air. Then like any smart man would do, I went to Google and searched for something along the lines of “When I turn on my gas oven I get a strange smell.” What I read there cautioned me that I should have no smell, that all of the gas should be burning up, and if I did have any smell there was a problem with my oven. It may be unlevel, the glo plug may not be burning all the gas… everything was saying the oven was faulty. So we called and the Maytag Man came – here’s what I learned.
After five seconds of the oven being on, he asked “is that what you are smelling?” He seemed slightly irritated when asking the question, and I replied “yes!” Turns out the smell was Carbon Monoxide and he gets lots of calls at this time of year for that smell. What I once thought was odorless (Wikipedia says it is odorless! Middle school home economics taught me it was odorless…) actually does have an odor. He then turned on a burner without a flame so it would release only unburned gas for me to smell. The small of unburned gas was very different and distinct – he described it as almost a rotten egg smell, and that is a good description of unburned natural gas.
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Get ready for more fun! This article will help you with our experience in getting homeowners insurance. Generally, you will find the same results as what we found below, so this should save you some time. Having said that, every person is different, and so every insurance policy will be different.
This was all brought about because Jessica and I are buying a Blackhawk condo in Logan, and for our loan, it is required that we have some insurance for the place. I thought this was going to be some bad news, but in all reality, it was the best thing ever.
First step is to learn what kind of coverage you need. (This was not our first step, but it should be yours). Turns out Blackhawk condos HOA’s new policy requires that a person have their interior covered for the first $10,000, and after that the association’s insurance will take care of the rest. This is a decent policy, not the best, but it’s definitely decent. Other associations will have all of the condo insurance covered.
The rest of what you read below will take you through what we learned in Logan about Homeowners insurance when shopping for a policy that would cover $25,000 personal property, and $10,000 internally. When we started this, we were paying about $800 annually for insurance on two vehicles.
Because the process of finding just one more thing for our condo appeared that it was going to be a pain, I just asked the mortgage broker who we should go for our home owners insurance, and she suggested Dave Morrill with the Logan Insurance Agency. Because she deals with this all the time, I figured her advice would be excellent, and it was. Dave found us a great rate which would actually cost us less than what we were paying before with our car insurance, and at the same time we were adding a condo to the policy! Dave was very professional and excellent to work with. His quote came in at about
Our auto policy was with Geico, and believe it or not, they have actually been incredible for us to work with! When I got in an auto accident a few years back, I earned $1,200 from it (even though my vehicle isn’t totally fixed). When I added Jessica to the policy the total cost actually went down on our insurance.
But when it came time for us to add a condo to the policy, they were going to add an extra $300 a month. No dice.
I like these guys, I’ve worked with them before. They were going to work up a policy, and may have called my phone (which died), but I asked for an e-mail. In the end, I never heard from them, and that’s their loss. I hope if you try to call them, you will hear from them.
I also called Josh and had them work up a quote. Josh was really fun to talk to, but in the end he was less than Geico, but still higher than Dave Morrill at the Logan Insurance Company. I was actually enticed by him at first, but then we realized that the quote was for semi-annual auto insurance.
One thing that is a little bit annoying about Farm Bureau is that they have this $65 annual membership fee. This will get you better deals on hotels and such, but I don’t want discounts on things that I won’t use, I just want insurance. They were also the slowest to get back to me, I was about to just go with Logan Insurance, but gave them a reminder e-mail saying “Hey, I want this now!” They then immediately got on the ball, and gave by far the best quote.
But in the end, their quote came in at $700 and we bumped up some of the auto coverage with them. So even with the added annual membership they were by far the best deal when combining an auto policy with a homeowners insurance policy! In fact, I’m still saving about a $100 a year compared to what a paid for before through Geico with car insurance only.
So, congratulations Farm Bureau, you are saving me money and adding more coverage! I am a very satisfied customer! I hope you enjoyed this review of Farm Bureau Insurance, American Family Insurance, Logan Insurance, Cache Valley Insurance, and Geico for homeowner insurance rates in Logan!
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I got a phone call just the other day from a person who said to me “I hear you’re looking to buy a home.” When hearing that, you think that a person is going to offer some kind of insight, or help. Maybe that was just me, but now I know better. Instead they wanted to sell a product – a mortgage.
Here are my take on salesman (as I use to be one). I want to be fair to everybody, let them give their pitch, and then return with an honest “this is worth it” or “I don’t like it.” But that’s difficult, as these salesman may be family friends, old neighbors, and so you want to give them your business just because of that – but what if their product isn’t the best, and then my time is limited so I can’t give everybody a chance. I just don’t like it when salesman turn friends into dollar symbols.
This has diverged from the topic of building a house. Here is the thesis of the post: Be prepared for all kinds of people to come out of the woodwork who want your money as soon as the word gets out that you are building a home.
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I took a visit to the mortgage broker myself today, it was to Guild mortgage just downstairs from where I work. When I walked in there was no secretary, and the phone started to ring. Somebody answered the phone behind a wall that I couldn’t see, and I could overheard conversations about mortgages as well. It looks like the mortgage brokers are getting busy. What that means is, homes are going to be purchased faster and faster!
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Alright, so this may be premature – but we had family come and visit the lot. Everything just fuels to the excitement. But here’s the downfall, everybody wants to give their two cents on how the design should go and they want to put their vision in on it too. As much as I respect that, I think there will be enough debate between my wife and I, so while we don’t mind the suggestions, we just might ignore them as well. Can’t please everybody, just gotta please your wife.
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This is a blog article that I wrote about what I learned about bankers versus mortgage brokers. In the article I advise people to be cautious of mortgage brokers, but I point out the benefits as well. In the end, I think I’m going to go with a mortgage broker, because I have had others who have told me of some good brokers that they trust. But as I say in this article, study it out for yourself as well. Enjoy the read:
Recently I went to go check out some property because it’s that time of my life when I’m thinking about moving into a home (even though I can’t afford it).
That’s got me thinking about a home loan – what do I need to do, what are the best options, and so forth. Here’s about all I know – interest rates are better than they’ve ever been in the history of the United States, and I don’t know how long that is going to stay around.
I work in a real estate brokerage as a web developer, so I asked “who should I go to for a home loan?” and I was given a card for a loan officer who works in a mortgage brokerage. The idea of getting a loan outside of a bank was new to me, I thought everything was done through a bank like Chase or Wells Fargo, or a credit Union.
From what I understand, a mortgage broker is somebody who is like a travel agent, but for home loans. They know the market incredibly well (they eat, breathe and sleep it), and so they know what bank can do what for who in what situation. So when you bring them a little information, they can narrow down the options and find the best one for you… Here’s the catch – when they secure a loan from a certain place, they are paid by the place who offers the loan. Consider it a reward from the lending company to the loan officer for saying “thanks for making sure somebody will give us tons of money. Here’s your piece of the pie.” What that might mean is that the loan officer may not always have your best interest in mind, but rather whoever is going to offer them the most money. Use caution.
Banks on the other hand do not have all the resources that a brokerage has, they simply are able to do what their lending institution has outlined. If the personal banker is offered any commissions, it is generally a straight commission on what your loan is worth. They are making a salary, so it doesn’t make a difference to them, which makes them more objective of what is really going to be best for you.
Often times mortgage brokers will secure you a loan that is actually with a company which is based far away. This can be a hassle, but sometimes it isn’t – the world is now much closer with the internet, but it still lacks that personal detailed feel.
In the end, it may be sixes. The best idea is to talk to your realtor who you trust, and ask where the best place to get a home loan is. Realtors deal with these things frequently, and want you to be in good hands so that you can get in your new home, and that realtor can feed their family.
To summarize:
Pros and Cons of a Brokerage:
Pro: Can sift through the options quickly and directly to get you the best deal
Pro: Access to tons of different lending institutions
Pro: Deep knowledge of mortgages and institutions
Con: May have their best interest in mind by getting you a higher priced mortgage, to receive a higher bonus
Pros and Cons of a bank:
Pro: Straightforward talk on what the bank can or can’t do for you
Pro: You will know your lender personally.
Con: You have access to only what that bank can offer, and that may not be the best.
via Local Real Estate Connection | Hooking YOU Up With Real Estate Search Websites.
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My name is Kirk Salisbury, and welcome to my website kirksalisbury.com. I live in beautiful Logan, UT
and work as a web designer
SEO specialist and
internet marketer
at Boomerang Leads.