I'd rather you understand your policy than just buy one.
I'm an independent, licensed California property and casualty broker based in Napa. Before this I spent years making video, which turns out to be relevant: both jobs are mostly about explaining something complicated to someone who doesn't have time for it.
Why I do it this way
Insurance is sold badly. Not maliciously, mostly, but badly. People get a number, sign something, file it, and find out what they actually bought at the worst possible moment. The industry has a lot of incentive to keep the conversation short.
I'd rather have the long conversation up front. If that means you decide to stay with your current carrier, that's a fine outcome. If it means you understand why your dwelling limit is what it is, better still. I'd rather build this on people who understand what they bought.
The video work runs on the same idea. When someone asks a good question, I answer it on camera and post it, because the next person is about to ask the same thing and shouldn't have to book a call to find out.
Licensing
Alexander Haroutiounian, doing business as Real Insure Insurance Solutions.
State of domicile: California. Principal place of business: Napa, California.
California Department of Insurance License #4580518.
Lines held: Property Broker-Agent and Casualty Broker-Agent.
You can verify any California insurance license, including mine, at insurance.ca.gov. I'd encourage you to, for anyone you're considering working with.
Where I work
Based in Napa, working throughout the Napa Valley: American Canyon, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, and the communities between them.
Licensed throughout California, so if you're elsewhere in the state, still worth a conversation.
How I'm paid, and why I'm telling you
Most people never ask, and most producers never volunteer it. It seems like a strange thing to be coy about.
- Commission
- On a standard placement, the carrier pays me a commission that's built into the premium you'd pay anyway. You don't pay extra for me to be involved, and the rate the carrier charges is filed with the state, so it isn't marked up on my end.
- Broker fees
- Some situations, usually harder-to-place risks, involve a broker fee. California requires a signed written agreement disclosing that fee before you owe anything. If a fee were ever going to apply to your situation, you'd hear it from me early and in writing, not discover it on an invoice.
- Independent
- I'm appointed with several carriers rather than employed by one, so when there's more than one place to put a policy I can compare them and tell you why I'd lean one way. There's no carrier whose line I have to sell.
- Which hat I'm wearing
- I hold both broker and agent licenses. On any given placement I may be acting as your broker or as the carrier's agent, and those aren't the same relationship. I'll tell you which one applies at the time rather than leaving it ambiguous.
What you can expect from me
I'll tell you when the answer is no
If your current policy is better than what I can offer, I'll say so. If a coverage you're asking about doesn't exist the way you're imagining it, I'll say that too.
I won't promise claim outcomes
Not before you buy, not during a claim. Anyone who does is either guessing or telling you what you want to hear.
I'll still be here at renewal
The part of this job that matters happens after the sale. Renewals, changes, questions, and claims. If you can't reach me, I'm not doing the job.