{"id":1244,"date":"2016-01-19T16:23:11","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T21:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.greatflorida.com\/blog\/?p=1244"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:17:08","slug":"buying-insurance-locally-versus-nationally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2016\/buying-insurance-locally-versus-nationally\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying Insurance Local vs National"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What is important to you when it comes to selecting insurance? There is no right or wrong response, the answer is based on personal preferences.<\/p>\n<p>A survey of over 400 agents and brokers from <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/national\/2008\/06\/25\/91339.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Insurance Journal<\/a><\/em> found overall, regional insurance carriers scored better than national carriers. \u201cLocal insurance provides an opportunity for more personalized service, you\u2019re not just a number\u201d says <a _blank=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dustyns\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-healthcare-insurance\">GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a>, Florida\u2019s leading independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-auto-insurance\">auto insurance<\/a> agency in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>In order to guide you through your decision making process, below is a list of the top ten reasons to choose a Florida based insurance agent rather than a nationally based one.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Customer Service\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 When calling a local agent, you will get them phone, giving you one- on- one service. Your personal agent is already familiar with your policy and coverage. When you phone a national insurance company, you will most likely reach a call center and a different representative every time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal Contact\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Local insurers are better at building personal relationships and getting to know their clients. They ask you specific questions and examine your needs more to make sure you are not underinsured. They can also make you aware of discounts, special savings or bundling opportunities for your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-auto-insurance\">car insurance<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\">homeowner\u2019s insurance<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Know the Area\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-insurance-agent-search\">local insurance agent<\/a>has intimate knowledge of your area. They can assess possible risks and will inform you if you require specific coverage. For instance, if your home address is in a flood zone and you require <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-flood-insurance\">flood insurance<\/a> not just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\">homeowner\u2019s insurance<\/a>. They are also familiar with common claims in the area and can make recommendations due to that information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Resources\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 A local insurance agent can serve as your personal HR department if you own a small business. If one of your employees has a question regarding their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-healthcare-insurance\">health insurance<\/a>, they can inquire with the agent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flexibility\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Local insurance agencies will offer more flexibility to customize coverage. National insurers usually work off a standard operating procedure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second chances\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 No one is perfect. If your driving history has a blemish, local insurance agencies are less rigid and more accommodating to offer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-auto-insurance\">car insurance<\/a> coverage. A national carrier often has their hands tied to strict company policy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Options\u00a0<\/strong>-A local independent insurance agency, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-healthcare-insurance\">GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a>, can comparison shop with different insurance providers for you. While a captive agent is obligated to one insurance company.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support a Local Business\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Money spent locally, stays in your community. <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/nicoleleinbachreyhle\/2014\/09\/02\/why-you-need-to-support-small-businesses\/#2715e4857a0b5f2610e2147a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Forbes<\/a><\/em> points out; local businesses will give back to the community, further increasing community character and economic benefits to build up the area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prompt Service\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Direct access to your agent usually means you get answers quicker and the claims administration process will be faster.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Security\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 With the constant breach of security at large companies online, inputting your personal data can leave you more vulnerable. Knowing who you are submitting your personal information directly to feels more secure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-healthcare-insurance\">GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a> has been offering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-auto-insurance\">auto insurance<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-homeowners-insurance\">homeowner\u2019s insurance<\/a> throughout Florida for 25 years. Our independent insurance agents can find the right insurance for you, give us a call.<img alt=\"buylocalbanner\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1253 size-full lazyload\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-300x115.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-150x57.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-600x229.jpg 600w\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"260\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 680px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 680\/260;\" width=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-300x115.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-150x57.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/buylocalbanner-600x229.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is important to you when it comes to selecting insurance? There is no right or wrong response, the answer is based on personal preferences. A survey of over 400 agents and brokers from Insurance Journal found overall, regional insurance carriers scored better than national carriers. \u201cLocal insurance provides an opportunity for more personalized service, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":1257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,30,1,13,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-auto-insurance","8":"category-flood-insurance","9":"category-floridainsurance","10":"category-healthcare-insurance","11":"category-homeowners-insurance"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13919,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1244\/revisions\/13919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}