Do You Hear What I Hear…. The FIRE ALARM!

Name: Alta Vista Insurance Agency
Address: 2585 Pio Pico Dr Suite 100, Carlsbad, CA, 92008
Telephone: 888-724-2124

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

Christmas trees are one of the most iconic staples of the holiday season. As beautiful and festive as they are, they also bring a major safety hazard to your home; fires. To ensure your home stays safe this holiday season, here are some preventative steps to help keep your home safe this season.

1. Picking your tree.

Make sure your tree isn’t dried out!! When selecting your trees make sure the needles are green and not easy to remove when pulled. This will indicate your tree is well watered and not drying out. Also, before selecting your tree, bounce it on the ground. If an overabundance of needles fall to the ground, the tree is drying out, which could cause a fire if placed in your home.

2. Caring for your tree

Don’t leave your tree up for longer than two weeks. After being chopped down, the tree immediately starts to dry out. The longer you leave it up, the more risk there is for a fire to be started. NEVER place your tree near a fireplace, a heating vent, or another heating source. The heat caused by these sources could cause the tree to catch fire. Remember to keep your tree watered AT ALL TIMES!

3. Disposing of your tree

Never use your Christmas trees as firewood!! Pine trees burn like tinder, and ignite in a flash creating HUGE sparks. Just a few embers and a fire is started. Instead, take your tree to a recycling center or hauled away by a pick up service. 240 house fires are caused by Christmas trees each year. These fires could cause injuries and even death. It also causes an estimated $16.7 million in direct property damage. Make sure you have fire insurance and are taking all the necessary precautions to keep your home safe this holiday season.

Green or Scheme?

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

Green construction is becoming increasingly popular. about 35% of construction in 2013 was green, and it is expected to increase 55% by 2016. Although green construction is becoming the new fad, it may not be the choice. Here are a few topics to consider before going green:

Make sure your green contractor has insurance. If he doesn’t, don’t hesitate to hire a new one. If you like your contractor, but he doesn’t have insurance, as part of the contract, require he gets it.
Property damage coverage is not traditional! Although your building may be fully functional, it may not achieve “green status”, or meet LEED standard. If that’s the case, normal liability policies may not cover that issue. It is important to remember that some certified green professionals may be excluded from some liability policies; property damage may not be covered.

So, how can you stay protected? DO YOUR RESEARCH! Go through a company that specifically offers green insurance. This way, if any construction falls into the “gray-green” area, you will be covered.

Insurance and… Hoarding? 3 Things Hoarding Could Affect.

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

Although glamorized by popular T.V. networks, hoarding is very dangerous. Hoarding affects every aspect of your life; even your insurance. Here are three risks hoarding has on your insurance.

1. Home: Although rare, an inspection on your house could occur. If your home has any safety hazards, and you do not fix them, your insurance policy could be cancelled.

2. Health: Cleanliness is important! When there is extra debris build up in your home, it could cause mold and other harmful bacteria’s to grow in your home, which could cause dangerous health problems. If this is found during an inspection, it could cause your insurance rates to climb.

3. Fire: Having too much clutter around a stove, power outlet or even a heating vent, and this is brought up to inspectors, you could be at risk of not only a dangerous fire, but also a higher insurance rate.

Sitting is Deadly!

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

You may not know it, but sitting down, idle, at a desk all day greatly affects your health. Being in the sitting all day increases:

Organ damage
Muscle degeneration
Leg disorders
Neck and Brain complications
Serious back issues

To avoid this list of complications, here are three office-friendly exercises you can do to keep active at work:

Wall Sits: Lean up against the wall and squat down as if you’re sitting in a chair. Hold this position for 60 seconds. Wall sits put releases stress on the knees, hips and back.
Leg Extensions: Sit strain up in your chair and extend your legs for 15 seconds, holding them in place. After, lift your legs together up and down. Do this about 15 times. This sends more blood flow to your head and releases energy.
Desk Push Ups: Place your hands on the edge of your desk, shoulder width apart. Push away from the desk with your back and legs aligned.

What 4 Things are INCREASING your Homeowners Insurance?

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

To ensure you keep your insurance costs down, and your home safe, here are four things you should stay away from:

Keep your house looking PRISTINE! Keeping up your maintenance will keep your homeowners insurance down! If your house isn’t maintenance, your insurance could increase rapidly or even be CANCELLED!
It’s all about location! Fires are a hazard especially in California. Your insurance rates could increase if you are too far away from a fire station or a fire hydrant. If you aren’t locate near one of those, make sure you are close to a reliable water source incase of an emergency.
It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. You may not know it, but SWIMMING POOLS and TRAMPOLINES increase your insurance rates! Over 90.000 hospital visits are reported annually because of trampolines. What most homeowners don’t realize is that a trampoline can cause serious spinal and brain damage. Swimming pools claim over 1000 lives a year! So, before you invest in these items, be sure to think twice!
A man’s best friend could easily turn in to mans biggest foe. Although soft and cuddly, not all dogs are good to own. Dogs such as Dobermans, Great Danes. German shepherds, Siberian huskies and other so called “dangerous and violent breeds” could make you insurance skyrocket. Be sure to buy a dog that is friendly to every part of the household!

3 Business Income Coverages Most People Miss…

Posted on April 13, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

The end of the year is a good time to review your business insurance policies, especially business income coverage. The following additional endorsements are often overlooked:

1. Coverage for restoration period

It is common to underestimate the time it will take for a company to return back to normal operations after a loss. Cleanup and debris removal can take much longer than anticipated. Building codes, permits and inspections all add many months to the process. Two years of business interruption insurance is generally needed. Make sure to review the dollar limits in your policy.

2. Increased monthly limits for peak months

Be sure your Business Income amount is adequate for your business type. If your business is seasonal, the peak months need adequate limits. Review coverage and limits often

3. Transit coverage

Most businesses rely on fully insured carriers, like UPS or FedEx for shipping customer goods. These carriers generally use a release bill of lading for most shipments. If the shipper damages or loses your items, your coverage may be limited to as little as $100, and you may have no further recourse. If you ship large quantities and values consider a blanket transit policy.

California Home Insurance

Posted on April 12, 2018January 12, 2021 by admin

Alta Vista Insurance – Your source for California home insurance.

At Alta Vista Insurance, we believe you should be able to create a customized policy for home insurance. California home insurance is a specialty of our knowledgeable agents.

If you own your home, you may not be required to hold home insurance but if you have a mortgage, your lending institution will most likely require home insurance. California home insurance policies include many options, so Alta Vista Insurance is committed to easing the selection process for you.

A basic California home insurance policy will cover the following:

The structure of your home
Replacement costs
Personal possessions (up to a set limit)
Living expenses in case of a disaster
Liability

You can purchase supplemental homeowners insurance including:

Valuable Articles/Floater policies (i.e. Jewelry Insurance)
Flood policies
Earthquake policies
Umbrella policies (additional liability)
Animal Liability (liability issues due to household pets)

At Alta Vista Insurance, we understand that choosing the most suitable California home insurancecan be overwhelming. Don’t stress out -our friendly agents are always on call to advise you.

Give us a call with any questions you have regarding California home insurance.

Raymond Lowder

Posted on September 27, 2017January 12, 2021 by admin

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I am Raymond Lowder a personal lines agent at Alta Vista Insurance Agency specializing in property insurance. I was born in Germany, but raised in San Diego. Growing up I played football and baseball and I enjoy staying active playing in a local recreational flag football league. I attended high school at Cathedral Catholic and am a recent graduate of Cal State San Marcos with a degree in Economics. I enjoy watching sports and am a fan of the Padres! In my free time when I’m not in the office or staying active, I like visiting the different microbreweries around San Diego and I enjoy watching The Walking Dead with family. I am also a Disney Annual Pass Holder so if I’m not around San Diego, maybe you’ll run into me at Disneyland!

Morgan Hege

Posted on September 27, 2017January 12, 2021 by admin

Call Morgan at 1-888-724-2124 x106
Email Morgan@AltaVistaInsurance.com
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Retirement expert, Morgan Hege, works with retirees and pre-retires to educate them about retirement, protect their savings, grow their wealth, and have a fun and successful retirement, and eventually pass on their money to heirs efficiently as possible. He specializes in the fields of retirement income planning. He has helped hundreds of individuals retire successfully using his principals. He established his practice around a safe money philosophy with millions of dollars under management. His proprietary planning process, is driven by his personal philosophy adopted from his first boss, Warren Buffet who famously said, “There are two rules of investing. “Rule #1 – Don’t lose money. Rule #2 – Never forget Rule #1”. Morgan works strictly with retirees who have over $250,000 in investable assets.

Education & Achievements

Morgan graduated from the Biola University in La Mirada with a degree in Organizational Leadership. He is a licensed insurance professional and financial advisor with over 15 years of retirement planning experience. He is proud to educate and advise his clients in their retirement needs, and enjoys making it a fun process.

In The Media

Morgan hosts an internet radio show and video blog where he educates and entertains his audience as he interviews guests and discusses current events with the nation’s top industry professionals. Morgan provides useful tips, fun facts about money and saving for retirement. Send Morgan a question to have it answered live on the show!

Morgan is the author of “Retirement Roadmap: Using Ladders in Retirement to Hedge Against Inflation” which discusses strategies to guarantee income, reduce taxes, and maximize social security benefits in retirement.

Family Information

Morgan and his wife Rya have been married since 1999 and have three children: a daughter Charlotte, and two sons Robert and Anderson. The five of them enjoy spending time together as a family, taking family vacations, and supporting each other in numerous social, school, and sporting events.

George Francis, CPCU

Posted on September 27, 2017January 12, 2021 by admin

Family, business, travel, wine, golf and more family, these are my priorities and passion. I am a native Californian who grew up in Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil and Wyoming, an interesting background which is perhaps why I have a passion for travel. I have three daughters and three grandsons, each grandson with a different passion. One has baseball; one has horses and is looking forward to being in the Grand Prix; and one in soccer, perhaps to play for the Seattle Sounders. We have lots to look forward to.

After a twenty year career working for insurance companies and large brokerage operations Marge and I purchased Alta Vista Insurance Agency, in Vista, CA, in 1989, and love the small community atmosphere. Our business is all over the West, but Vista is home and very comfortable. Being a newbie twenty years ago I joined the Kiwanis Club of Vista to get to know the community and become involved. Twenty years later I’m still involved and love to be of service to our communities and our children and enjoy the wonderful fellowship of this worldwide organization.

My passion for wine has allowed me to build a great relationship with wineries and vineyards in California. This is a growing part of our business and one that is leading us into the other western states. I love to taste/drink wine and have found the people in this industry to be wonderful to work with and have as friends. When work is fun it really is not work.

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