If you’ve ever gotten a homeowners insurance quote and wondered why an agent could only offer you two or three options, the answer usually comes down to one thing: not every agent has access to every carrier.

Captive agent vs. independent agent vs. broker

A captive agent represents one insurance company and can only sell that company’s policies. If your home doesn’t fit that carrier’s underwriting rules, the agent has nowhere else to send you.

An independent agent holds contracts — called appointments — with a number of carriers and can shop your home across all of them. But “independent” doesn’t mean “unlimited”: every agency has its own list of appointed carriers, and that list is rarely more than a fraction of the carriers actually writing business in Florida.

A broker works similarly to an independent agent. The distinction that matters to you isn’t the job title — it’s which carriers that specific person is actually appointed with.

What to ask before assuming you’ve shopped the whole market

• “How many carriers are you appointed with for homeowners insurance in Florida?”
• “Which carriers in this directory are you not able to quote?”
• “If my home doesn’t fit your carriers’ guidelines, can you refer me elsewhere?”

How this directory fits in

We’re not an agency and we don’t sell policies. Every carrier profile lists that carrier’s own published underwriting guidance and contact information, so you can research independently and compare against what an agent quoted you.