While an agent may seem like a good investment and a valuable resource, one can do the same work on his own while saving a lot of money, by as much as a 50% in savings. By doing leg work on your own, you eliminate the need for the middleman and the need to pay his over bloated commissions. Sure independent agents may be an invaluable font for information. But most of the time, deals offered by insurers over an 800 number are unbeatable in terms of competitive pricing. The good thing is insurers with captive sale forces like State Farm or Allstate write cheaper policies than these!