How to Write Your First Home or Auto Policy Without Carrier Appointments (Step by Step)

Getting started · 2026-10-16

Most advice for new agents stops at "get appointed" or "join a program." This guide picks up where that advice stops: you have an active P&C license, no carrier appointments of your own, and a real person who wants a quote on their home or car. What happens next, step by step?

Short answer: you can write that policy this week. You quote it yourself, an appointed agency's desk shops the carriers and binds it, the client stays yours, and you are paid a share of the commission — again at every renewal.

If you are still deciding which route to take, start with licensed but not appointed in Florida and market access vs. clusters vs. aggregators. This article assumes you have picked market access and want to write your first policy.

Before your first quote: the 4 things you need

  1. An active P&C license. In Florida that is usually the 2-20 general lines license. No license, no market access program can help you.
  2. Your own E&O policy. Market access programs expect you to carry errors and omissions coverage. If you do not have it yet, read E&O insurance for new insurance agents first.
  3. A W-9. You are being paid commissions, so the agency paying you needs it on file.
  4. A signed market access agreement. Read the book-ownership and exit clauses before you sign. In a good agreement, the clients and renewals are yours.

None of these takes weeks. Most agents have all four within a few days.

Step 1: Collect the information that decides the price

The fastest way to lose a first deal is to come back with a number that changes at bind. That happens when the quote was built on guesses. Collect these on the first call.

For a home policy

  • Property address and whether the client lives there (primary, secondary, rental)
  • Year built, square footage, construction type
  • Roof year and roof material — in Florida this often matters more than anything else
  • Current carrier and expiring premium
  • Claims in the last 5 years
  • Mortgage company, if there is a loan

For an auto policy

  • Every driver in the household: name, date of birth, license number
  • Every vehicle: VIN, use, annual mileage
  • Owned, financed or leased — if financed or leased, the lienholder's name and address
  • Whether the client owns or rents where they live
  • Current carrier, current limits and expiring premium
  • Accidents and violations in the last 3 to 5 years

The expiring premium is the number agents forget most often. It is also the only way to know whether your quote is actually a better deal for the client.

Step 2: Get an indicative premium

With market access you do not email a spreadsheet to someone and wait. In ARLO Market Access you enter the household once inside ARLO CRM and indicative premiums come back in about a minute, for home, auto, condo, renters, flood and boat.

Use this number to have the conversation, not to close it. Tell the client it is an indication and that the final premium is confirmed by the desk.

Step 3: Request the final quote

When the client is interested, you send it to the desk. The desk shops the carriers available on your plan and returns a final, bindable quote. On ARLO the final quote comes back in about two hours. Twenty-four hours is common with aggregators — long enough for a shopper who called three agents to buy from someone else.

Step 4: Present it like an agent, not a price list

Send a clean proposal: coverages, deductibles, premium, and what changed versus the current policy. Explain the one or two coverage differences that matter. New agents who present coverage, not just price, close more and keep the client at renewal.

Step 5: The client signs and pays, the desk binds

The client signs and pays online. The desk binds the policy with the carrier. You did not need your own appointment for any of it: the policy is written under the appointed agency, and the client relationship stays yours.

Step 6: Set up the client for renewal on day one

The policy, the documents and the renewal date land in your CRM. Your client has their own Client Center to find their documents. Put a renewal review on your calendar 45 days before expiration. Renewals are where a new book becomes a business.

Step 7: Get paid — and paid again at renewal

On ARLO Market Access you keep 65% to 75% of the commission:

Rolling 12-month premium in force — Your share

$0 – $50,000 — 65%

$50,000 – $200,000 — 70%

$200,000 – $500,000 — 73%

$500,000+ — 75%

Your tier is reviewed quarterly, and the split is paid again at every renewal. Want the full math on splits and how other models compare? See how insurance agents get paid.

A realistic first week

Day — What happens

Day 1 — License, E&O and W-9 ready; agreement signed

Day 2 — First household entered, indicative premium in about a minute

Day 2 — Final quote requested, back in about two hours

Day 3 — Proposal presented, client signs and pays, policy bound

Renewal — Same client, same split, paid again

5 mistakes that kill a first deal

  1. Quoting without the expiring premium. You cannot show savings you cannot measure.
  2. Skipping the lienholder on a financed car. The policy cannot be issued correctly without it, and the dealer or lender will call.
  3. Guessing the roof year. Ask for the permit or the inspection report. A wrong roof year changes the price — or the eligibility.
  4. Promising the indicative number. Say "indication" out loud. Confirm at final.
  5. Waiting a day to follow up. A personal-lines shopper buys from whoever comes back first with a real number.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell home and auto insurance without carrier appointments?

Yes, if you hold an active P&C license. Through a market access program you quote under an appointed agency, its desk binds the policy, and you are paid a commission split. You do not need appointments of your own.

How fast can a new agent write a first policy without appointments?

Often within the first week. On ARLO Market Access, indicative premiums come back in about a minute and final quotes in about two hours, so a first policy can be bound within days of signing up.

Who owns the client if I write through market access?

In a well-written agreement, you do. On ARLO Market Access the client stays yours, and so do the renewals.

How much commission do I keep without my own appointments?

On ARLO Market Access you keep 65% to 75% of the commission, based on your rolling 12-month premium in force, reviewed quarterly and paid again at every renewal.

Is there a production minimum?

Not on ARLO Market Access. There is no production minimum and no appointment of your own required. Plans start at $99 per month with the full ARLO CRM included.

What happens when I get my own appointments later?

You keep your book. You move to a CRM plan that fits an appointed agency and keep access to the quote desk for the carriers you still do not have. See how to get appointed.

Ready to write your first policy? See how ARLO Market Access works · Get your first 20 clients · How to get carrier appointments

Market access for new insurance agents · Get appointed in Florida · ARLO CRM pricing · More guides