Millions upon millions of people live in Texas. It's not hard to see why. There's so much to love about Texas. The scenery is beautiful! The weather is great! We have sports, shows, and art!
It would not be accurate to say it’s perfect, though. While we don’t have blizzards, we do have some pretty crazy weather, like severe thunderstorms and even hurricanes. Beyond large storm events, we also have to deal with mold and insects that like the warm weather just as much as we do. In short, your Texas home better be protected!
You shouldn't be looking for cheap insurance or even the average home insurance cost in Texas. The wrong homeowners insurance may not protect your house and the belongings inside from everything that could occur. When a hurricane hits, the rain may be covered, but flooding often is not. To an insurance company, this is not the same thing!
You don’t want to get caught unprotected the next time a hurricane forms in the Atlantic. With that in mind, here is what is important for you to know:
Tip #1 Make sure your quote includes everything you need. Be very leery of any "too good to be true" options. It's very possible that the quote doesn’t cover all of the items you need it to or not cover them well enough to actually protect you financially should you need to make a claim. Key components of a standard policy should include:
-Dwelling (your house)
-Other structures (like a tool shed or detached garage)
-Personal property inside the home
-Loss of use/additional living expenses if your house is uninhabitable after a covered loss
-Personal liability (if someone claims you caused them injury or property damage)
-Medical payments (to others)
Tip #2 Don't wait until hurricane season. You certainly want great coverage next hurricane season, but it would be a mistake to think it doesn’t matter until then. Homeowners insurance helps pay to repair or rebuild your home and replace personal property for many reasons, like a tree falling on your fence or a thief stealing your electronics. The majority of claims are for water leaks from air conditioning systems, roof damage, water heaters, and busted pipes.
Tip #3 Don't shop based on price alone. You want the best homeowners insurance in Texas, not cheap insurance. Often, what makes a cheap homeowners insurance so cheap is that they offer you a low premium and a way-to-high deductible. When you have an insurance policy, you pay a little bit each month which is called your premium. There is also a “deductible” or excess, which is the amount of money that you must contribute to the repair or replacement cost of property. The higher the deductible, the lower the annual premium. You either pay a very small amount each month and must pay out a few thousand after a loss before your policy covers the rest, or you pay a higher amount each month and don’t worry about paying much at all when a major event forces you to file a claim.
Now is the time to get better homeowners insurance. These tips should help you get a policy that offers the protection and security you need.