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3 Reasons You Need Home Insurance Today

Posted on November 17, 2016January 4, 2017 by agentinsure

Although it seems to be one of the least considered types of insurance, purchasing a home insurance policy is vital to ensuring that you and your family maintain suitable living conditions over time. Do you live in Cypress, TX and need more information in regards to acquiring a policy? The following is a closer look at three reasons you need home insurance today.

Accidents Happen

Firstly, one of the reasons you should always maintain home insurance coverage is because accidents happen. Although we like to believe we will know when bad things are going to happen and will always be prepared, unfortunately, the opposite is most often true. However, by acquiring and maintaining suitable home insurance coverage, you won’t be caught off guard and unprotected in the event of a major accident.

Mortgage Loan Mandates

In addition to that, most mortgage companies mandate that the homeowner must maintain home assurance for the entirety of the loan. Therefore, by acquiring a quality home insurance policy from the very beginning, you will avoid any hiccups brought on by the need to provide proof of insurance to your mortgage company.

Theft Protection

Lastly, the final reason to purchase a home insurance policy today is to protect your home against burglaries and theft. Although this will do nothing to stop the event from happening, this is one of the best ways to ensure you never lose substantial amounts of valuables that are stored within your home.

Overall, if you are looking for high-quality insurance in Cypress, TX, InsureUS is an excellent option. No matter if you are seeking home, auto, or any other type of insurance, InsureUS will provide you will competitive rates as well as excellent service.

Thanksgiving tradition: Cover table

Posted on November 15, 2016October 14, 2016 by Victor Varma

According to thekitchn.com, one family covers the Thanksgiving table with butcher paper and then gives everyone a marker.

They can doodle, and give thanks, and draw pictures throughout dinner.

The creation then becomes a banner to enjoy for the day.

If you don’t want to substitute butcher paper for your nice tablecloth, or if you would prefer conversation at dinner, consider hanging a large thankfulness paper on the wall or door. Attach markers so everyone can give their autograph or opinion. Or drawing. Or thanks.

If you want, you can clip autographs and notes off the banner and scrapbook them.

Another idea is to give the banner to the person who lives farthest away, a college student or family friend.

Millennials fall for online scams, study says

Posted on November 10, 2016November 10, 2016 by Victor Varma

The most tech-savvy group in the world are the most likely to have lost money in scams, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Millennials fell for scams for online purchases, employment, and debt collection.

In fact, this 25 to 34-year old group was more likely to fall for online scams than 75-year-olds. About 30 percent of the younger group surveyed by the BBB admitted to losing money in scams. But only 5 percent of the older group lost money.

No flu for you!

Posted on November 7, 2016October 14, 2016 by Victor Varma

Flu season is upon us and one shot could save you two weeks of suffering, says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

This is recommended for everyone over the age of six months, except for those who may be adversely affected because of a weakened immune system.

There are a variety of vaccine options available to help individuals avoid the virus, or to lessen its impact, and they come in multiple forms – typically a shot, or a nasal spray.

This year, the CDC says that the nasal spray vaccine should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season.

The CDC recommends the inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or the recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV). There are vaccines with three components (a trivalent shot) or four components (a quadrivalent shot). No matter which you choose, it usually takes about two weeks for the vaccination to fully take effect.

If you’re interested in getting a flu shot, there are a variety of places where you can go to get that vaccination, including your doctor’s office. A local health clinic, a pharmacy or even a drive-through flu shot clinic, if you can find one, are all places where you can get a flu shot.

If you’re going to get a flu shot, now is the time to do it – too early and you may suffer later on, from waning immunity around the time that flu peaks next January or February.

What’s the skinny on using a title company?

Posted on November 3, 2016October 14, 2016 by Victor Varma

We take so much on face value.

That guy whose house you are buying, for example. We assume if he is selling the house, then he owns it. He does own it. Right?

What if he’s really a renter posing as the owner? What if his ex-wife is still a co-owner? Well, if so the seller doesn’t have a clear title, and that means you won’t either.

Happily, for a plethora of problems that can occur with a process as complicated as buying a home, the buyer has insurance. It’s called title insurance, and it is one of the most important safeguards of your money.

If you want to buy a home, you have to sign a contract with the seller, a mortgage contract with your lender, another contract with your insurer and a few other related documents. Not only is this process time-consuming, but it can also cause sleepless nights fraught with worries.

Signed contracts by two parties are legally binding agreements. They cannot be broken without costly consequences and in something as significant as a home, you want everything to go right.

Lots of problems can creep up in a property over a dozen or more years. There can be unpaid taxes. Or a problematic easement that prohibits your building a fence. There can be disputes over a property line. What if the city has underground utilities running the entire length of the property that the seller didn’t reveal in the contract, and you don’t discover them until you’re excavating for a swimming pool?

Professional real estate agents and contract law attorneys work with property buyers and sellers every day. They can interpret the documents, ask the right questions, add or delete anything, not in your best interest, and recommend a title company to launch a thorough search that secures you a clear title. In fact, your mortgage lender requires the purchase of title insurance, or it won’t issue the funds you need to close the deal.

The title company’s main mission is to declare a title defect-free; otherwise, it won’t sell you the required insurance. The search involves combing through public records for any matter concerning the house you want, including past deeds, wills, trusts, divorce decrees, bankruptcy filings, court judgments, outstanding liens and tax records.

Maybe the seller inherited the house under the terms of a will, but it was out-of-date, and a more recent will left the house to his cousin. Title insurance protects both your interests and your lender’s.

Title policy insurance is the best insurance policy you can ever buy. It is a permanent assurance that your ownership and use will be defended promptly against claims, at no cost to you, whether or not the claim is valid.

Every state and locality have a different regulatory rules that can affect charges. But you pay a one-time premium for coverage that lasts as long as you or your heirs own your property. Title insurance is one of the least expensive forms of insurance.

Keeping Your Home Insurance-Friendly Through Fall

Posted on October 31, 2016October 24, 2016 by agentinsure

Some people are lucky enough to live in climates where the weather stays mild all year long. If you live in a more turbulent environment, then you know all about the damage that weather can do to your home if you don’t take the right precautions. If you’ve gone through InsureUS and gotten a great policy, then you can rest assured that you’ll be covered should something happen. But, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. You don’t want to stay in a hotel while repairs are done on your home, so here are a few things you’ll want to do to keep your home safe through the Fall:

Trim any stray tree branches that may do some serious damage to your home
Install the storm windows
Winterize your pipes with heating tape or insulation
Get your firewood supply up if you use a stove or a fireplace
Check your propane levels if you use gas for heating or cooking
Inspect your home for drafts and leaks and patch up accordingly
Check your siding and make sure that it’s in good, stable condition
Have your furnace inspected by an HVAC professional, you generally want to get a tune-up once a year, and Fall is a critical time
Clean your humidifiers with a little white vinegar if it gets dry in the Fall where you live
Prepare your outdoors: Close the pool, rake the leaves, put the Summer furniture away, etc.

You may or may not need to check off every item on this list, it depends on what the Fall is like in your area. But few climates demand no preparation for Fall whatsoever.

How to handle two driving emergencies

Posted on October 28, 2016September 12, 2016 by Victor Varma

How much time do you spend in your car?

Most Americans, drive an average of 29.2 miles a day, with trip length of 46 minutes per trip, as the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety’s survey of 2015 revealed. That’s more than 10,650 miles per year, and a whopping 279 hours in a car each year. Most of those hours are uneventful.

Yet, driving emergencies happen. Here’s what the experts suggest to do in two common situations.

Blown tire: Stay calm. Keep the foot off the brake. According to the experts at Popular Mechanics, gently press on the accelerator to stabilize the car, then let the car slow. Once the car has slowed, move toward the shoulder.

Remember that driving on an underinflated tire can increase the possibility of a blowout, as can an object in the road, according to the pros at Popular Mechanics.

Brake Failure: Most cars have dual braking systems, so even if the front goes out, the car may still have back brakes and vice versa, according to Allstate’s blog. There are several ways to slow a vehicle during a brake system failure.

First, slow the vehicle, carefully taking pressure off the gas pedal, and downshifting so the car will slow itself, thanks to the vehicle’s drag. When the car has slowed enough to be under control again, work to get out of traffic and off the road. Do not shut off the vehicle until it is off of the roadway, or it may be harder to control.

Uninsured Businesses Cost More Money Than They Save

Posted on October 28, 2016October 24, 2016 by agentinsure

Opting not to pay for commercial insurance seems like a way to save a business money. Those premiums really add up quickly. However, it’s worth the money in the long run and for many reasons.

1. It Protects Against Liability Charged

Accidents happen. And unfortunately, they oftentimes happen to a business’ customers and employees. Commercial insurance prevents a company from having to pay for these claims out of pocket. The insurance will cover the cost. It makes it much easier to settle out of court and for a lesser amount. And even if it goes to court, having insurance makes it look better on the business’ part and just makes the outcome more favorable for the business.

2. Lawsuits Are Expensive

In some instances, the amount is an astronomical amount that the company can’t even afford, so when there’s insurance, a majority of the expenses are paid by the insurance company rather than the business. Although the insurance doesn’t always cover the full claim, it only leaves the business responsible for some of the expenses.

3. Protects Against Bankruptcy

A costly lawsuit causes the business to need to take responsibility for the money owed. If it’s too much, it can cause the business to go bankrupt.

4. Personal Responsibility

The owner is sometimes left responsible for a lawsuit. This could cause a person to lose his or her home, even if the company became an LLC.

Having commercial insurance just makes sense and is the best option for a business. For more information about commercial insurance or to start a policy, contact InsureUS, serving the Cypress, TX area, at 281-640-8888.

Ask the Expert

Posted on October 25, 2016September 12, 2016 by Victor Varma

Q. I’m buying my first house. I am pretty sure I can spend $150,000 for my house because I did some calculations online. Problem is, lenders won’t give me a firm quote until I buy something. What gives?

A. Online calculators can be excellent tools, but remember there are many costs associated with buying a house. One of those is the tax rate in the area you buy. You won’t know that until you pick a property. You also will have to buy Private Mortgage Insurance if you put less than 20 percent down. PMI can change your monthly mortgage payment significantly.
No lender can give you an estimate until you have an address of the property you hope to buy. An address is required for the Loan Estimate, a three-page disclosure document.
Start your home search by getting pre-approved for a loan. Go to a lender and give basic information about your finances. The lender will pull a credit report and discuss your income and debt. You should have no more than 43 percent debt to income. Usually, 36 percent is preferred.
Once pre-approved you can get an agent and shop for your home. When you do find the property you want to buy, you can apply for a mortgage by going to different lenders and getting a Loan Estimate from each. The Loan Estimate, which has to be issued within three days after you apply, will give you detailed information about the loan, including the loan amount, interest rate, monthly payments and whether these can change.
The Loan Estimate will also tell you the amount of cash you need to close and the estimated costs to close.
It will list fees for things you can’t shop for (appraisals, for instance) and things you can shop for (pest inspection, for example).

Houston Area Homes and Flood Insurance

Posted on October 25, 2016October 24, 2016 by agentinsure

The city of Cypress, like the entirety of the Houston area, is prone to flooding. Houston lies on a great coastal plain that slopes evenly down into the Gulf of Mexico, and there is simply no high ground for miles around. The Texas countryside is particularly prone to flash flooding, which means that there may be less time for preparation than many people would expect. The Houston area can go from a drought to a flood in a day, and the Cypress Creek watershed can fill up with such rapidity that it can actually endanger unwary people. A Cypress homeowner can wake up to blue skies and find an inch of floodwater in their living room before dinner.

Large tracts of land in the Dry Creek watershed and other parts of town are built on the AE Zone. This means that there was a calculation that showed about a 1% chance of flooding every year for homes in that area. Flood insurance is especially critical in that area. Insurers may request that the homeowner have their property surveyed and issued an elevation certificate before issuing a policy for their home. Because of these risks, Cypress participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Also known as the NFIP, this government program regulates and promotes private businesses that provide flood insurance.

People who own recreational vehicles in Cypress should consider obtaining insurance for their RVs. Most types of RV insurance offered by InsureUS cover water damage to the vehicle, so long as the damage is sudden and accidental. A flash flood event would certainly qualify. However, if the vehicle is not properly maintained or promptly seen to after the flood, then the insurance may not pay for the damage.