Tag: McKinney home insurance

What Big Tex Teaches us About Insurance

I love the State Fair of Texas. There’s nothing like walking through the stock pavilion, watching the sheep dogs work the sheep, and the pig races. I enjoy wandering around the new car pavilion as I think about what I’d pick for a new vehicle. Then there are the rides and the cry of barkers tempting people to try their hand at some game to win the giant stuffed animal or some other prize. There’s plenty of food to savor as well; funnel cake, Fletcher’s corny dogs and some new fried delectable. And then there’s the icon of the fair, Big Tex.

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Conversations with a First Time Home Buyer, Part 1

I’ve been talking with a young couple this week. We’ll call them Ben and Amy (not their real names). They were referred to me by two of their friends. Ben and Amy are buying their first home in the McKinney / Allen area of Texas and they are excited and a little nervous with all the things that have to be done in order to close. Not only are they first time home buyers, but they are also first time buyers of home insurance.

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Force Placed Insurance

I got a call a few weeks ago from one of my clients in the Dallas area. I wrote the home insurance for he and his wife’s home two years ago and they wanted me to quote their car insurance too. To help me quote their insurance, his wife sent me a copy of a letter they received from their loan company. The letter simply stated that they needed to provide proof of current insurance or they would provide it for them at the price quoted in the letter. Sounds nice doesn’t it?! The truth is, the “help” they were offering had several “gotchas” in it and it was far from a fair price for the help they were providing.

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What to do When a Tornado Strikes

On April 3, 2012 the Dallas / Fort Worth area was struck by more than a dozen tornados. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed in Arlington, Irving, Lancaster, Dallas, Mesquite, Balch Springs, Forney and Royce City. I will never forget the images of semi-trailers being swirled around in the wind and thrown over 8 lanes of Interstate 20. Thousands of lives were affected by the storm’s which left damages surpassing $1 billion. The good news is no one was killed.

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9 More Ways to Save on Home Insurance

Last week we examined four discounts that lower the cost of home insurance including: A home’s age, Account / multi-policy discount, Alarm / protective devices and Mature homeowner discount. Here are 9 more ways to help reduce the cost of your home insurance.

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The Beauty Queen, Donald Trump, and the Lawsuit

On December 18th of last year, a New York arbitrator ordered Ex-Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin to pay $5 million in damages to Donald Trump who owns the Miss Universe Organization which includes the Miss USA pageant. Earlier in the year, Trump sued Ms. Monnin for defamation on behalf of the Miss Universe Organization after she claimed the Miss USA pageant outcome was rigged on both Facebook and NBC’s “Today” show.

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Insurance Related Bills Before the 2013 Texas Legislature

?There are several insurance related bills before the 2013 Texas Legislative session covering a broad spectrum of issues. There are also a few that aren’t really related to insurance but I’ve included them either because I’ve blogged on them last year or they are related to our overall safety and privacy.

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Foundation Care During Drought Conditions

Drought continues to cling to the western states. Mountain snowfall has been thin through much of the winter months and water levels in many lakes and reservoirs have less water than they did a year ago. Parts of Colorado have been declared extreme drought areas. Our neighbors to the north in Oklahoma and Nebraska are facing rainfall deficits of up to 16 inches with 55.8 % of the United States remaining in drought conditions. Unless spring snow and rainfall picks up, it could be a long hot summer.

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