Month: October 2013

Obtaining home insurance in the DFW area is not difficult, but it does require some consideration into the individuals who are living in your house. When you are asking for a quote in Coppell, Texas, you will be required to name the other people living in your home and your relationship to those individuals.

Providing Details

Even if your spouse or civil partner has an insurance policy to protect personal assets, you are still required to name them in your house policy. Companies will require details about each person living in your house, though you can inform the company that your spouse or civil partner is already insured at the time you are obtaining a quote.

Getting Coverage

Obtaining coverage will depend on several factors. Your significant other will be named on your policy, but as a secondary individual in the house. It is a measure to protect your financial assets because the other individual might not have appropriate coverage or might not maintain coverage in the future. Although you will not need to have the same level of coverage for your significant other if he or she already has coverage, you will still need to name them on your policy to keep your own assets safe.

Insurance coverage is not always limited to personal items. In the case of homeowners coverage, you will need to list every individual living in the home and the major assets that you want protected from theft or damage. Even if the objects are not your personal belongings, you still want to protect assets within the house. If you want to learn more about finding the right coverage, then contact us today to talk to an independent agent.

In an effort to encourage the use of more energy-efficient buildings, equipment and appliances, the U.S. Government’s Environmental Protection Agency established the ENERGY STAR rebate program in 1992. This voluntary program identifies and promotes the labeling of products to designate them as energy efficient, to help the nation meet its goal to improve its energy security.

If you have a home in Coppell, Texas and are interested in saving money while also helping reduce pollution, you will want to look into the various rebate programs available to homeowners.

For example, if you are getting ready to purchase a new washing machine and drier, check for the ENERGY STAR sticker to see how much energy you will save by using that particular model, compared to models that are less efficient and lack ENERGY STAR labeling. Depending on funding availability, you may be eligible to receive a rebate when you purchase such an energy-efficient appliance. You will not only save money immediately from the rebate, but additional money over the years as you use the appliance.

If you are buying a new home, there are opportunities to save money and energy if the entire home is considered to be energy efficient according to ENERGY STAR standards. A third-party organization will need to verify the home’s energy efficiency before it can be awarded an ENERGY STAR label. You’ll then have the satisfaction of knowing that you are living in a building that is cutting down on pollution while also saving money on your fuel bills.

As your independent agent, we can help you learn more about the ENERGY STAR rebate program or answer any other insurance policy questions you may have about your home in DFW. Please give us a call in Coppell, Texas today so that we can give you specific details for your circumstances. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

On those hot summer days in Coppell, Texas, it is always nice to take a dip in your swimming pool. Your house can be a popular place if you have a cool pool. You can have pool parties and your kids can invite their friends over to partake in the fun.

All around Dallas, Fort Worth and Coppell, Texas there are homes with backyard pools. Many are in-ground pools and some are of the above-ground variety. If you own a swimming pool in Texas, you need to be concerned about liability issues as well as the actual maintenance and protection of the structure and equipment used around the pool.

Your standard home insurance policy will provide both liability and structural damage coverage within certain limitations. For instance, you are covered by the liability portion of your home policy if someone gets injured while swimming or playing around in your pool. You are not covered if the ground around your pool shifts and the pool develops a big, ugly crack.

While the size and depth of your pool in the DFW area does not usually affect the premium you pay on your home policy, other factors do. You may have a difficult time getting your home insurance carrier to cover your pool if you install a diving board or slide. Both of those items increase the likelihood of someone getting injured. You may have to agree to an exclusion for injuries directly related to diving board or slide accidents.

You can lower the risk of swimming pool accidents by installing a fence around your pool with a safety gate and by covering it with a tarp when it is not being used in the winter months. Having a swimming pool in the DFW area is very common and insurance companies are quite willing to provide coverage for homes with swimming pools.

We get a lot of question about how much coverage is needed if a person has a swimming pool. Give us a call and an independent agent can go over everything from safety and maintenance to the different insurance carriers who offer the most complete home policies for pool owners.