Houston Real Estate Blogosphere
Houston Real Estate Blogosphere brings together all the blog posts of REALTORS from the Houston area in one place
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Homeowners Insurance
The most recently published posts in the Homeowners Insurance category
Though they probably didn’t realize it, Texans started paying more this month for title insurance, already one of the biggest costs associated with buying or refinancing a home.The price hike, quietly approved in March by the state insurance commissioner, is the first in 22 years. Aaron Day, a lobbyist for the Texas Land Title Association, said the 3.8 percent increase was justified by data submit...
Read Post [Posted on 05/16/2013 By John Askins]
The rise in natural disaster-related damage has many insurers reassessing their exposures, raising rates, and reducing coverage. In some cases, insurers have shifted greater financial burdens to home owners and even refused to pay claims. Michael Barry of the Insurance Information Institute (III) says, "The last two years were extraordinary for natural disasters. Insurers have taken a step ...
Read Post [Posted on 05/15/2013 By John Askins]
Cornerstone Insurance Agency is a winner of the BBB Award of Distinction 2013. That is the third year in a row!
Read Post [Posted on 05/08/2013 By Leah Blache']
Homeowner's insurance policies are often an after-thought--that is, until disaster strikes. Home owners in Joplin, Mo., Tuscaloosa, Ala., and other cities flattened by tornados found out too late that their insurance policies likely would not entirely cover the costs to rebuild. While most home owner's insurance policies will cover tornado damage, many home insurance policies are un...
Read Post [Posted on 05/08/2013 By John Askins]
The majority of home owners report know about flood insurance, yet
only a small percentage actually add the extra coverage to their
standard homeowner’s insurance policy, according to a new study by
Bankrate.com.
Eighty-one percent of Americans say they are aware that standard
homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover flood damage. But only 13
percent of home owners report having a fl...
Read Post [Posted on 05/06/2013 By John Askins]
Homeowner insurance policies can vary greatly, and if home owners aren’t careful, they may find their claims denied when disaster strikes, according to a study by the University of Chicago Law Review.
While home insurers once used standard policy forms by the Insurance Services Office, now some are coming up with their own policies and a few tweaks in the wording can mean trouble for s...
Read Post [Posted on 05/04/2013 By John Askins]
Check to see if your home or the home you are thinking about purchasing is in a flood zone at....http://www.freeflood.net/
Read Post [Posted on 05/03/2013 By Janet Buff]
It’s that age-old conundrum: You pay for homeowners
insurance to protect yourself from financial ruin, yet filing a claim when
disaster does strike puts you at risk of seeing your annual premiums increase
by hundreds of dollars. Worse, either a major claim or too many claims in a
given period, no matter how legitimate, could lead to losing your house’s
coverage altogether.
While ...
Read Post [Posted on 05/01/2013 By Diana Walton]
Some of the nation’s largest insurers are raising home insurance premium rates, or plan to soon, reports The Wall Street Journal.For example, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. says it increased home owner rates, on average, 7.3 percent, and in some states it raised rates even more. Other insurance companies also report higher rates--a company in Florida reports an 11 percent increase this...
Read Post [Posted on 04/23/2013 By John Askins]
Here is a great insurance article my insurance agent, Tim Halloran, sent to me. I found this interesting because my neighbor recently had a house fire and found themselves under insured, even though they thought they had adequate coverage.Have you had your agent evaluate or update your coverage? My neighbor's house fire certainly made me review and increase my coverage.Find t...
Read Post [Posted on 04/15/2013 By Alex Handley]
A natural disaster can strike at any time.And whether it’s a springtime flood, earthquake or wildfire, being covered against severe damage to your home or business is essential.Across the United States, flooding is the No. 1 natural disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.And given the region’s swollen rivers and the promise of heavy runoff this spring from melting s...
Read Post [Posted on 03/30/2013 By John Askins]
Home owners beware: “Your home owner’s insurance now probably covers less while costing more,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Home owner deductibles have been rising the last few years, as home owners who may have once seen $250 to $500 a claim soar to $1,000 to $2,500 a claim in recent years. There’s been a move by the industry to go to percentage-based deductibles, which have caused prices to ...
Read Post [Posted on 03/25/2013 By John Askins]
Low appraisals have been blamed for continuing to hamper the real estate market. So Kirchmeyer & Associates has debuted an appraisal warranty insurance program to its appraisal management services to protect lenders and investors against faulty appraisals.
The insurance protects lenders and investors against default losses, including repurchase expenses, as well as “provides assurance to...
Read Post [Posted on 03/24/2013 By John Askins]
Unless you're opening them for a while to let a breeze in, make sure to keep all your windows locked. Image: Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty ImagesImagine how scary it would be to wake up in the middle of the night and realize an intruder has gained access to your home. Protecting against a break-in might mean investing in a professionally installed and monitored home security system, but that...
Home buyers snapped up enough homes in February to raise
prices and hold inventory to 13 year lows.
Houston has the lowest supply of homes on the market since December
1999. We are in a seller’s market and
are now seeing multiple offers and bidding wars. If you are buying a new home
Cornerstone represents over 100 different insurance companies under one
roof. Give us a call...
Read Post [Posted on 03/19/2013 By Leah Blache']
