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Category: Home Insurance

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Homeowners Insurance Basics

Do you own a home in the Spicewood, Texas area? If so, Whiteside Insurance has friendly, knowledgeable agents who are ready to discuss homeowners insurance policies available to you. If you have ever wondered what is covered by the homeowners policy you purchase, here are some of the answers.

It’s a package deal

Homeowners insurance typically comes as a package policy. That means you get coverage that extends from property damage to your buildings, to liability for injuries caused to others by policyholders.
The four main parts of your policy usually include these types of coverage:

Structure

This coverage protects your home, and possibly other unattached structures on your property. Should your home suffer damage caused by smoke, vehicles, lightening, or vandalism, your policy would cover the cost of repair. Keep in mind that there are some perils that may not be covered, such as flooding, earthquakes, and normal wear and tear.

Belongings

If a thief breaks in and takes your electronics and sports equipment, your homeowners policy would cover the cost of your loss. This also extends to fire, smoke, and other disasters listed in your policy. But if you have extra valuable items, such as your vintage electric guitar, or your grandfather’s antique coin collection, you will want to be sure to purchase an extra floater or personal property endorsement. It is always wise to have those special items appraised to find their actual value.

Liability

Should you, one of your immediate family members, or even your dog cause bodily injury to someone else, your policy would cover the medical bills incurred. Liability should also cover the cost of damage you or a family member causes to someone else’s property, up to the limit of your policy.

Home Away From Home Expenses

If you should become homeless for a time, thanks to one of the disasters mentioned above, this part of your policy would cover the cost of a motel during your home renovation.
This is just some of the basic information to know about your policy. To discuss any other details or options available, just give us a call!
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Flood Insurance for the Spicewood, Texas Area

Are you aware that your regular homeowner’s policy does not cover the cost of flood damage? Your homeowner’s insurance may cover some damage due to rain, but only if it happens as the rain is actually falling from the sky. Any type of damage done once that rain hits the ground and begins to fill your house will need to be covered by flood insurance.
Texas does not require you to purchase a flood insurance policy, but often it will be required by your lender if you are taking out a mortgage in a high-risk area. Flood insurance can be a wise choice no matter where you live, given the statistics that prove one out of every five claims due to flood damage occur in low to moderate risk areas. One third of the federal disaster assistance due to flooding is received by those who live outside areas of high flood risk. Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States, as ninety percent of all natural disasters include flooding.

The agents at Whiteside Insurance are here for you, and we would be glad to discuss the options you have available. We will find the best policy for the coverage that fits your specific needs. There may be several options depending on if you need only your home and buildings covered, or if you are looking to protect your personal possessions as well. Give us a call, or stop in to discover what choices are available to you.

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Why Do Home Insurance Policies Not Cover Hurricanes?

Home insurance covers a wide range of happenings, and the weather is one of them. What most policyholders do not know, however, is that most home insurance policies do not include major events like hurricanes. For those that live in the Spicewood, TX area, the agents with Whiteside Insurance Agency, LLC can help you find your perfect policy.
Home insurance covers things like damage from hail, wind, snow, ice and other weather events but it does not include hurricanes. So why do most home policies not cover hurricanes? The simplest way to look at this is that hurricanes are not at all common across the country. Hurricanes are only common in certain areas like coastal states and areas around large bodies of water. An inland state like Idaho is not going to see a hurricane, so it is not logical to drive up the premiums for an event that is not likely to happen everywhere.
Fire, on the other hand, could happen anywhere and is not governed by location which means that this is something that should be covered by all policies. Things like flood are also not common across the board, so they are not often required as part of the basic home coverage. Also, things like volcanic eruptions are also not common, so they are not covered by basic insurance coverage. If you are living in an area where these are common, you may want to take out individual coverage that is going to help cover these particular circumstances.
For those in the Spicewood, TX area, the agents with Whiteside Insurance Agency, LLC can help to get your home coverage taken care of and squared away so that you can make sure your home is adequately covered under all circumstances and events that may transpire.
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Bizarre Homeowners Insurance Claims

In most cases, one encounters bizarre insurance claim stories through comedians and weird news outlets. However, the reality is often stranger than fiction. At Whiteside Insurance Agency, LLC in Spicewood, TX, we ensure our clients have the best access to claims service by dealing with them as fast as we can. Every year, the claims service department see many claims from customers concerning their homes brought about by all manner of accidents. The agency makes certain these claims receive critical and professional attention, though some tend to stand out more than others due to their weird circumstances.

Below are some unusual claim stories:

An IT problem– It is impossible to prevent pets from helping themselves to anything. Particularly, cats can be very curious as one cat owner from San Diego discovered when they left their laptop unattended. Unfortunately, the cat spilled a cup of coffee that the owner had beside the laptop all over the keyboard. Both the cat and the owner learned a valuable lesson.
Splash screen – In Kansas, a 2 year-old dog had his dream of a refreshing swimming experience feature on a television. Thinking that it was a real swimming pool, the dog jumped and ended up hitting the screen causing an estimated damage of about $250.
An unexpected and unwelcomed guest– cleaning ones teeth is normally a peaceful affair until you introduce a wasp into the act. Thankfully for the Kilmarnock resident whose mourning clean-up was rudely interrupted, the only damage caused was to his sink after he knocked over a glass which damaged it while trying to chase the wasp away.
A shoe in – Children are another recipe for disaster at home as a Rochester resident discovered. One of the little darlings broke the television screen after launching a shoe at his sibling.
Something’s fishy– Another weird claim came from a man who was taking part in a competitive billiards-type of game. No sooner had he made a wild shot did the ball soar off the table and hit an expensive fish tank. All the fish were rescued and his claim paid.

Call Whiteside Insurance Agency, LLC Today

We will help you with your claim no matter the level of “uniqueness.” Reach out to our agents in Spicewood, TX to learn more about how to start a home insurance policy. If you are looking for quotes from home, try our online rating tool for home and auto insurance. Call us at (877) 693-8882 to speak with someone or schedule an appointment.