Insuring your jewelry

Protect those Valentine's Day Sparklies! 

  Picture it. Valentine's Day. Dinner at her favorite restaurant with wine or maybe even Champagne. You ask her if she wants to take a walk after dinner. You walk down to the bridge. And with the moon overhead, you get down on one knee and bring out that velvet box with the ring. She says "Yes!". Life is grand.
   Flash forward a few years. You have the house with the white picket fence, great neighbors and Junior is playing in the back yard with Fido. You surprise your lovely wife with an anniversary cruise (and your in-laws are taking Junior and Fido for the week!)  Life is grand.
   While you are on your trip, your house is broken into. Your big screen TV. Your computer. Your printer. Gone. Then your wife remembers - "I didn't take my wedding rings with me. I was afraid I might lose them on the ship!" She runs to the bedroom and sure enough, her jewelry is gone. Most of it is costume, but that wedding set- you had that custom made. You begin to worry. The police give you a copy of the police report and tell you your insurance company will want that for the claim. Insurance! Of course! You have a solid homeowner's policy. Your stolen items can be replaced. Life is grand!
   You call your insurance agent. You explain about the break in. He asks you for an itemized list of what was stolen.You fill out the home inventory list he sends you. He calls back to let you know everything is covered, except the wedding rings. Your policy only covers up to $2500 for jewelry. The wedding set was custom made. That $2500 won't even come close! You give your agent a piece of your mind. He tries to tell you he asked if you needed any special items scheduled out when he wrote the policy. You don't remember that 5 year old conversation. And what does "schedule out" mean anyway? Arrgghhh. Your wife is crying over her now irreplaceable rings. Life just lost a little of its grandeur!

   What can you do to avoid that last part of the story? 

You can call your agent today and tell him you want to add scheduled personal property protection for your wedding rings! This coverage will replace specific items listed on your policy. It can be wedding rings, pendants, bracelets. You can also add SPP for pieces of art, coins, furs, books or guns. What will you need? Appraisals for each piece. You should have your item appraised every 3-5 years. Most carriers will have a guideline for how recent the appraisal must be. Policies will insure each piece, down to the penny. Appraisals should include a picture, serial numbers, descriptions and replacement value. This coverage will add to your premium, but if the unthinkable happens, it will be worth it!

Questions on your Home, Auto, or Commercial Insurance?
Contact Brockman Premier Insurance  or call toll free at 877-987-8683 today
and let us Keep You Insured!

Home Insurance FAQs

Navigating the Home Insurance               Mix-master- Arrgghh!

   Have you ever tried to navigate the mix-master in an unfamiliar city? I have lived in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex most of my life and I still haven't mastered them. There was only one or two when I first started driving. Now it seems every suburb has it's own version of the Mix-master. 
   Have you tried to navigate shopping for Homeowner's Insurance lately? Same story. There used to be a few carriers- we all grew up with Allstate, State Farm and Farmers. Now, there are dozens and dozens. Talk about navigating confusing roads!
   It is easy to get overwhelmed trying to figure out your policy. So I thought I would share a few of the questions we hear the most often:
* Why is my dwelling insured for so much more than I paid for the home?
Because your insurance covers the cost to REBUILD your home, not move into it. Most carriers have their own dwelling amount estimator. Agents plug in the specifics of a home- square ft, roof type, age, updates, etc and the estimator computes the cost that carrier is willing to pay to rebuild the home from foundation to roofing. 
* Are my wedding rings covered?
Most policies will have some type of jewelry coverage. Most of them will be basic, $2500-$5000 in coverage. But if you want your precious jewelry covered, you will want to consider a scheduled personal property endorsement. It will cover specific pieces without a deductible. It will also cover theft and mysterious disappearance. The basic jewelry coverage in the policy will not.  The same goes for your coin collection, art collection, gun collection (Hey - we are in Texas!)
*If my dog bites a neighbor, will my insurance cover it?
Yes. Your personal liability will cover this.  As long as it is not a ineligible dog breed and there isn't an animal exclusion on the policy. Most carriers will have an ineligible dog breed list. Some will not write the home at all, while others will exclude liability in the case of a dog attack. Most of the dogs on the forbidden list are aggressive breeds; Pitbulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers, etc...
  Believe me- not all insurance policies are the same! As independent agents, my husband and I see many different types of policies. I feel for people calling in with questions- the ones who are truly trying to understand what their coverage is. I know the time and effort it took us to learn the carriers and coverage. And it is what we do everyday, all day. We realize most of our clients don't have that kind of time. And you shouldn't have to. That is what we agents are for! 


Got questions? Call or visit it our website: 
Brockman Premier Insurance
local: 214-592-0859
toll free: 1-877-987-8683   

Auto Liability coverage

Yes, it is worth the cost!

   We all know it is illegal to drive without Liability insurance. (At least I hope you know) But why is it so important that the states require it? Is the other coverage important, even though it isn't required by law?
Does it really protect me? Yes. Yes it does. But there are many levels of protection and this is where you have some decisions to make.

 Liability Coverage

This pays for any damage you inflict, on other drivers in an accident. I never liked that word "inflict"? It insinuates you found the guy, sped up to 100 mph and rammed his car. Let me put it in a more fair sounding way. If you are found to be at fault, Liability will pay for the damage done to the other drivers car and body, or bodies if he has passengers. There is a state minimum, but other than that, you will get to pick the amount. The choices usually fall to $30/60, $50/100, $100/300, $250/$500 and so forth. These are in the thousands (so $30/60 is actually $30,000/60,000)

Bodily Injury Liability 

This pays for the cost of any injuries, including death, of a person as a result of an accident you cause. It would cover medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering. If you end up in a lawsuit, it is important you have enough liability coverage to handle any monetary judgement that is handed down. If you do not have enough insurance coverage, you are still responsible for the remaining damages amount. Bodily Injury is only for the "victims" of the accident. It will not cover your own medical bills. Again you can choose the amount of coverage you wish to have. So think of the worst case scenario and pick the amount of coverage you want.

Property Damage Liability

This pays for the damage you and your vehicle do to another person's property. It usually used for the other car in the accident, but it also covers fencing, plants, trees and houses. It is not required in most states, but it is worth the cost. If you hit a Mercedes or someone's home, can you cover the cost of repairing or replacing?
Again you can choose the amount of coverage you wish to have. So think of the worst case scenario (like hitting that Mercedes) and pick the amount of coverage you want.

Coverages Other than Liability

Liability is a very important coverage, but it is not the only one.
Uninsured/Under-insured Coverage: This will cover the costs associated if you are hit by someone with no insurance or not enough insurance. This is not required by law, but it is a coverage I will always talk to my customers about. I have a friend who was hit by a drunk driver one night. The other driver had no insurance, nor was he a US citizen so there was no way they could go after him for damages. My friend had $50,000 in hospital bills (2 surgeries) and missed 10 weeks of work. If he didn't have Uninsured Motorist coverage, he would have had to cover those costs himself. That's a scary thought!
Collision Coverage: This covers your car if you hit anything. This is one that many people opt to reject, especially if they have older cars. It can be expensive and you will have a deductible. You need to decide if it will save you enough money in premium to cover the cost of repairs if you are in an at fault accident. Also keep in mind, if you are paying off your car, or if you have a lease, the company you are financing through will most likely require this coverage.
Comprehensive Coverage: This is also known as "other than collision" coverage. It covers your car if something hits it. This could be a tree falling on it, flooding, theft, a deer hit you. Yes, you did not hit the deer, it jumped in front of your car.
None of these coverages are mandatory, but the expense of the coverage can be far outweighed by the expense of the repairs. We call it "self insuring" and most people cannot afford to self insure. But other than the Liability, you get to decide if you want a coverage or not.
There are other bells and whistles coverage like rental, towing, stereos and rims. These coverages are meant to make your life a little easier, not as much protect you. It is always good to have coverage, but it may not be necessary to have every piece of coverage. Insurance is in place to protect you, but you have to make the decision as to how much is worth the cost.

Any questions? Please give us a call at Brockman Premier Insurance
local: 214-592-0859
toll free: 1-877-987-8683

Insurance Pricing

What affects your insurance policy pricing?

   The majority of Homeowners out there are seeing increases in their home insurance policies. I know here in Texas, home insurance prices have been on the rise for several years. We talk with so many frustrated people. Many of our leads/customers are people just looking to save some money anywhere they can. I know how frustrating it can be as a customer to get that renewal and see a price increase, knowing you didn't file a claim this year. why did your price go up? As Independent agents, our agency can offer several options. We cannot change insurance pricing. What we can do is explain what affects the pricing. You must keep in mind carriers do have the right to minimize the risk they are willing to take. If you have a loss, the carrier will be the one paying out the money to get you back in your home as good as new. And while we assume our carrier is there to protect us (isn't that what insurance is for?), they are also in this business to earn a living. So it makes good business sense that they minimize their risk. And that is what the pricing comes down to. How much the customer will need to pay to offset the carrier's potential risk of paying out a claim?
Dwelling Value
I cannot tell you how many times I have had someone ask me why their dwelling amount is so much higher than what they paid for the home. The best way I can explain this is the Dwelling amount is how much it would cost to completely rebuild your home from the ground up in case of a total loss. That is what your insurance is for. The make you whole again in the case of a loss. And you need to be protected against the risk of a total loss. 
Credit
No one likes to talk about it, but there are very few Insurance Carriers who do not price their customers based on their credit score. Whether you pay your bills on time is a big factor in assessing risk. If you have been reported to a credit collector, the risk you will not pay your insurance is greater. It doesn't matter the reason. Your credit history will follow you around for up to 10 years. 
Age, Marital status, Education
Many carriers will price their customers based on age, marital status and their education level. Younger customers are generally a riskier bet. They don't have much history, they are most likely not as well established. Married people are often considered a safer risk than single people. We all know that is not necessarily the case, but most studies will show it is. Education can be a factor, but most carriers do not weigh this on pricing.
Zip Code
This is mainly to assess related risk history in the same area. Homes on the coast are riskier than homes further inland. Homes in certain zip codes are more likely to have theft risk or vandalism, than homes in other zip codes.This is generally based on the history of the zip code and has little to do with the inhabitants.
Protection Class
Your PC is based on the ability to fight a fire if your home should burn. How close is the first responding fire station? How close is the nearest fire hydrant? A PC of 1 is the best, while a 10 is a higher risk and usually more expensive to insure. If the carrier will even in sure it. Many will not insure a PC of 9 or 10. And if it is a high value home (Over $750,000), many carriers require the first responding fire department be within 5 miles of the home.  
Age and Condition of the home, when it was purchased
There are carriers who specialize in newer homes and there are carriers who specialize in older homes. The condition of the home, specifically the roof, the plumbing and the electrical can greatly affect the pricing. If you have and older home that has not been updated, you are limited in the carriers who will write your policy. Being a new home owner can get you a discount with most carriers but the discount will diminish after the first few years. But being a home owner with a long, stable history can lower your pricing for the life of the policy.

There are many other factors that go into your home insurance policy pricing. If you have questions about your policy- it's coverage and/or pricing- I urge you to call your agent. Agents are here to support you. We may not always give you the answer you like (yes your rates will go up sometimes!) But hopefully, we can answer your questions and help you understand why you are paying the price you are paying. 

If your agent can't answer your questions, why don't you give us a try?
For information on our agency, please visit our website at www.wekeepuinsured.com
Or contact me at nancy@brockmanpremier.com   
We would love to answer any questions you have and help keep you insured!

Nancy Brockman, Owner
Brockman Premier Insurance 

After Christmas Safety

Home Burglars are still on Holiday!     

   So you got that great iPad, or game system for Christmas. Santa was good to you! 

But what do you do with all of those boxes? Sure the Trash collectors will cart them
away for you. But someone else is looking for them too. Home burglar's Holiday Season
is not over yet!
   Don't kick those iPad or Laptop boxes to the curb on the 26th. Cut them up and throw them in the trash cans. Burglar's busy season doesn't end when Christmas is over and done with. They are still on the prowl, looking for those new toys you just got! Continue to take extra precautions- especially if you are going away for New Years.
   Don't leave out those laptops and game systems in view of accessible windows. Burglars are watching. When you go out of town or even to those New Years Eve parties, they have time to break into your home.
Make it hard for them to find what they want.  
Don't let Burglars ruin your Holiday Season!       

As always- please call us if you have any questions about your Home, Auto or Business Insurance!  
Let us do the Insurance shopping for you.

Brockman Premier Insurance  or
call us toll free 1-877-987-8683      

Frozen Pipes

Let's Not Burst the Pipe

   Winter brings hazards that need to be taken seriously. When the weather is freezing with ice and snow, we know to drive slower. We know to walk carefully outside. But what about inside our home? What harm can come to our safe warm home from the ice outside? One of the biggest risks in winter is frozen pipes.

Prevent Frozen Pipes

   The first thing you should do is protect the pipes exposed outdoors. Water in pipes can freeze. The water will expand in the pipes as it freezes, which can cause pipes to burst. This can cause untold damaged to your home and belongings.  You can buy insulation at your neighborhood hardware store. You can also take old socks, sweatshirts or towels and wrap and tape them over the pipes. Remove the hose before insulating the faucet. You may also want to insulate indoor piping that is in an unheated area, such as the attic or any crawl space. This is especially true for homes in areas with harsh winters. Moving water is less likely to freeze, so drip your faucets on freezing nights. You don't need to run the water, just drip it. 

 If Pipes Are Frozen  

   If you turn on your faucet and no water comes out, chances are your pipes are already frozen. You want to thaw them as soon as possible. The longer they stay frozen, the more likely they are to burst. You should always assume the Pipe may already have a tear and shut off your water at the main water valve. It is often in or near the garage. But walk your property and make sure know where it is and what tool you need to turn it off quickly. There are steps you can take to thaw the pipes yourself. But if you are not comfortable with your handyman abilities, call a plumber. 

Thaw Frozen Pipes

   If you want to try to find and fix the frozen section yourself, start with the closest exposed pipe to the faucet(s) and wrap it with rags or towels. Pour a little hot water over it until the water flows again. Do not EVER use a hair dryer or electric heater near frozen pipes. As the water thaws, it becomes a fire and/or electric shock danger if the water sprays as it thaws.
If your home does incur water damage, call your Insurance agent. They will have contacts to clean up water damage. 

For information on our agency, please visit our website at www.wekeepuinsured.com
Or contact me at nancy@brockmanpremier.com 
We would love to answer any questions you have and help keep you insured!

Nancy Brockman, Owner
Brockman Premier Insurance 

  

Fall Safety tips

Beware of Fall Beauty!

   Fall is my favorite time of year. The weather cools off. Bye bye triple degree heat! The leaves change into the most glorious colors. And the animals come out to play.  With this beautiful time of year, comes dangers we need to stay aware of. 
   As the weather turns colder, we start turning on space heaters and fire places. Old space heaters with faulty wiring often lead to house fires. Take a few minutes and go over your space heaters as you pull them down from the attic. Make sure they are in good shape- before you use them. If you love to sit by a roaring fire, check the flue. Leaves can cause an unpredictable fire. Animals may have crawled in. It is best to have a professional clean your chimney annually. But if you don't want to call a professional, at least open up the flue and check with a flash light yourself. You should have a scheduled fall maintenance on your furnace annually as well.  
   Our neighborhood is absolutely beautiful in the fall when all of the trees turn orange and red, before the leaves all fall. But as those leaves fall, they can be a hazard. They can cover the street, hiding debris you need to avoid. If it rains, these leaves can cause the roads to be slippery. Leaves can retain quite a bit of water.  Slow down if you come up on a large patch of leaves on a road or street.  

   Falling leaves can also accumulate in your gutters around your house. This can cause damage to your roof and to your home if the runoff water accumulates and floods at awkward points. Clean your gutters at the beginning of the season and check them regularly throughout the season.
   Also, as the air turns chilly, frost can settle in overnight. This can also cause streets to be slippery, especially on bridges where the road is more exposed. Drive with caution!
   As the weather cools, animals come out more frequently. If you live near areas where deer roam, they can jump right out in front of you without any notice. Studies show it is actually more dangerous to you and your car to swerve away from a deer (or any other animal). You are likely to hit a tree or lamp post. Or even another car. It isn't advice that proves helpful to the deer, but it can save you money and perhaps your life or the life of someone else. 
   As it gets colder, many animals will try to get into your home for the warmth and protection from the weather. Check your roof line for holes. Check your roof for needed repairs to keep these unwanted animals out of your home. 
   Also, as it gets colder, remember to insulate your outdoor pipes. You can buy styrofoam insulation at home supply stores. I have also seen people cover faucets in shirts or socks. You will also want to drip your indoor faucets when the temperature hits freezing or below. It doesn't take much to protect your pipes and it can save you thousands of dollars in repairs. 
A little awareness can go a long way to protecting you, your family, your home and your cars. Hopefully you have the correct insurance coverage in case you need it. But isn't it better to protect yourself and not need to use the insurance?

Thanks for reading!
Nancy Brockman, Owner
Brockman Premier Insurance

If you have questions about your insurance coverage, please click 
Brockman Premier Insurance or Toll Free at 1-877-987-8683