How To Prepare Your House for a Windstorm

You never know when a disaster will strike, and having the right insurance will protect your investment and your resources. Windstorm insurance covers damages caused by high winds. Windstorm insurance covers roof damage, window damage and damage to personal property if the wind enters the house and causes damage. Windstorm insurance can also cover detached structures such as garages and sheds.

So, having windstorm insurance is just smart. But smarter than having the windstorm insurance is also taking preventive measures to protect against the damage of a windstorm. How? We are glad you asked!

Annually, have your roof inspected by a professional. Monthly, walk around your house and inspect the roof. Look for loose shingles, downspouts or gutters that seem loose or are bending. If you see any of these, get them fixed right away. If a windstorm hits, it could take off the shingles and cause water damage. The windstorm can also rip away damaged downspouts or gutters and cause not only water damage, but roof damage as well.

Each spring and fall, have dead tree limbs removed. Little limbs can seem insignificant, but they can get blown into your gutters and cause damage. So, twice a year have someone remove the dead tree limbs. If the tree is on public property, contact your city and let them know the problem. Keep track of notifying the city if there is damage before they take care of the problem.

Each year, check shutters and outside decorations. Make sure they are securely fastened. If you have decorations that are not fixed in place, make sure they are in an area where a windstorm won't carry them into a window. For patio/deck furniture, this is easily solved by using zip ties to loosely anchor the furniture.

If you have sheds or other types of buildings, take the time to anchor those into the ground. Most home improvement stores sell anchors and will tell you how to use them. It won't take more than 30 minutes to safely anchor those buildings.

So, be smart and have windstorm insurance, but be smarter and prepare your house for high winds.

Start protecting your home today. Call Reliable Insurance Managers at (713) 227-7283 for more information on Katy windstorm insurance.

Teenage Auto-Insurance: How to Keep the Premiums Low

Houston Auto insurance companies have a way of categorizing drivers as either high-risk or low-risk drivers. Those who are deemed high-risk have to pay higher premiums than their low-risk counterparts. Incidentally, teenage drivers are classified as risky drivers, and have to pay high premiums. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to enjoy low insurance premiums for your teenage driver.

Choose the Car Wisely
Ironically, teenage drivers who are believed to have risky driving tendencies are the same ones who have a liking for fast cars, and these cars also attract high insurance rates. What you should know is that high premiums are calculated on a combination of several factors, so you can mitigate these other factors to get low premiums. On the issue of cars, you should choose an economical car for your teenager, preferably a used one. Old cars, which tend to be cheap, are also cheap to insure.

Combine Your Policies
If you have multiple policies from a single insurance firm, you should make use of this knowledge to get cheap premiums. For example, you can combine your home insurance with your teenager's insurance. You might even get lucky and land an umbrella policy, which entitles you to extra liability coverage on top of your usual coverage limits. This extra coverage may come in handy for your risky teenage driver.

Help Your Teenager to Maintain Good Grades
The motor vehicle insurance industry has a few peculiarities, and one of them is that teen students with good grades are offered low premiums. Thus, this is one of the best ways of securing low premiums for your teenage driver. This discount is usually applicable even to those who have just started high school. Most insurers are offering at least 10% discounts for teenage students averaging at least a B average grade. In most cases, it is the most recent semester that counts.

Tell the Teen to Take an Approved Drivers Education Course

This is something that most people take for granted, but it can offer substantial savings on your teenager's auto premiums. Car insurance companies have different rates for this discount, but you will at least get something. To qualify, the driver should take a course certified by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Some insurers handle this by adding some years (say a two or three) of experience so that the driver is not viewed as a very inexperienced one.

Compare Several Quotes before Buying Coverage

The age old advice of shopping around for good insurance rates still applies. Auto insurance companies charge different premiums, and if you just pick the first one that comes to mind, you may end up with high rates for nothing.

You can get these quotes online or from your insurance agent. These and other tips will help you get low rates for your teenage driver, but you may still need professional advice. If that is the case, give your Reliable Insurance Managers agent a call at 713-227-7283 and we will help you through the process.

What Makes Car Insurance Compulsory?

Car insurance has become compulsory in most countries worldwide due to a matter of concern from their government. The reason why most governments make car insurance policy compulsory is so that they can provide their citizens with financial compensation, in the case that they suffer any loss occurring due to road accidents.

Not all vehicle calamities are usually compulsory. However, a great deal of the risks involved is usually covered. Risk factors like fire, lightning, traffic collision, and body injury occurring due to vehicle tragedies, in most parts of the world are usually made mandatory by each state government. This ensures that you don’t bear all the loss, in case you happen to suffer from either of these tragedies.

Typically, different states worldwide have different laws that govern ways in which car insurance policies should be a must covered.  Nevertheless, all states worldwide usually assume that vehicles will frequently crash, and that’s why they make car insurance mandatory to every motorist. Hence, where you may injure another person, the injured party will be fully compensated by the insurance company. This is convenient because even in a situation where the driver at fault doesn’t have sufficient cash the injured party would still be compensated.

Age is another factor which makes car insurance to be compulsory in some countries. People  under the age of 25 is likely to pay a higher premium than those who are above 25 years of age. The reason why most governments consider this factor to be very important is because they think  people who are above 25 years have more driving experience and thus should pay a lower premium. Consequently, a person under the age of 25 pays a higher premium because it’s assumed he, or she is vulnerable to cause accidents due to short experience.

On the other hand, where a person under the age of 25 years under goes for further driving lessons they are likely to pay for their premium at a lower rate. The idea behind this is because most governments worldwide assume that they would have improved their driving skills hence minimize the risks of traffic collisions.

Another reason why most governments worldwide usually make car insurance compulsory is so that motorists can play a role in paying government tax. This usually enables the government to grow its country’s economy. Therefore, you'll get more opportunities in the production of products and services when your country’s economy is in a stable state.

It’s convenient that you pay for your car insurance frequently because you don’t want to fall under the arms of the law. Plus, you’ll lose nothing when you happen to be charged with a traffic collision because your insurance company would be there to compensate the injured party. So, always pay for your Houston Auto insurance, it’s very convenient and drive safely. Contact a Reliable Insurance Managers agent today for more information.

Car Safety Features that Qualify for Auto Insurance Discounts

Since the late 1980s, vehicles have been integrated with more advanced safety and security features than ever. These features have significantly decreased accidents and saved lives. Houston Auto insurance providers see the impact of modern safety and security features and offer great discounts for vehicles that are equipped with them. Sometimes, these discounts are automatically quoted, as the insurance provider can tell, using the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), how the car is equipped.

Air Bags
Occupant and supplemental restraint systems, or commonly known as air bags, are one of the safety features required by law in most passenger vehicles. This feature works by sensing a vehicle collision of certain angle and speed of impact, and deploying the right air bags to ensure the protection of the passengers. Since most vehicles come with air bags, the discounts are automatically accounted in the insurance policy.

Anti-Lock Brakes
Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) are almost common in modern vehicles as well, but because they’re not installed in most automobiles, insurance providers may still offer a discount on your insurance policy for them. This type of safety feature helps the driver maintain a steering control of his/her vehicle on ice or snow, or even when he/she suddenly stops on a wet road.

Anti-Theft Systems
Anti-theft systems can be associated with car alarms. Most modern cars have some sort of anti-theft system. These can be a sound produced when someone opens a car door without a key, or if someone breaks the window to get in. Some anti-theft systems disable the engine and don’t allow it to function without the right key. Others come with telemetric systems that inform the police where your car is located if it’s stolen. If you have any of these anti-theft devices, make sure you notify your insurance provider so that you can get discounts on your auto insurance.  

Other Safety and Security Features
Today, there are a lot of modern safety features available and insurance providers may or may not offer discounts, but it’s better to ask. New safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which improves the safety of the vehicle’s stability by sensing and decreasing loss of traction (skidding); lane departure warning system, which warns a driver when the vehicle starts to move out of its lane on arterial roads and freeways; blind spot monitoring system, which detects other vehicles located to the side and rear of the driver; and emergency braking assist (EBA), which increases braking pressure during emergency situation.

If you want to know more information about car safety features that reduce auto insurance rate, call Reliable Insurance Managers today at 713-227-7283. We can help you get the highest possible discount on your auto insurance with the safety features installed in your car.