How to Prepare Your Home for Spring Weather

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While you cannot prevent all damage from occurring to your home, you can prepare and care for your home, and that can minimize damage. Here at Thompson Insurance Services, providing home insurance to residents in the greater Highland Village, TX area, we want to help homeowners find simple ways to prepare their homes for the upcoming spring season. Here are a few tips that can help. 

Get Your Roof Inspected

Spring weather often brings rain to the area. As such, you should always have your roof inspected prior to spring arriving. Get repairs made to help prevent further roof damage or roof leaks. 

Clean Your Sidewalks and Surfaces

Another thing that you should do to help prepare your home for spring weather is to clean your sidewalks and surfaces, such as patios, decks and driveway. Your surfaces and walkways can get slippery due to car fluids or organic plant growth, such as algae. Cleaning the surfaces helps prevent slips and falls, especially if it sprinkles or rains, making your surfaces even more slippery. 

Check For Damage to Your Siding

Lastly, you should always take the time to check your siding for damage after the winter months. You want to look for signs of cracks, holes, peeling, bubbling, or missing siding materials. Damaged siding materials need to be repaired or replaced to help prevent more extensive damage, such as water issues or pest damage, from happening. 

Home insurance is essential, as it helps cover some types of damage and losses that occur to your home and around it. If you are purchasing a new home and need a home insurance policy or are looking for a new home insurance provider in the greater Highland Village, TX region, Thompson Insurance Services would love to help you with your home insurance needs. Call us now, and let’s work together to find you the best insurance policy. 

Who needs to have renters insurance in Texas?

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The Highland Village, TX area continues to be a popular area to move to. With many local amenities and access to great jobs, it is also a common place to be a renter. If you rent a home here, you need to ensure that you get the right insurance. In most cases, you will need to have renter’s insurance. This coverage should be considered a necessity for various reasons. 

Those with Lease Requirements

One of the situations when a renter’s insurance plan is necessary, is when it is spelled out as a lease requirement. A renter’s insurance plan is often a requirement for property owners as it offers valuable protection. In many cases, the lessor will require that you have this insurance in place and paid for a year in advance, which ensures you have insurance throughout the lease term. 

Those Looking for Financial Protection

It is also necessary to have renter’s insurance if you want financial protection. Renters can take on various financial risks, including incurring a loss of their personal items or being named liable for accident or property damage. Retaining a renter’s insurance plan will give you coverage for these scenarios. This can ensure you have the financial resources you need in these difficult situations. 

When you rent a home in the Highland Village, TX area, choosing a quality renter’s insurance plan is essential. If you are looking for coverage or moving into a new home, call us at Thompson Insurance Services. There are a lot of factors to consider with this coverage, and our professionals can help ensure you choose an ideal policy that will protect you and remain in lease compliance. 

What Does Auto Insurance Cover?

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Having an auto insurance policy in place is extremely important for anyone who drives a motor vehicle. The agents at Thompson Insurance Services in Highland Village, TX are explaining the types of auto insurance coverage options available for Texas residents.

Keep in mind that anyone who drives in Texas is held financially responsible for any injuries or property damage that they cause in an accident. Most people prepare for this worst-case scenario by having at least an auto liability insurance policy, so they will not have to pay a ton of money at once to cover the costs associated with an accident.

Auto Insurance Coverage Options

In addition to auto liability insurance, there are several other types of coverage options when it comes to auto insurance for motorists to obtain.

Underinsured and Uninsured Motorist Coverage

One type of auto insurance that many people overlook is uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. This will protect you and your vehicle if you become involved in a car accident deemed to be the fault of the other driver who does not have any insurance or an inadequate amount of auto insurance.

Comprehensive and Collision Insurance Coverage

Comprehensive insurance will help pay for any damages to your vehicle if it becomes damaged or destroyed by natural disasters, such as a tornado or hurricane. It will also help replace or repair your vehicle if it is damaged by a fire or an act of vandalism. This type of policy also comes in handy if your car is stolen.

Collision insurance is necessary to have in place in case you collide with another vehicle or even a stationary object. Collisions and comprehensive insurance policies are typically required for people to have in place by their lender if they borrowed the money to purchase their car, SUV, or truck.

Contact Us

The agents at  Thompson Insurance Services in Highland Village, TX are ready to assist you with your auto insurance needs. Call for a quote today!

Home insurance will Protect Your Most Valuable Asset

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Is your most valuable asset protected? Do you live in or near the Highland Village, TX area? If so, see the professionals at Thompson Insurance Services to get the homeowners insurance you need.

One of the essential things about homeowners’ insurance is the level of coverage. The most common level of coverage is HO-2, which is a broad policy that protects against 16 different perils as outlined in the policy.

In the event of a total loss, insurance provides the primary source of funds to rebuild your home. It provides liability coverage for legal actions resulting from damage or injury to another person.

Homeowners’ insurance protects against many different perils. The most common causes of claims are theft, wind, weather-related and non-weather-related water damage, and hail. These five causes account for 77% of all homeowners’ insurance claims.

You will need enough coverage to cover the cost of rebuilding the home if it is destroyed. It would be best if you had personal property coverage limits of at least 50% of your dwelling coverage amount. If you take an accounting of all the personal property inside your home, you will be surprised when you figure out how much it is worth. Ensure your liability limit is at least high enough to cover all assets.

Some things you should know about a homeowners’ insurance policy:

  • Understand any exclusions in coverage, such as earthquakes or floods
  • Any dollar limitations on claims
  • Know the replacement cost and the actual cash value
  • Understand the liability coverage

Even if you are one of the fortunate homeowners who live mortgage-free, you should still purchase this protection. In the event of a lawsuit, it will protect your equity and enable you to keep your home.

If you want a no-obligation quote, contact Thompson Insurance Services today. You will be glad you did.

How to improve your gas mileage

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Did you know that there are ways to improve your gas mileage?

You can do several things to help conserve fuel and get the most out of every tank.

In this post, we’ll discuss some easy tips that will help you save money on gas. Read on to learn more!

  1. Check your tire pressure. One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve gas mileage is to check your tire pressure regularly. Under-inflated tires can decrease fuel efficiency by up to 3%, so ensure that your tires are properly inflated.
  2. Use the right kind of fuel. In general, using premium fuel will not improve your gas mileage, so it’s best to stick with the type of fuel recommended by your car’s manufacturer. If you decide to switch to a different fuel grade, be sure to check your owner’s manual for guidance on how this might affect your car.
  3. Avoid excessive braking and acceleration. Sudden braking and accelerating can decrease your gas mileage by up to 15%, so try to drive steadily and avoid rapid speed changes.
  4. Plan your trips carefully. Planning your trips ahead of time can help minimize the number of unnecessary stops you make during your journey. 
  5. Drive calmly and steadily. In addition to avoiding excessive braking and acceleration, it’s also important to maintain a calm driving style overall. Driving in a relaxed, steady manner can help save gas by reducing unnecessary wear and tear on your car.

If you have questions about how to save on gas or your insurance coverage, give us at Thompson Insurance Services a call today. We proudly serve the Highland Village, TX area.

Should you add your teen driver to your auto insurance?

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When your Highland Village, TX teenager becomes old enough to drive, you need to add them as family on your policy before letting them practice driving. As soon as they get behind the wheel, the insurance company should handle the settlement if they cause an accident, not you. Thompson Insurance Services wants to help you understand the best ways to insure your teen for driving.

Teens Cost More to Insure

Prepare yourself because it costs more to insure teens than it does adults. Teens are newer drivers with less experience on the road.

Why?

Any accident your child causes, you want the insurance company to pay for it. If they make a common mistake and run into the mailbox, garage door, or back of the garage, you’ll need extended coverage, like comprehensive coverage, to pay for it.

Their Policy vs. the Family Policy

If your teen buys their own vehicle, you will need to insure them separately. If they purchase a used car, choose the state minimums, but if they purchase a new or nearly new vehicle, insure it with full coverage. If they will drive a family car, you can add them to your insurance policy, and they can typically remain on it until they leave for college.

Reducing Costs

Your teen has a few options for bringing down the cost of their insurance. They can take a defensive driving course to earn one typical discount. Some underwriters also allow the insurer to offer a discount for good grades. That 4.0 can translate to dollars saved, so make sure your child hits the books.

Contact Thompson Insurance Services

Let Thompson Insurance Services help you find the best solution to insuring your teen driver. We help Highland Village, TX families afford the coverage they need to protect their financial investment.

What is the difference between an excess insurance policy and an umbrella insurance policy?

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If you’re a Highland Village, TX homeowner, then you know that insurance is a must. With severe weather conditions like hail, tornadoes, high winds, and flooding, it’s essential to have insurance policies covering the potential damage to your home. But what kind of policy should you get? In addition to primary home insurance, Thompson Insurance Services sells two main homeowner’s insurance policies: excess and umbrella. So, which one is right for you?

Excess insurance policies

Excess insurance policies are designed to cover damages not covered by your primary policy. For example, if you have a fire in your home and your primary policy only covers $50,000 worth of damage, your excess policy would cover the remaining $100,000. This type of policy is typically used by people who live in high-risk areas or have expensive homes.

Umbrella insurance policies

Umbrella insurance policies are designed to cover damages not covered by your primary or excess policy. So, if you are sued for $500,000, and your primary policy only covers $250,000, then your umbrella policy would cover the remaining $250,000. If the total value of your assets is more than what your homeowner’s or auto insurance covers in Highland Village, TX, you might want to buy umbrella insurance. In case of a lawsuit, umbrella coverage may protect your assets.

Both excess and umbrella insurance policies have their advantages and disadvantages. It depends on your situation as to which one is right for you. If you’re unsure which one to get, set up an appointment with Thompson Insurance Services. One of our experienced agents will be able to help you choose the best policy for your needs.

What every new homeowner needs to know about home insurance

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Purchasing your first home is exciting. It can also be terrifying; so many things can go wrong. At Thompson Insurance Services in Highland Village, TX, we are here to help new homeowners get the home insurance coverage they need for their particular home and their circumstances. As independent agents, we offer our customers more choices and personalized service. 

Home insurance can be customized.

Home insurance is not one size fits all. You have options. You determine how much liability coverage makes you feel protected. You choose the deductible that makes sense to you. You select the type of content coverage that you want, replacement cost, or actual value. 

Home insurance doesn’t cover everything.

You may feel that you and your home are safe when you have a good home insurance policy. No matter how good your policy is, it doesn’t cover everything. You are not protected against floods, earthquakes, landslides, sinkholes, termites, mold, and sewer backup. Owner neglect is also not covered. 

Your policy has limits. 

No matter which type of content coverage you choose, certain categories have limits. You need an endorsement to raise the limit if you have lots of jewelry. If you have art or antiques, you need to add an endorsement. Electronics do not have unlimited coverage. Read your policy carefully to make sure you have enough coverage. 

Not all dogs are covered.

Some breeds of dogs are considered so dangerous that home insurance won’t cover them for liability. Check with your insurance agent to ensure your breed is covered if you have a dog. 

Contact Thompson Insurance Services in Highland Village, TX if you have questions about home insurance, whether you are a new homeowner or would like to have your current policy reviewed. 

What To Do When Your Friend Is Hurt In Your Apartment

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Apartment living in Highland Village, TX is an exciting experience. You finally have your place to settle in and invite friends over. However, it also means you’re responsible for the well-being of your guests. Read on to learn how renters insurance from Thompson Insurance Services helps you when a friend is injured in your apartment.

Understanding Liability

When it comes to insurance, liability covers the legal responsibility you have when an individual is injured on your property. If you are sued for an injury, you will want proper insurance to protect yourself. Even though you may think your friend would never sue you, it is best to be prepared. If you are sued for an injury, you will want proper insurance to protect yourself.

How Renters Insurance Liability Helps

If you cause an accident and receive a ticket, for example, and your renter’s insurance covers the cost, it will be paid from your coverage. In the case of an accident, having renter’s insurance can help protect you from significant financial losses.

Renters’ insurance liability coverage typically covers the following costs:

  • Medical bills
  • Repair bills
  • Damage to the property

Conclusion

Renters’ insurance is an essential responsibility of living in an apartment. It covers your property and liability when someone is injured in your apartment. It provides you with legal and medical coverage to help pay for damages you may have caused. It’s a convenient way to prepare for any situation, whether in your apartment or when you’re giving a friend or family member shelter.

If you’re a Highland Village, TX resident interested in learning more about renters insurance, contact Thompson Insurance Services today!

What Are the Different Types of Auto Insurance?

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Auto insurance is required to own or operate a vehicle, but the different types can become confusing. At Thompson Insurance Services in Highland Village, TX, we offer auto insurance policies that meet the needs of our clients. 

Liability Coverage 

Liability coverage is required to drive a vehicle. If an accident is declared your fault, liability coverage will cover the other person’s damages. This includes damages to their car and medical expenses due to injuries caused by the accident. 

Collision Coverage 

Collision coverage will cover damage to your vehicle in an accident. Lenders often require it. Even if you don’t have a lien on your car, collision coverage is still a good idea. It can help protect your investment in your vehicle. 

Comprehensive Coverage 

Comprehensive coverage covers damage to your vehicle that occurs when the car isn’t in motion. This typically includes theft, fire, and vandalism. 

Medical Payments Coverage or PIP

In Texas, insurance companies are required to offer PIP or personal injury protection for $2,500. It covers medical expenses, lost wages, and funeral expenses up to the coverage limit. It covers the driver and passenger. 

Medical payments coverage, known as Med-pay, is an optional type of coverage. It will cover medical expenses in the event of an accident, regardless of whether you or the other driver were at fault. 

Under or Uninsured Motorist 

In Texas, insurance companies must offer under or uninsured motorist coverage. If someone hits you without insurance, this coverage will pay for your repairs or injuries. It also covers hit and run accidents. 

Auto Insurance at Thompson Insurance Services 

If you need auto insurance in Highland Village, TX, contact us at Thompson Insurance Services. We will help you select the right policy to meet your auto insurance needs.