Month: January 2017

Top Homeowners Insurance Claims in Austin and Texas

Posted on by agentinsure

Are you an Austin, TX homeowner with full homeowners insurance coverage? If you haven’t visited a firm like the Southwest Insurance Center and established your homeowners insurance policy, you may be placing your home and your finances at great risk. Without good homeowners insurance, many homeowners in Austin would be, so to speak, up a creek without a paddle.

The most common homeowners insurance claims in Austin, TX remain common at the national level as well. However, it’s important to see what affects the homes near you so you see why you need insurance. A home is an investment and one that can easily be taken away from you in a disaster if you’re not careful.

Nationwide, the most common type of homeowners insurance claim is wind damage on the outside of the house. Wind damage largely occurs during storms like tornadoes, but less violent storms can carry straight line winds and or winds at high enough speeds to rip off shingles. Other high-frequency claims include hail damage and theft.

In Austin, claims aren’t that much different from the rest of the country. Roof damage is the most common insurance claim for homes in Texas, often caused by high winds. Roof damage can also be caused by hail or water. Other common claims made by Texas homeowners include dog bites, water damage (like burst pipes), and fire damage. If you own a home in Austin or elsewhere in Texas, it’s important to ensure you have complete home insurance coverage by visiting a firm like Southwest Insurance Center. You never know when rainfall, which happens most often in the spring and fall in Austin, is going to add up to enough damage that you need some insurance coverage. 

How to Get Insurance After You Are Convicted of Drunk Driving?

Posted on by agentinsure

In a perfect world, no one would drink and drive. However, we are humans and make mistakes. Maybe you thought you were fine to drive or did not realize how much you had to drink. Regardless, once you are charged with and convicted of a DUI, your life changes. You may lose your license, be forced to pay fines, take driving education and DUI courses and then obtain SR-22 insurance, rather than standard auto insurance. After you have been convicted of drunk driving, here are the steps you will want to follow in order to get insurance again.

Get Proof You Can Drive Again

In order to get insurance after a DUI, you will need to have proof from the court that you can drive again. Some courts will let you have a conditional license, that allows you to drive to and from work. Others will suspend your license for a period of time and only reinstate it after your fines have been paid and you have participated in the required classes. Getting a paper from the courts that states whether you can drive is the first step to getting insurance.

Get SR-22 Insurance

After you have been convicted of a DUI, you will need to get SR-22 auto insurance. This is basically high risk insurance and is required for those convicted of a DUI, those who may have had their license suspended for some time because of unsafe driving or those who were in an accident without having insurance in the past. Not every insurance company offers this type of insurance policy, so you have to find one that does.

If you were convicted of a DUI and now need SR-22 auto insurance, let Southwest Insurance Center, serving the greater Austin, TX area help. Not every company will insure drivers with a DUI on their record, but we realize everyone deserves a second chance. Stop by our office today for a price quote or to get started on signing up for a new policy.