Homeowners Insurance

We start with four numbers on your declarations page: dwelling coverage, personal property, liability, and loss of use. The dwelling number is the one we focus on most, it should reflect what it would actually cost to rebuild your home today, not what you paid for it or what it's worth on the market. Everything else on the policy is built around that figure, so if it's off, other things tend to be off too. Curious why that number doesn't match what your house is worth? See our article on replacement cost vs. market value.

This is one of the most common surprises we walk clients through. Many Texas policies set the wind and hail deductible as a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar figure. That can translate into a meaningful out-of-pocket amount before your coverage kicks in for storm damage, separate from your regular deductible. We do this math for every client with a home in DFW or anywhere else in Texas, because hail season doesn't wait for anyone to figure it out on their own.

It's worth a conversation either way. Flood coverage isn't part of any standard homeowners policy anywhere in Texas, flood zone or not, and has to be added through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood carrier. We've seen homes just outside a mapped high-risk zone take on water during major regional storms. We can pull the FEMA flood map for your address and talk through whether a flood policy makes sense for your specific situation, no pressure either way.

We try to revisit this every year at renewal, because construction costs across Texas have moved a lot, and a dwelling limit set three or four years ago can fall behind without anyone noticing. If your coverage limit hasn't kept pace with rebuild costs in your area, you could be underinsured exactly when it matters most. This is a quick check for us, but it's one that gets skipped more often than you'd think when policies are renewed automatically.

We bring it up for anyone with a pool, trampoline, dogs, teen drivers, or meaningful assets, because the cost relative to the added protection is hard to beat. Umbrella coverage sits on top of your home and auto liability limits and can add a meaningful layer of additional protection for a modest annual cost. We'll price it out for you. Some clients add it, some don't, but we think everyone should at least see the number.

Probably not, and that's common, not a knock on you. The discounts most often left on the table are multi-policy bundling, monitored security systems, and roof discounts, especially for impact-resistant roofing, which matters a lot given how often hail comes through Texas. None of these apply automatically. We run a discount check at every renewal specifically so things like this don't quietly disappear after a carrier or policy change. Read more about how roof age affects home insurance in Texas.

Yes, call us first, every time. We'll help you figure out the repair cost versus your deductible, including your wind/hail deductible if that's what applies. A claim that pays out close to your deductible can still affect your claims history and future premiums even if the payout is small. Take photos right away regardless, that costs nothing and keeps your options open while we talk it through together. Even a claim that ends up paying nothing can still be part of your claims history, learn more in our article on the hidden cost of a $0 insurance claim.

Almost certainly not for liability, and only minimally for business property, even if it's something low-key like consulting or an online shop. This gap doesn't show up until a claim gets denied, which is the worst time to find out. We can look at a home-based business endorsement or a separate commercial policy depending on what you're doing and how big it's grown. Either way, it's worth a five-minute conversation with us before it becomes a problem.

In many cases, yes. As North Texas carriers have shifted toward 2% wind and hail deductibles as their standard, the buy-down option has become one of the more valuable conversations we have with clients. A buy-down endorsement reduces your wind and hail deductible back toward 1%, which on a $400,000 home is the difference between a $4,000 and an $8,000 out-of-pocket cost before your coverage kicks in after a storm. Availability and cost vary by carrier and policy, but if you currently have a 2% deductible and haven't asked about this, it's worth a call. Read more about wind and hail deductibles in Texas.