Why basic auto insurance may not be the right choice for you

Texas doesn’t require that you have auto insurance, but it does require that you show you have the means to pay for any damage you may cause to someone else. Most people find that it is easier to just have auto insurance than to prove they can pay for the results of an accident. At Barry Insurance Group in Pearland, TX, we are independent agents and have access to many carriers meaning that we provide our customers with more choices. 

Why basic auto insurance may not be the right choice for you

In Texas, basic coverage is 30/60/25. If only one person is injured the insurance will provide $30,000 coverage, if more than one person is injured, the total can’t go over $60,000. It also allows $25,000 for damage to property. This may sound like a pretty generous amount for basic insurance but think about what a stay in the hospital costs. It could go way beyond the minimum allowed in just a few days to say nothing of a judgment. 

If you have assets, they could be in danger if your insurance is not enough to pay for any damages you cause. 

Are you leasing your vehicle or do you have an auto loan? Then basic auto insurance is not going to be enough. You will be required to have collision and comprehensive to protect your vehicle as well as other people. 

Think about what your life would be like if your car was totaled in an accident you caused and you have no collision or comprehensive coverage. How would you get to work? How would you run errands? Can you live without your vehicle? Most people need a car to survive in suburbia. Think about that before you opt for basic coverage. 

Contact Barry Insurance Group in Pearland, TX for an auto insurance review or a new carrier for your vehicle. 

Top 3 Things to Look for in a Commercial Insurance Policy

When it comes to finding the right commercial insurance policy, it can be tough to know where to start. There are so many options available, and each policy seems to cover something different. How can you be sure you’re getting the best coverage for your business? Barry Insurance Group in Pearland, TX offers you a guide on choosing a commercial insurance policy. 

Top 3 Things to Look for in a Commercial Insurance Policy

1. What the Policy Covers

When choosing a commercial insurance policy, the first thing you’ll want to look at is what exactly the policy covers. What types of events or accidents does it cover? Does it cover property damage, liability, or both? For example, a liability policy will protect your business if someone is injured on your property, but it won’t cover any damage to your property itself. On the other hand, a property damage policy will cover damage to your property but not any injuries that occur on it.

2. The Policy Limits

When choosing a commercial insurance policy, the second thing to look at is the policy limits. This is the maximum amount of money the insurance company will payout in the event of a covered accident or event. It’s important to choose a policy with limits that are high enough to cover the potential damages your business could face. Otherwise, you may be left footing the bill yourself if something happens.

3. The Deductible

Unfortunately, some business owners make the mistake of overlooking the deductible when selecting a commercial insurance policy. This is the amount of money you’ll have to pay before your insurance company starts paying claims. A higher deductible means a lower premium, but it also means more risk for you if something happens. Choose a deductible that you’re comfortable with and that fits your budget.

Get Commercial Insurance in Pearland, TX

If you’re looking for commercial insurance, keep these three things in mind. Barry Insurance Group offers various commercial insurance policies, so we can help you find the right one for your business. Contact us today to learn more or get a quote.

 

What Doesn’t Homeowner’s Insurance Cover?

Though home insurance is made to protect your investment, the truth is that it won’t cover everything. Because of that, you need to make sure that you talk to someone to make sure that your investment is protected. Barry Insurance Group in Pearland, TX encourages you to learn more about your homeowner’s insurance. 

What Doesn’t Homeowner’s Insurance Cover?

Earthquake and flood damage. Most typical homeowner’s policies don’t cover earthquakes and flood damage. If you live in an area where earthquakes or floods are common, you may want to add that coverage to your homeowner’s policy. 

General maintenance. If you don’t take care of your home, your homeowner’s insurance may not cover any damage that occurs. If something breaks that could have been prevented, if you had taken care of your home, you may have to pay for the repairs yourself. 

Limits on personal property. Your homeowner’s policy will set limits on how much it will actually cover. It will cover your possessions up until a point. If your jewelry, artwork, or electronics are high-end, you may want to add an umbrella policy to your insurance to make sure that it covers everything. 

Your business. If you run your business out of your home, it won’t be covered under your homeowner’s policy. You will need a separate business insurance policy to make sure that you are covered. 

In order to make sure that you are fully protected, you need to talk to a professional. Here at Barry Insurance Group in Pearland, TX, we would be glad to sit down and talk to you about your options. We want to make sure that you have enough insurance, in case anything happens. We don’t want you to lose your home over something that could have easily been prevented. 

 

Add-ons for Well Control Insurance

Add-ons for Well Control Insurance

When you come to Barry Insurance Group for well control insurance for your Pearland, TX exploration or extraction business, you expect and deserve an insurance policy that provides precisely what your business needs. That is why we offer numerous add-ons to your well control policy.

You need to cover more than just the blowout itself. When you lose control of your well through a blowout, your business will likely experience many other problems related to the spill. The extreme combustibility of oil and gas can result in a fire or explosion. This can harm your employees and damage your rig. The blowout itself causes seepage and oil puddling, which harms the environment. You must pay for the environmental cleanup. You’ll need to restore your well to working order, and this might require redrilling.

Depending on the location of your well, you might need to increase your coverage for pollution cleanup. Off-shore operations require added insurance coverage. These off-shore operations also require added coverage for redrilling and restoration.

Increasing the workers’ compensation coverage tied to your well control policy also makes logical sense. Your employees could incur life-altering injuries during a blowout. You show your value as an employer by fully protecting them.

During a blowout, you won’t be able to operate your well. Adding business interruption coverage to your well control policy package protects your overall business from the loss of production.

It is also good to add to your commercial general liability component. This insurance in your overall commercial package works with your well control insurance to ensure that if you experience a blowout at one of your wells, a lawsuit from an injured employee, vendor, or innocent bystander won’t put you out of business.

Contact Barry Insurance Group, serving Pearland, TX, to obtain the well control policy you need to protect your oil and gas business.

Does Flood Insurance Cover Burst Pipes?

When winter storms cover Pearland, TX in snow and ice, it can cause water damage from burst pipes. Some homeowners’ insurance policies will cover water damage that results from broken or leaking pipes. However, there are exceptions. If you are a renter, you will need renters’ insurance to cover your electronics, furniture, clothing, and other personal items damaged when the pipes burst.

The important thing to note here is that your home insurance and renters’ insurance are only going to cover leaks that occur inside your home. They do not cover damage caused by flooding. For this, you will need a separate flood insurance policy, which is available from Barry Insurance Group.

What Is Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance is special coverage that is specifically designed to cover most types of water damage to your home and your personal belongings. Many homeowners think that this type of insurance will cover the damage if their pipes burst. However, this may not be the case.

Flood insurance is meant to cover damage that occurs due to natural flooding. Burst pipes are not considered natural and therefore are not covered by flood insurance.

Exceptions to the Rule

Like with many other types of insurance, there are exceptions to the rule. If your pipes burst due to flooding, then the damage to your home and your belongings may be covered. However, you will need to provide proof that this was directly the cause of the burst pipes.

If a natural flood causes standing water in your home and there is no way for you to return to your home during a flooding disaster, mold may have a chance to grow. In this case, most of the damage, including the mold, may be covered by your flood insurance policy.

While flood insurance may not cover damage from burst pipes in Pearland, TX, you should ask your insurance provider for additional insurance on your home insurance policy, known as water backup coverage. To find out more, contact Barry Insurance Group.

Is Health Insurance Required in Texas?

While health insurance is not required in Texas, it is strongly recommended for any resident. Barry Insurance Group serves Pearland, TX and highly encourages anyone shopping around for health insurance to reach out. 

If health insurance is not required, why do I need it?

Simply put – you can’t plan for a health scare, you don’t know if you’ll have a medical issue and require hospitalization or medical attention. Medical bills are astoundingly high in the United States without coverage. Failing to invest in health insurance is extremely detrimental to your own health and financial security. 

Many people think, "Well, I’m already healthy. I don’t need health insurance, do I?" Wrong again. 

Part of staying healthy is having wellness check-ups with a general practitioner. They do routine physical exams, blood work (in some cases), and can refer you to specialists if you need something checked. Healthy people see the doctor at least once a year for preventative measures. 

Without health insurance, a hospital visit could cost you thousands of dollars. A routine procedure or even a simple X-ray could take hundreds of your hard-earned money, right out of your pocket. 

Texas residents work hard and deserve to be well cared for in their time of need. Don’t put the financial burden on your family or on yourself by failing to invest in a full-coverage healthcare plan. You may never need it; but if you do, you’ll be so grateful that you took the time to look out for yourself. 

Barry Insurance Group understands that shopping for health insurance can be stressful and confusing. If you have questions or need guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We proudly serve the Pearland, TX area and would be happy to help. 

The Necessity of Commercial Insurance: Protect Your Business Interests

Business insurance is a critical step for all Pearland, TX companies, as it helps to protect their interests in so many ways. If you’re not sure of what kind of policy you’d like, you can talk to us at Barry Insurance Group and learn more about the different levels of protection that they provide.

Insurance Protects You From Legal Situations 

You are legally required to have business insurance in most states for a reason. This type of policy will protect you from a myriad of different complex legal situations. For example, if your customer sues you after slipping and falling, your policy will pay for any damages they get from you and will ensure that you don’t experience any long-term financial troubles as a result of these changes. 

Coverage Keeps Your Customers Safe 

Did you know that your insurance can not only minimize your risk of a lawsuit but also avoid hurting your customers and employees? For example, if you have property damage repair insurance, you can fix-up dangerous areas of your facility and avoid lawsuits. And bodily injury coverage can protect you by paying medical expenses and fees for people hurt at your facility. 

Minimize Hacking Dangers 

In today’s modern business place, you need to constantly worry about the dangers of hacking and keeping your customers and your business identities safe. That’s why you need insurance to pay for things like identity protection solutions, public relations, legal fees, and any awkward liability situations. This money will go into effect only if a data breach occurs.

Protect Your Business From Danger

There are just a tiny fraction of the ways that your insurance will help you. It will also provide you with long-term benefits for business owner protection and much more. So please don’t hesitate to contact us at Barry Insurance Group, serving Pearland, TX, if you’re interested in learning more about this process.

Do Older Homes Require More Home Insurance?

If you own an older home, you know that there is a lot of work that goes into keeping up these types of houses. You might also wonder if owning an older home also means that you need to have more home insurance as well. This is certainly something every homeowner should consider before they choose a policy.

So, do you need more insurance if you own an older home? Barry Insurance Group, which serves Pearland, TX, can help you get to the bottom of this question.

Insurance Companies Assess the Risk of Each Home

Older homes do tend to pose more risks than other types of homes. They tend to be made of different materials, which can put them at higher risk for certain events, like fires and electrical issues. For this reason, your insurer may determine that your home requires more coverage.

Home Inspections Can Help

Regardless of the age of your home, a homeowners insurance company may perform an inspection. This can help determine the likelihood an event could occur, and it may also help determine the cost required to replace your home if something should happen to it.

Older Homes Simply Have Different Repair Needs

Another reason why your older home may require more insurance is that it may require more effort to repair your home. For example, you may have ornate trim on your home, and damage to your home could mean you need to call in a special repair company to fix it.

Get the Home Insurance Your House Needs

As a homeowner, you have many choices for home insurance. Older homes may require more insurance, but the best way to know your home’s needs is to reach out to an insurance agent. Barry Insurance Group helps many Pearland, TX residents meet their insurance needs.

What is Control of Well Insurance?

Control of well insurance is not a well-known type of insurance outside of niche areas of expertise. The Barry Insurance Group serving Pearland, TX would like to walk you through the control of well or well control insurance and what it covers.

A well, in this case,  may refer to an oil or gas well, which comes with its own set of risks that justify its own specialized policy type. In exchange for a monthly premium, control of well insurance assists well owners financially in recovering control of their well in the event of a blowout. A blowout is the flow of a resource aboveground that blowout preventers and other safety protocols, including maintenance, could not stop.

Control of Well Insurance has three facets

Regaining Control of Your Well

After a blowout, explosion, or collapse, the first step is regaining control of your operation and preventing further damage to your business and the environment.

Clean-Up Operations

An important order of business after regaining control of your well is clean-up operations. Clean-up operations are always crucial but even more so for oil and gas well situated at sea. Wells that mine for toxic resources like oil and gas need to be cleaned up quickly to prevent environmental damage and loss of life.

Getting the Well Working Again

The final facet of control of well insurance is getting the well working again. This means redrilling.

The oil and gas industry is a cornerstone of the Texas economy. To best protect your business and the environment, it is crucial to have enough coverage for the possibility of a disastrous event like losing control of an oil well, which has serious implications. Speak to Barry insurance Group serving Pearland, TX, today! Don’t leave the loss of well control to chance.

4 things every Pearland, TX resident needs to know about flood insurance

Floods leave a trail of financial loss, mental distress, and other psychological impacts across many parts of the world. Many people in Pearland, TX are buying flood insurance to protect their homes and families. However, there isn’t much information about how people should prepare when alerted about a potential storm. At Barry Insurance Group, we advise all our policyholders to get flood insurance to protect their homes and learn how it works. If you are looking to learn more about the policy, here is what you need to know.

1. Home insurance does NOT cover floods

Home insurance covers water damage caused by internal damage such as burst pipes, but not from floods. You need a flood insurance policy if flood water enters your home due to melted snow, overflowing rivers, or too much rain. 

2. Floods are the US number one disaster

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report shows that the recovery cost from floods grows every year. As a Pearland, TX resident or homeowner, it is critical to understand that Texas is one of the most flood-affected states in America, with a flood vulnerability score of 86 out of 100.

3. You don’t need to live near a water body to experience flooding.

According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), 20 percent of all flood insurance claims filed come from people who live in low-risk flood areas. That means it is everyone’s responsibility to take precautions and buy insurance early enough.

4. Flood insurance has a waiting period

Exactly as it sounds, flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period upon which you may not be able to make any flood insurance claim until the 30 days are over. For instance, if you bought a policy on first August 1st, 2021, and flooding occurred at your home on the 26th of the same month, you may not be eligible for flood insurance compensation.

Don’t wait till winter to get your flood insurance policy. Barry Insurance Group is ready to help you get a customized policy to cover your dwelling and personal property. Call us today!

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