Month: August 2023

Protecting Your Smart Home: How Home Insurance Adapts to Modern Technology

Posted on by agentinsure

In Austin, TX, more homeowners are integrating smart technology into their homes. Southwest Insurance Center offers homeowners the comprehensive insurance coverage they need for smart homes.

You Still Need Home Insurance Basics

Home insurance, at its core, offers financial protection to homeowners against potential risks such as fires, theft, or property damage. It typically covers the cost of repairing or replacing your home and its possessions in the event of such occurrences. A standard home insurance policy in Austin, TX, generally consists of four key components.

  1. Dwelling coverage protects the physical structure of your home, such as walls, roofs, and floors.
  2. Personal property coverage compensates for losing personal belongings within the house, including furniture, electronics, and clothing.
  3. Liability protection covers legal expenses if someone gets injured on your property and decides to sue.
  4. Additional living expenses (ALE) cover the cost of living arrangements if your home becomes uninhabitable due to a covered loss.

Smart Home Insurance Coverage 

The value of a smart home goes beyond its conventional structure. Smart devices control your home’s security, appliances, temperature, lighting, entertainment, and more. This brings convenience but also added value and risk. That’s why your home insurance policy needs to cover these devices.

Homeowners invest their hard-earned money into installing smart devices, making it crucial to consider these costs when setting policy limits. This ensures they can easily replace these devices in the event of a claim. Don’t hesitate to discuss this with your insurance agent in case they overlook mentioning it directly while determining the policy limit.

If you’re an Austin, TX homeowner with a smart home, contact Southwest Insurance Center to ensure your home insurance policy evolves with your home.

 

 

What Is Commercial Agribusiness?

Posted on by agentinsure

If you were the official grower of Green Giant green beans, then you’d probably be an Austin, TX company by now. As such, you’d need commercial insurance to cover company buildings, trucks, property, worker’s comp for employees, and much more. Here at Southwest Insurance Center, we know what you need to be commercially protected. Here’s why.

What Is Commercial Agribusiness Insurance?

Insurance is about the financial end of accidents and misfortunes. Commercial agribusiness insurance covers equipment mishaps, crop disasters leading to decreased income, liability, and more:

  • Buildings and their contents
  • The grounds and personal property
  • Crops, trees, flowers, and seeds
  • Livestock including poultry
  • General liability

Should You Get Commercial Agribusiness Insurance?

Yes. If you own a vineyard, for instance, and bottle your own brand of wine, then you need commercial agribusiness insurance. You need it to sell grape juices, jams, and jellies. Do you fish to sell your shrimp, oysters, and lobsters to local restaurants and grocery stores? Insurance would be a good idea. Do you slaughter your livestock, process it, and sell it? You need insurance. Do you put up tomatoes, beans, berries, and other produce? Do you sell what’s left over to Austin, TX stores after you provide for family needs? You need insurance.

What About Farmers With On-Site Traffic?

Farmers and ranchers who allow the public to pick corn, apples, strawberries, and pumpkins in October or pet the baby livestock on their property are open to different types of trouble. General liability insurance doesn’t cover this kind of thing, so ask us if there is a rider or umbrella policy that you can buy to protect your farm.

Agribusiness is a maze for which you need protection. We’ve listed a few things here, but please drop in or call Southwest Insurance Center to learn more about commercial agribusiness insurance.