Texas tops list of worst places to live and work in America

[royiv 9317]

13 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

My understanding is that insurance companies have gotten quite saavy about some of that. Mostly by finding all kinds of ways to deny claims when damage is done by a "named storm." So basically, we'll insure you for everything except a tropical storm or above. Haven't figured out how to dodge a derecho or tornado yet, or hail, I guess. But seems like there should be an evening out. 

This isn't just homeowners. My car insurance went up 40% and I haven't had a ticket of claim in over 10 years. My insurance guy basically just said "Yeah, that was the best deal we could get for you when we tested the carriers and honestly, you're lucky that's all it went up compared to others we've seen."

You need to chat with @C-Man . He’s never once told me to just bend over and take it. My HO renewal came in about 50% higher this year over last year and he was able to get it way down albeit offset a bit by a much less painful increase on my auto, but overall we kept everything in a very reasonable range of pain compared to the renewal that was initially sent to me. 

[SydneyCarton 48106]

10 minutes ago, royiv said:

You need to chat with @C-Man . He’s never once told me to just bend over and take it. My HO renewal came in about 50% higher this year over last year and he was able to get it way down albeit offset a bit by a much less painful increase on my auto, but overall we kept everything in a very reasonable range of pain compared to the renewal that was initially sent to me. 

@C-Man watchu got? I'm pretty loyal to my guys, but I'm certainly open to options. PM me what I need to show you.

My wife has access to Farm Bureau and honestly, since they have a history of actually paying out, I should probably check with those guys too. Before it was pretty comparable. 

[C-Man 27227]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

So we are the new Florida?

Getting there. California and Florida have been shit-shows for awhile. Texas and Colorado are trying to catch up. Fast.

 

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Seems like everywhere is the new Florida. But yeah, it isn't getting better, that's for sure.

See above comment.

 

30 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

People suing their way to a new roof every time there is a little hail gets expensive.

This has been a problem in Texas. The model for Texans has seemed to be, I’ll let insurance buy me a new roof every 10-15 years. Comp shingle roofs last about 20, maybe 25 years, in our climate. People have gotten conditioned to not having to pay for roofs out of pocket like we do when our AC units wear out. Unfortunately, it’s hard to change learned behavior. Also, all deference to ROFLBOX but the roofing industry is not heavily regulated in Texas. There are LOTS of bad actors. Carriers let that shit go for a long time. Add in the climate change cocktail, vastly increase the cost to buy/repair vehicles and there’s a gigantic shit sandwich sitting on the plate in front of us.

 

10 minutes ago, royiv said:

You need to chat with @C-Man . He’s never once told me to just bend over and take it. My HO renewal came in about 50% higher this year over last year and he was able to get it way down albeit offset a bit by a much less painful increase on my auto, but overall we kept everything in a very reasonable range of pain compared to the renewal that was initially sent to me. 

That was what I’d call a win. We don’t “win” all that much anymore, unfortunately, hard as we try. Things have simply gotten more expensive and it would be nice if wages would catch up. (I was at Bob’s on Lemmon last night with two close friends and a ranch water was $32. I couldn’t fucking believe it.)

[SydneyCarton 48106]

2 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Getting there. California and Florida have been shit-shows for awhile. Texas and Colorado are trying to catch up. Fast.

 

See above comment.

 

This has been a problem in Texas. The model for Texans has seemed to be, I’ll let insurance buy me a new roof every 10-15 years. Comp shingle roofs last about 20, maybe 25 years, in our climate. People have gotten conditioned to not having to pay for roofs out of pocket like we do when our AC units wear out. Unfortunately, it’s hard to change learned behavior. Also, all deference to ROFLBOX but the roofing industry is not heavily regulated in Texas. There are LOTS of bad actors. Carriers let that shit go for a long time. Add in the climate change cocktail, vastly increase the cost to buy/repair vehicles and there’s a gigantic shit sandwich sitting on the plate in front of us.

 

That was what I’d call a win. We don’t “win” all that much anymore, unfortunately, hard as we try. Things have simply gotten more expensive and it would be nice if wages would catch up. (I was at Bob’s on Lemmon last night with two close friends and a ranch water was $32. I couldn’t fucking believe it.)

32 seems high, even for a steakhouse. 

 

[Frank Drebin 5639]

I have seriously considered dropping homeowners.  My house was built in the 50s.  Most of the value is the dirt it sits on.  If I sold it, it's probably a tear down.  I don't have a mortgage so insurance is not required.

If it burned down, I could just clear the lot and either rebuild something a lot better than what I have (getting a mortgage) or sell lot and move.

What I will probably do is just get the highest deductible they will allow.

[troph 24798]

27 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Nationwide is not in fact, on my side. 

liberty biberty my ass.

[C-Man 27227]

5 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

@C-Man watchu got? I'm pretty loyal to my guys, but I'm certainly open to options. PM me what I need to show you.

My wife has access to Farm Bureau and honestly, since they have a history of actually paying out, I should probably check with those guys too. Before it was pretty comparable. 

@royiv is a great guy and I love having him as a client. We are having especially difficult times with what we call “middle market” business. This is for home rebuild values below $1M. Chubb will write homes starting at $500K but they’re not competitive price-wise until you get a higher-value home. But the coverage (and claims) cannot be beat — and you’ll pay for it.

We’ve got Safeco (massive rate hikes in last 12 months) and Travelers and a few others that my middle market account manager has a better feel for. Our operation is mostly concentrated on high net worth business but that’s gotten difficult to place too. As I said, Chubb will write homes starting at $500K, Cincinnati will start at $1M, PURE at $3M (can’t remember if that’s just North Texas/Houston or if state-wide, if not it’s $2M in Austin/SA) and Berkley One is now $5M+. We slam and go hard in this space, at least relative to everybody else as we are the largest agents — or second behind Marsh — for Chubb and PURE in Texas and the USA. But it still isn’t easy and there are a lot of difficult conversations on a daily basis with our existing clients.

Now, the HNW carriers all say they want to grow in Central Texas. Happy to take a Quick Look. Just pop me a copy of your HO Dec pages and I can probably pretty quickly determine whether it warrants going any further.

[C-Man 27227]

4 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

I have seriously considered dropping homeowners.  My house was built in the 50s.  Most of the value is the dirt it sits on.  If I sold it, it's probably a tear down.  I don't have a mortgage so insurance is not required.

If it burned down, I could just clear the lot and either rebuild something a lot better than what I have (getting a mortgage) or sell lot and move.

What I will probably do is just get the highest deductible they will allow.

You need liability. Don’t ever go totally “naked.” Yes, high deductibles is an effective tool for battling high insurance costs — or ask for a fire dwelling policy, which offers very little property coverage but will have liability.

[C-Man 27227]

10 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

32 seems high, even for a steakhouse. 

 

It’s fucking outrageous is what it was. I was floored when he told me. Showed me the receipt from the bar and everything. (I opted for the cheapest glass of Malbec/Pinot on the menu, which was $20/per.)

[Frank Drebin 5639]

20 minutes ago, C-Man said:

You need liability. Don’t ever go totally “naked.” Yes, high deductibles is an effective tool for battling high insurance costs — or ask for a fire dwelling policy, which offers very little property coverage but will have liability.

I need insurance for contents and liability.  I was just joking about going naked.  But I do plan on getting the highest deductible allowed.  

[Chopper 17235]

At least in CO, USAA started writing policies this year that exclude most roof hail damage - I think the first $10k is excluded. They dropped out of the market for a few months and then re-entered with hail exclusion policies.

[BabaYaga 15298]

51 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

32 seems high, even for a steakhouse. 

 

$32 seems high for a resort in HI.  WTH, that's high for an old fashioned and a decent bourbon.  

[texasdago 7573]

2 hours ago, closetohumping said:

those people suck 

 

you started a great thread about Austin.  Made me miss it.  I’d consider moving back to Austin under the right circumstances 

Trust me dude. I'd like to pick up Austin and drop it over here. That said, as much as I love beach towns here, NB's MAGAness is frustrating 

[CooterBrown 18012]

2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

This isn't just homeowners. My car insurance went up 40% and I haven't had a ticket of claim in over 10 years. My insurance guy basically just said "Yeah, that was the best deal we could get for you when we tested the carriers and honestly, you're lucky that's all it went up compared to others we've seen."

I read that it's trending for car/home insurance to go up the same amount next year.  I'd find the article but I almost stroked out reading it.  

For my auto policy, I added a teen driver and a 3rd car at the end of '22 and it went from $2,400/year to $4,200. When my annual renewal came up in March, it went up to $6,600. No claims and that was the best the broker could find.

[Doc Sam Beckett 5793]

33 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I read that it's trending for car/home insurance to go up the same amount next year.  I'd find the article but I almost stroked out reading it.  

For my auto policy, I added a teen driver and a 3rd car at the end of '22 and it went from $2,400/year to $4,200. When my annual renewal came up in March, it went up to $6,600. No claims and that was the best the broker could find.

What a fucking racket 

[Js1 85336]

Just now, Doc Sam Beckett said:

What a fucking racket 

Someone gotta offset all the uninsured motorists with paper plates 

[HouTex 1867]

Power out intermittently around Uptown/Tanglewood.  It’s just a fucking rain shower.  Happened a couple of days ago.  This is crazy.  

[miguelito 11266]

Oh man, you're not supposed to get the grid wet.  Shit!

[troph 24798]

2 hours ago, C-Man said:

It’s fucking outrageous is what it was. I was floored when he told me. Showed me the receipt from the bar and everything. (I opted for the cheapest glass of Malbec/Pinot on the menu, which was $20/per.)

$20 per glass and you can get a ridiculously good bottle of wine at the wine shop. It’s why we try not to eat out anymore. Days of 2-3 nights a week and multiple lunches out are gone. Forget that.

[Willfully Horn 8017]

5 hours ago, troph said:

Days of 2-3 nights a week and multiple lunches out are gone. Forget that.

My oyster shucking skills are much improved.

[C-Man 27227]

6 hours ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

What a fucking racket 

Average new car is more than $40k. Even fender-benders can get to be $5k plus claims in a heartbeat with all the tech in cars now. Add in some distracted drivers and you get what we have now. (And there’s the under/uninsured motorists as well.)

[Schulz2.0 28951]

12 hours ago, Chopper said:

At least in CO, USAA started writing policies this year that exclude most roof hail damage - I think the first $10k is excluded. They dropped out of the market for a few months and then re-entered with hail exclusion policies.

I'm in CO and have USAA. We still have hail included in our home owners. We got a new roof last fall after getting golf ball sized hail in storms about 6 weeks apart. We ended up spending an extra $14k out of pocket to put a more hail resistant roof on (warranty is good up to 2" hail). That lowered our premiums some.

https://www.euroshieldroofing.com/

[Captainant 27668]

5 hours ago, C-Man said:

Average new car is more than $40k. Even fender-benders can get to be $5k plus claims in a heartbeat with all the tech in cars now. Add in some distracted drivers and you get what we have now. (And there’s the under/uninsured motorists as well.)

It's just crazy to me - my 2019 SUV was the top trim level with all the bells and whistles and even with adding on a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty it was under $40k

[SydneyCarton 48106]

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

It's just crazy to me - my 2019 SUV was the top trim level with all the bells and whistles and even with adding on a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty it was under $40k

Conversely, my used 2018 suv that I got in 2020 with top of the line trim was 32k all in. I think my level of suv retails at 70k new. 
 

 

[Redneck Mutha 7956]

13 hours ago, miguelito said:

Oh man, you're not supposed to get the grid wet.  Shit!

[troph 24798]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Conversely, my used 2018 suv that I got in 2020 with top of the line trim was 32k all in. I think my level of suv retails at 70k new. 
 

 

Lease ending on our cross over, really nice car. Retail new is $20k more less than 4 years later. 35% increase. We have almost 15k in equity if we buy it based on residual value.  
 

our boat is even more extreme. It’s a 2019 I believe. Paid $90k could probably sell it for close to the price we paid. New ones are $150k.

so on sheer repair cost you’d expect insurance to go up 30% before any environmental concerns are factored in.

Edited June 13 by troph

[Ted Lange 16085]

 

 

[Gatorubet 30238]

19 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

I've given some anecdotal experience in the insurance thread somewhere. Basically, my insurance guy said take whatever my carrioer offers for a renewal, even if it seems outrageous, becuase lots of carriers won't write new coverage for anyone, and if they do there are major major carve outs. 

in Louisiana, our Republican legislature and governor just passed the bill that removed Louisiana law that said once you had homeowners for three years, you could not be canceled.  The new law allows insurance companies to cancel homeowners for any reason.

Also, rate hikes no longer have to be approved by the Louisiana insurance commissioner.  Put another way, the GOP just gave homeowners’ insurance companies the green right to gouge and cancel to their hearts content. 

Naturally, the stated reason for doing this was to “bring competition to the state so that more companies will want to insure homes here”

What a brilliant idea.  Allowing insurance companies to raise rates and cancel policies is just what we need to fix the problem of rising rates and not enough companies covering citizens at a reasonable rate. 

[SydneyCarton 48106]

6 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

in Louisiana, our Republican legislature and governor just passed the bill that removed Louisiana law that said once you had homeowners for three years, you could not be canceled.  The new law allows insurance companies to cancel homeowners for any reason.

Also, rate hikes no longer have to be approved by the Louisiana insurance commissioner.  Put another way, the GOP just gave homeowners’ insurance companies the green right to gouge and cancel to their hearts content. 

Naturally, the stated reason for doing this was to “bring competition to the state so that more companies will want to insure homes here”

What a brilliant idea.  Allowing insurance companies to raise rates and cancel policies is just what we need to fix the problem of rising rates and not enough companies covering citizens at a reasonable rate. 

I think we see aspects of this in all layers of society in regards to business; all the protections are gone. In so many industries, form cars to any service, companies aren't interested in servicing poor or lower middle class. THey only want the rich. They aren't interested in volume, or risk, they're just going to charge 3x and only service those who they know have the credit and income to pay for those services. How many automobiles are manufactred for poor or lower middle class people these days? There used to be an industry for that. Now that line of business is mostly just other people's used cars. 

What you just described, and C-man gave evidence of himself, is the same thing. We don't want to insure everyone. We only want to insure the people who are rich and we can gouge if they ever file a claim. At some point it's going to have to not be legally required for someone to have homeowners insurance if they want to own a home...or the homes will just keep being sold to large corporations who actually have leverage. 

Edited June 13 by SydneyCarton

[C-Man 27227]

4 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

in Louisiana, our Republican legislature and governor just passed the bill that removed Louisiana law that said once you had homeowners for three years, you could not be canceled.  The new law allows insurance companies to cancel homeowners for any reason.

Also, rate hikes no longer have to be approved by the Louisiana insurance commissioner.  Put another way, the GOP just gave homeowners’ insurance companies the green right to gouge and cancel to their hearts content. 

Naturally, the stated reason for doing this was to “bring competition to the state so that more companies will want to insure homes here”

What a brilliant idea.  Allowing insurance companies to raise rates and cancel policies is just what we need to fix the problem of rising rates and not enough companies covering citizens at a reasonable rate. 

As you can imagine in California, laws and regulations are pretty rigid in favor of the consumer. California law only allows(ed) insurance companies to increase rates by X percent YOY and the rate had to be filed, etc. I think it was 10, maybe 15 percent. AIG is a high net worth carrier and had a HUGE chunk of the multi-multi-million dollar properties in California, a disproportionate chunk. After the wildfires and mudslides, AIG decided it needed to raise rates 60 or so percent one year just to catch up. Can't happen due to CA insurance law. AIG figured it would go under (on the insurance side) over the next 4-5 years it would take to "catch up" and capture that 60% increase so it pulled out of the state altogether.

[C-Man 27227]

5 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I think we see aspects of this in all layers of society in regards to business; all the protections are gone. In so many industries, form cars to any service, companies aren't interested in servicing poor or lower middle class. THey only want the rich. They aren't interested in volume, or risk, they're just going to charge 3x and only service those who they know have the credit and income to pay for those services. How many automobiles are manufactred for poor or lower middle class people these days? There used to be an industry for that. Now that line of business is mostly just other people's used cars. 

What you just described, and C-man gave evidence of himself, is the same thing. We don't want to insure everyone. We only want to insure the people who are rich and we can gouge if they ever file a claim. At some point it's going to have to not be legally required for someone to have homeowners insurance if they want to own a home...or the homes will just keep being sold to large corporations who actually have leverage. 

Maybe, maybe not, maybe go .... (kidding)

I'm not smart enough to know where this goes -- I just know the path we're on is unsustainable. We had an event with Chubb at Sewell's Lexus Collision Center the other day. I already knew the importance of OEM parts and having a reputable shop do repairs on high end vehicles, etc. But the sheer amount of high-dollar equipment on vehicles today is just stupid -- $3500 head lamps, costly sensory equipment in very vulnerable areas. It was impossible to repaint a damaged area because it would obscure whatever sensor was in this one Lexus bumper so the whole part had to be replaced for one little scratch.

It struck me -- what we need are more engineering solutions. Figure out a better place to put the tech, make it stronger. Come up with a truly hail-resistant material for home roofs. Florida completely ripped up building codes following Andrew. While still susceptible to hurricanes, most of what gets wiped out is pre-Andrew construction.

[HenryJames 66052]

1 hour ago, troph said:

our boat is even more extreme. It’s a 2019 I believe. Paid $90k could probably sell it for close to the price we paid. New ones are $150k.

[troph 24798]

1 minute ago, HenryJames said:

More like… jk no yacht here.

Edited June 13 by troph

[Beau Vine 54230]

1 hour ago, Gatorubet said:

in Louisiana, our Republican legislature and governor just passed the bill that removed Louisiana law that said once you had homeowners for three years, you could not be canceled.  The new law allows insurance companies to cancel homeowners for any reason.

Also, rate hikes no longer have to be approved by the Louisiana insurance commissioner.  Put another way, the GOP just gave homeowners’ insurance companies the green right to gouge and cancel to their hearts content. 

 

"business friendly"

[Gatorubet 30238]

26 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

"business friendly"

30 years after tort reform for medical malpractice concerns was passed, the $500,000 cap on damages is still in place despite 30 years of inflation. 

The number of medical practice cases taken by attorneys has declined significantly, true.  The cap was sold as necessary so that physicians’ malpractice rates could be significantly reduced.  Casablanca I’m shocked gif, but the promised rate reductions never occurred.  The insurers did, however, enjoy record profits. 

tl:dr “Business friendly” means little people get fucked and big business gets richer. 

[troph 24798]

now that deserves a cat meme if anything ever did. Insert, "I should start a big bidnass while reading the morning paper" meme here.

[RPM 26321]

On 7/18/2023 at 1:17 PM, closetohumping said:

Meh.  Not gonna comment on politics.  But name a metro that is as diverse as Houston in this country where you can buy a fat house for 400k? 

Have you any idea what kind of fat house you could buy in Muleshoe or Wichita Falls for $400k?

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

3 hours ago, troph said:

our boat is even more extreme. It’s a 2019 I believe. Paid $90k could probably sell it for close to the price we paid. New ones are $150k.

[C-Man 27227]

3 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

"business friendly"

 

3 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

30 years after tort reform for medical malpractice concerns was passed, the $500,000 cap on damages is still in place despite 30 years of inflation. 

The number of medical practice cases taken by attorneys has declined significantly, true.  The cap was sold as necessary so that physicians’ malpractice rates could be significantly reduced.  Casablanca I’m shocked gif, but the promised rate reductions never occurred.  The insurers did, however, enjoy record profits. 

tl:dr “Business friendly” means little people get fucked and big business gets richer. 

"Business friendly" is Creole/Cajun for "shady and corrupt AF"

[safe sex 11727]

2 hours ago, RPM said:

Have you any idea what kind of fat house you could buy in Muleshoe or Wichita Falls for $400k?

Nothing is worth living in Wichita Falls

[HenryJames 66052]

You could buy Muleshoe for $400,000.

[SydneyCarton 48106]

1 hour ago, safe sex said:

Nothing is worth living in Wichita Falls

There is quite a bit wrong with it, but if you're happy you do you. 

[safe sex 11727]

Struggling to think of one thing right with it tbh

Fukkin' Stanley's is gone (RIP beanie burger). I guess Scott's is still going and p good price/quality. 

[EastHorn 281]

6 hours ago, C-Man said:

Maybe, maybe not, maybe go .... (kidding)

I'm not smart enough to know where this goes -- I just know the path we're on is unsustainable. We had an event with Chubb at Sewell's Lexus Collision Center the other day. I already knew the importance of OEM parts and having a reputable shop do repairs on high end vehicles, etc. But the sheer amount of high-dollar equipment on vehicles today is just stupid -- $3500 head lamps, costly sensory equipment in very vulnerable areas. It was impossible to repaint a damaged area because it would obscure whatever sensor was in this one Lexus bumper so the whole part had to be replaced for one little scratch.

It struck me -- what we need are more engineering solutions. Figure out a better place to put the tech, make it stronger. Come up with a truly hail-resistant material for home roofs. Florida completely ripped up building codes following Andrew. While still susceptible to hurricanes, most of what gets wiped out is pre-Andrew construction.

So much this.  Or as climate gets more extreme (hail, flooding) who would want to buy an expensive car that will just get destroyed each time the season changes.