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Old 05-11-2015, 07:01 PM   #21
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Do you like it hot and humid?


I'm in Houston now it was 76F with a 73F dewpoint at 6 am.
Yes indeed, this is why we have left Texas for 5 or 6 months each year since ER'ing in 2010.

I also live in The Woodlands, have done for 11 years but have never owned property here, so can't comment on that. Traffic has increased a lot since we moved here in 2004, so much in fact that we now only ride our bikes on weekends, early in the morning, lots of good breakfast places to ride to. A recent article in the local free newspaper said that the population during the week (work days) almost doubles to 200,000.

I am signed up to The Woodlands email alert system and every year I get the email, usually while we are on our travels these days, that says that mosquitoes have been found carrying West Nile and/or Dengue Fever, and follows with the usual precautions. (stay inside dawn and dusk, use insect repellant containing deet).
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Old 05-11-2015, 07:06 PM   #22
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I am signed up to The Woodlands email alert system and every year I get the email, usually while we are on our travels these days, that says that mosquitoes have been found carrying West Nile and/or Dengue Fever, and follows with the usual precautions. (stay inside dawn and dusk, use insect repellant containing deet).
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Old 05-11-2015, 07:11 PM   #23
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USAA is our insurance carrier.
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Old 05-11-2015, 08:39 PM   #24
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I am signed up to The Woodlands email alert system and every year I get the email, usually while we are on our travels these days, that says that mosquitoes have been found carrying West Nile and/or Dengue Fever, and follows with the usual precautions. (stay inside dawn and dusk, use insect repellant containing deet).
Alan, the expensive road bond issue vote failed, in case you haven't heard.

Also, since we have an greatly expanding population and additional thousands of cars and trucks on the Woodlands roads, the individual odds of getting bitten by these mosquitoes are dropping significantly. (that's a good thing!)

One more thing: The Highway 242 flyover from I-45 opened today. No word on the toll amount yet (imagine, a toll for a highway exit/entrance ramp).

Be safe in your travels.

P.S. No word from 2B yet.
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Old 05-11-2015, 10:43 PM   #25
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Alan, the expensive road bond issue vote failed, in case you haven't heard.

Also, since we have an greatly expanding population and additional thousands of cars and trucks on the Woodlands roads, the individual odds of getting bitten by these mosquitoes are dropping significantly. (that's a good thing!)

One more thing: The Highway 242 flyover from I-45 opened today. No word on the toll amount yet (imagine, a toll for a highway exit/entrance ramp).

Be safe in your travels.

P.S. No word from 2B yet.
Thanks mate, fortunately I've never heard of anyone in The Woodlands actually contracting any diseases from mosquitoes. While living in Baton Rouge in 1991 I got seriously ill and my wife had to drive me to the doctors. After consulting with another doctor in the practice he asked me if I had been bitten by a mosquito recently. As a soccer referee I used to get bitten all the time. They thought I had encephalitis. Luckily I only had viral meningitis
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Old 05-12-2015, 06:23 AM   #26
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Dittos on the request for the names of these insurance companies! Apparently USAA is robbing us!

We live in the Houston metro area (Sugar Land) and have used USAA for our homeowners insurance for decades. Last year's premium was over $4300 for $390,000 coverage. I will be shopping around before I renew this year.


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Old 05-12-2015, 06:41 AM   #27
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Dittos on the request for the names of these insurance companies! Apparently USAA is robbing us!
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We live in the Houston metro area (Sugar Land) and have used USAA for our homeowners insurance for decades. Last year's premium was over $4300 for $390,000 coverage. I will be shopping around before I renew this year.
I suspect you two are paying high rates for living so close to the coast. We live 150 miles inland and USAA charges us less than $1,200 for $260K coverage.
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Old 05-12-2015, 06:44 AM   #28
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Yes, Houston city limits, west side. Only 1 hurricane in the 20+ years I've lived here, but could happen again any year.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:08 AM   #29
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We live in the Houston metro area (Sugar Land) and have used USAA for our homeowners insurance for decades. Last year's premium was over $4300 for $390,000 coverage. I will be shopping around before I renew this year.


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One question might be what is the deductible. Both for wind and for everything else. State Farm went to 1% for everything.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:09 AM   #30
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2% for wind/hail. $1000 for everything else.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:25 AM   #31
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One question might be what is the deductible. Both for wind and for everything else. State Farm went to 1% for everything.

1% for all claims.


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Old 05-12-2015, 07:26 AM   #32
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I'm at 2% for everything.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:34 AM   #33
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I suspect you two are paying high rates for living so close to the coast. We live 150 miles inland and USAA charges us less than $1,200 for $260K coverage.

That may be it. We're a little over 40 miles from the coast as the crow flies. But, I still suspect that we may be able to get a much better deal from another insurance company. USAA has been steadily jacking up my rates for a number of years. We did have a roof claim with Hurricane Ike (2008).


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Old 05-12-2015, 07:36 AM   #34
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Yes, Houston city limits, west side. Only 1 hurricane in the 20+ years I've lived here, but could happen again any year.
Rita was in 05, Ike in 08

Rita was a near miss but we were still out of power for a week
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:37 AM   #35
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But, I still suspect that we may be able to get a much better deal from another insurance company. USAA has been steadily jacking up my rates for a number of years.
The only way to know is shop around. Be sure to account for the $ USAA returns to you each year when you run the numbers.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:44 AM   #36
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even 100 miles inland, you can still get significant damage from a tropical cyclone


our deductible for trop cyc was 2% IIRC
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:46 AM   #37
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I think y'all can get ASI (American Strategic) in Texas. They are probably worth getting quotes from when you look. They are the cheapest for us right now in SC.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:48 AM   #38
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We live in the Houston metro area (Sugar Land) and have used USAA for our homeowners insurance for decades. Last year's premium was over $4300 for $390,000 coverage. I will be shopping around before I renew this year.
I'd take USAA coverage in a heartbeat, even with a much higher premium. Here in Fl all the major insurers stopped writing new policies years ago, and now Citizens is pushing their clients onto new, local insurers that are unrated. A low price policy from a financially insecure insurer is worthless if a bad storm hits. My guess is Tx homeowners insurance is not much different.
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Old 05-12-2015, 07:48 AM   #39
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The only way to know is shop around. Be sure to account for the $ USAA returns to you each year when you run the numbers.

Good point. I'd forgotten about the rebate.


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Old 05-12-2015, 08:09 AM   #40
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insurers took a huge beating from Ike, they are going to recoup those losses


that's how P&C works
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