April 9, 2026 • 41 mins
- This week, insurance agent April Tolbert joins the show to demystify the fine print in your policy that could make or break a claim. Plus, Devin Jones breaks down why "fixed" isn't enough—explaining how to ensure your property repairs meet both building codes and insurance standards to protect your investment.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello Southeast Texas. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful Saturday.
We have an amazing show for you today. April Tolbert
with Former's Insurance is going to share a little bit
about what's going on in the insurance world. We also
have Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering. So why would you
need to know about engineering? Well, you know, there's this
thing called windstorm and there are lots of parts of
(00:23):
your home that are required if you're in Jefferson County
that are windstorm approoves. So we're going to talk through
what are those things? What do you need to know?
And man, could I tell you some horror stories that
you might hear a little bit about today, So you're
going to want to stay tuned because you don't want
to be a part of one of those horror stories.
And I'd love for you to be educated on some
(00:43):
of the things you might need to know before you
start doing things like roofs and windows and garage doors
and other items at your home that are going to
require an engineer.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
To take a look at those.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
But before we get started, I'd love to give you
a little bit of an update on what's going on
in the Mark, and right before I came on the show,
I was looking at some data, and not just national
data but also local data, and it's pretty common. The
trend is that things begin to pick up January, February,
even a little bit into the first week in March.
(01:16):
But we've seen a little bit of a dip here recently.
Now are we still selling houses, Yes, absolutely, Do we
still have some wonderful deals out there? Yes, absolutely. We
are seeing some people get phenomenal prices on property. So
you are not going to want to just overlook. Is
(01:37):
now the right time what you want to look at?
Is now the right time for you? And we want
to be able to educate you on what's going on,
whether you're looking to buy or sell, on what's going
on in your situation. So give us a call and
let us sit down and just visit with you four
nine eight six six eight three two six or as
(01:57):
you know, we have people online every day eight to
eight Monday through Sunday and you can go to Danisimon's
real estate dot Com and one of my agents will
be able to reach out to you either by phone, text,
or on our website, So you can reach us any
of those ways. There's absolutely no pressure. If you just
(02:18):
need information, we want to provide that for you. We've
been around for a very long time and one of
the things that we love to do is just to
give you the information you need, guide you through the process,
help you make a decision whether if now is right
or maybe it's not right, and we want to be
able to help you make that decision. So don't hesitate
to give us a call and let us help you
(02:39):
do that.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Before we get.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Started today on some of the important factors about windstorm
and insurance and all of those things, I'd like to
just have our guests tell you a little bit about themselves.
And April, you've been on the show before, but for
those who may not know you, tell everyone just a
little bit about you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Well, I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much
for the invite back, Dana. April Tolbert. I am the
owner of April Tolbert Insurance Agency. I have three locations
of my insurance agency Beaumont, which most people know me
for that big blue roof with the Farmers Insurance sign
out on Major Drive. But now we also have two
(03:17):
additional locations north of in Jasper County, so Kirbyville and
Jasper as well. So we are a full service all
things insurance in Southeast Texas. And you know, I'm born
and raised here in Southeast Texas, been here my whole life.
I've raised my family here, I've started my business here,
and I love the people of Southeast Texas and I
try every which way to be able to give back.
(03:39):
Insurance just happens to be an area that I feel
like I can help people, and I serve with you
in several capacities. Thank you for everything you do within
our community as well that we serve on the Chamber
of Commerce board together. I serve on the Better Business Bureau,
Board of Directors, Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas, and several
organizations just to try to help make Southeast Texas the
(04:01):
place I know and love and that I grew up
in and keep it the place that I want my family,
my kids, and my grandkids to want to grow.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Up here too. So that's that's just a little bit
about who I am.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And don't you have a senior this year too? She's
a junior. She will be a senior next year. Yes,
she goes to legacy. So I have a it's still
a junior. I actually have a thirty one year old
son too that a lot of people know. If you
visit JW's patio, Seth is my kid. Oh there, and
a lot of people will say oh. Instead of going oh,
you're April Tolbert now they say, oh, you're Seth's mom.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Yeah. I love that. Yeah, I get that too.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah. Is anty great whenever your kids, you know, become
better known than you are.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Right, Well, what I love is that our kids are here. Yes,
you know, and you hit the nail on the head.
It's the reason we serve in so many different capacities
in our community is because we want a community that
our kids want to be here. My son and daughter
in law and they're too, and my daughter and son
(05:01):
in law and their their daughter is you know, they
live here. They are active in everything here in Southeast Texas,
and boy do I love being able to be active
in their lives locally. And so when we when we
work here, and when we use companies that are a
part of our community, that's what we get. So when
(05:24):
when I talk to people who you know, and we're
going to get more into this later, but just because
we're talking about it now, when I talk to people
who are getting quotes online from all over, you know,
on insurance, when those people have no idea about Southeast Texas.
Not only that their dollars aren't spent spent here in
Southeast Texas. Those things just bother me because I'm like,
(05:48):
what you get when you use a local person is
so much more than just insurance.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That's what really is.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
It's and I like to say it starts with knowledge
because those people, and they could be in Kalamazoo, but
they could also just be down the road in Houston
or Austin or Dallas. They are not familiar with the
challenges that we face along the Gulf Coast of Texas.
And that's why I'm so glad you're doing this show
today with Devon and Sigma, because these are the things
(06:20):
that we talk about all the time. You talk about
them with buyers and sellers of homes. I talk about
them from the insurance side of things, and that is
what are the things that are unique to us here
that we need to know that someone in Dallas they've
never heard of a wup I eight windstorm certificate, what
is that EXACTY have to be educated about that?
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Or if those of us.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You and I have to be able to educate others
about it well.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
And the you know, Internet has created wonderful advantages but
also disadvantages. For example, agents who are in the Houston
area are coming over to Southeast Texas listing and selling property,
same thing. They have no clue about that sort of thing.
They don't know our area the same It would be
(07:08):
like me going to Houston and trying to sell a
property there. Really it's against the code of ethics in
real estate because it says we need to know the
area that we are working in. So having someone local
not only for the benefit of the knowledge, but the
benefit of community, you know, it's a wonderful thing. Well, Devin,
you're also with Sigma Engineers, and we're going to be
(07:31):
talking a little bit about in one of our next
segments a couple of things that we just worked on recently,
and it is WPI eight and that's one of the
things that's necessary. But how long have you been in
Southeast Texas? Tell me just a little bit about you.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Yes, sure thing. So again, my name is Devin Jones,
and I'm the engineering manager with Sigma Engineers here in Beaumont.
I've been with Sigma for twenty years now. Sigma Engineers
was founded by doctor Sena Najad in nineteen ninety three,
and so we've been part of the Beaumont community since then.
(08:07):
So yes, I was raised in Southeast Texas. I'm originally
from Silsby. I still live there with my wonderful wife,
who I've been married nineteen years now. Gradually, my son
is actually a senior at Sillsby High School and exciting.
I have a daughter in middle school and then I
have a two year old at home.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Oh wow, he started over again, like me.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Doesn't that keep you young?
Speaker 5 (08:31):
Oh? Yeah, the Lord has blessed us and absolutely, and
I recommend it was scary at first, but then I
recommend everybody to have an old age baby. Now it's
a lot better when you when you can appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Oh listen, That's why being a grandparent is so amazing.
I have a five year old to four year old
and a two year old, but I.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Love getting to spend time with them.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
But I will tell you, at this age, I'm really
thankful that after a few days they can go home.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I mean, it's wonderful, but wow, it's exhausting.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I don't remember being that exhausted whenever I was younger.
I don't know if it's the age or what, but
or the fact that we don't stop when they're at
my house. We're crafting, we're swinging, we're riding the cars.
Where do we just don't you know?
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Who cares about always something?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, there's and there's no house keeping that goes on
while they're there, that's right, So we're just doing the playing.
But no, how exciting. I love that you've been here
a long time. You too understand the challenges that go
along with Southeast Texas, but also the benefit of being
here and being a part building those relationships with people
(09:44):
over time. It's just something that you can't beat. So
I'm looking forward to the things that we're going to
share here. Shortly, we're going to talk a little bit
about what is a WP I eight, why do you
need it, who needs it? And on what do you
need it? So don't go away. This is Dana Simmons,
will be right back. Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons
(10:05):
and I am joined today by April Tolbert. She has
April Tolbert Insurance. Not just here in Southeast Texas, in
the Beaumont area, but also up in the Jasper area.
So if you need insurance anywhere in southeast Texas, you
can give April a call. We are going to be
visiting with her about some of the things that she provides,
along with Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering. Now, Devin, we
(10:29):
mentioned in the last segment about WPI eight, So let's
talk a little bit about what is a WPI eight
and who needs it and what do you need it for?
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Okay, great, And I think this is very important information
because there are lots of rules and regulations put in
by the Texas Department of Insurance and it's not always
clear what the process is. So the Texas Department of
Insurance declared that any construction, whether that's new construction or
(11:03):
a reroof or changing out your windows or doors, anything,
any new construction in a coastal county, which Jefferson County
is a coastal county, you're required to get a windstorm certification.
So to do that, you have to either contact the
(11:25):
Texas Apartment Insurance for their inspectors, or you have to
contact a windstorm engineer and that windstorm engineer will come
and certify that the construction and the design meets the
building code requirements and the windstorm requirements. So once that happens,
(11:46):
there's a lot of paperwork that goes into it, so
I won't bore you with that, but the engineers submit
paperwork to the state and the state will then issue
a what's called a WPI eight certification, and that's the
certification that will be given to the insurance company so
the insurance company can provide windstorm coverage. So any construction,
(12:11):
especially any new construction ground up, you have to have
it designed and certified by a windstorm engineer. And so
what that includes is your foundation, the framing, windows and doors,
roofing as well as your air conditioning units have to
(12:31):
be anchored down. So every aspect of the building envelope
has to be certified for windstorm and it has to
meet the requirements of the International Building Code or the
International Residential Code. And it's the same thing if you
are doing a remodel or an add on or getting
(12:54):
a new roof. So if you want to replace your roof,
you have to be sure in contact a windstorm engineer
so that they can ensure that the shingles that the
contractors proposing use are correct, has the correct testing, the
correct paperwork that goes with it, has to have the
right number of nails. And then there's some even some
(13:15):
new things like recently the Texas Department of Insurance has
adopted the twenty twenty four versions of the International Building
Code and International Residential Code, and so what that means
is there's extra requirements. So an example of that is,
if you're getting a new roof, you now have to
have two layers of underlayment under every single roof, where
(13:38):
previously only one was required. So that is something that
the windstorm engineer will have to check and verify that
the underlayment is installed properly before the certification can be issued.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Well, and let me talk about the challenges of that.
The challenge is that if someone doesn't know they have
to have that, they choose a contractor who installs the
roof and doesn't tell them you need a windstorm. They
go to sell the house in five years with that
(14:13):
new roof on it and now there's no windstorm on it.
The challenge is if it's when that new code has
come up, Let's say it's two years because it was
twenty four. Let's say your new code was twenty four.
It was two layers of underlayment. How do you they said, Well,
let me call the engineer. I can look now, is
(14:33):
that even possible?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
It is possible, But it adds a whole new layer
of complexity. And so there's also some paperwork called the
WPI eight E, which is for existing. So then it
puts the burden of proof on the engineer. The engineer
has to demonstrate to TDI that this existing roof was
(14:56):
installed according to code. And so what that means, and
this is what I hate having to tell homeowners is
that we're going to have to come cut holes in
your roof and we're gonna have to track down the
specific make and model of the shingles. Right, So whether
that's we can get in contact with the contractor and
find receipts, or hey, maybe they have some leftover singles
(15:19):
in the attic, we can verify. But we have to
verify what the shingles are, verify the nailing pattern. And
we talked about the underlayment, and so it puts there's
a lot more destructive work that has to go on
for an existing roof.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, and here's the challenge. Roofs aren't cheap right now,
and so people are pricing roofs and they're they're thinking
they're getting a good deal until they try to get insurance.
And so April, let's talk a little bit about the
challenges that can go with Let's say this roof doesn't
have the WPI eight. Somehow their current insurance company doesn't
(16:01):
know all they've done, and so their insurance coverage is fine.
But then they go to put it on the market,
the buyer has an inspection, the buyer's agent pulls and goes, wait,
this roof is only two years old, but there's no
WPI eight filed with text with austin. We can't pull
it off the TDI website. What's going on here? And
(16:24):
then we find out there was no insurance, no windstorm
filed for that roof with that contractor. Let's talk about
what are the options at that point for that buyer
when they're trying to get insurance.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I really wish that the story you just told was
a rarity, but it is not.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
It's I know, we see it a lot a lot.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I have these CAUs if not every day, multiple times
a week, where I'm helping people through this exact scenario
so I'm so glad we're talking about this and hopefully
we can give a nugget to someone to prevent them
from having this happen. So from an insurance standpoint, and
I've been doing insurance now in Southeast Texas twenty plus years,
(17:05):
so I remember Hurricane Rita very well. And I remember
back in the days when I was an insurance and
I didn't even know what a WPI eight was, even
though they were required, because it used to be that
the insurance companies didn't even ask for them even though
they were a requirement. And then Rita came through, and
then Ike came through, and then we all learned what
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association TWEA is, and we got a
(17:32):
real quick lesson in what the requirements were for the
certifications that Devin was talking about the engineers.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Because the insurance companies left, that's right.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So what happened is is your carriers pulled out, meaning
like your state farms, your farmers, your all states, your
big companies. If they didn't leave town at all totally,
then they what we call X winded the policy, meaning
that the insurance Department of Insurance, the commissioner allowed them
to be able to pull the windstorm coverage off of
(18:04):
their policy, so people had to go with this separate
windstorm insurance. So there were several years where there weren't
hardly any insurance companies offering a policy with windstorm. Almost
everybody was having to go through Texas windstorm for wind Okay,
So fast forward. Now we're many years removed from that,
(18:25):
and thankfully we're actually at a very decent time right
now for offerings.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
The prices aren't good. We don't like the price.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
The price is really expensive, but at least the offerings
are there where I now have a dozen or more
insurance carriers that will ensure homes here in Jefferson County,
and some of those carriers will not even require that
that home have a windstorm certificate. And I pause there
intentionally because just I want to say this be just
(18:57):
because that you can call me today and I can
give you an insurance policy possibly on a home that
has no windstorm certificate when the next storm comes through,
when the next Rita or Ike comes through, and all
these companies pull out again, if your home doesn't have
the proper certifications, then you're going to have a problem.
(19:19):
And I would much rather you be in front of
that now, if it cost you a few more dollars
to get that certification, or to whatever it is you
need to do, to make sure you do it right now.
Because I hear people say, well, my like Dana said,
my insurance didn't tell me I needed I have insurance.
I'm just fine, Well, yes, you haven't gone through a reinspection.
(19:44):
You haven't gone through trying excuse me to get a
new policy. When you do, they are going to either
come inspect. A lot of insurance companies do drone inspections.
Texas Windstorm has started reevaluating homes with drones every five years.
So you just may not be in a situation yet
where you've gone through the reinspection right, But when you do,
(20:09):
the first thing they're going to look for is the
age of the roof and if the age of the
roof makes it to where it does need to have
some sort of wind certification. This is roofs garage, doors, windows,
siding that we think about sighting as well. If it's
over a ten by ten area one square right of sighting,
(20:31):
it requires windstorm certification as well. So having the right
team right, having the right people on speed dial to
be able to call and ask the questions is so important.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
It's why local too. It's local with experience. Okay, so
we have a lot of local people, but they've not
been through what you and I've been through. You know,
I've been doing this almost thirty years. So yes, I've
been through all of that.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I've watched that.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
We don't need windstorm to it's required to now it's questionable.
But even if they don't have a windstorm right now
and they can get insurance, it's at a price. It's
a premium, right.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
That is correct specifically with TWEA, with the Texas Windstorm
Insurance Association. There's some dates involved here, so I don't
want to get in the weeds, but there is a
possibility that if you had a roof put on between
a certain date and a certain date, we could and
it doesn't have a windstorm certificate, you could qualify for
(21:29):
what's called a waiver of that, and that's a fifteen
percent surcharge that gets put on the cost of your insurance.
But you could at least still get the insurance now
after June first of two thousand and nine, if you
did not get whatever it was roof, garage, doors, windows,
or the entire building certified and it was required to be.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
There is no waiver. Yeah, you just.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Cannot get windstorm through Texas windstorm period.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
So we're going to talk about additional challenges when we
come back. I know that I have a personal story
that I'm with a customer that I'm going to share
here shortly about a challenge that I think everyone needs
to hear about. So don't go away. This is Dana
Simmons with the Dana Simmons Show.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
This is Dana Simmons, and we have been talking all
things WPI eight and roofs and wow, lots of good information.
I think one of the greatest lessons we can learn
from our last segment is get a qualified roofer that
knows what they're doing. That's going to get you a
WPI eight whenever you replace your roof, and don't try
to short change that because in the end it's going
(22:40):
to cost you one way or another. It also happens
with windows. So Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering is here
and he has been giving us all the information we
need to know about what are those WPI eights and
what do they do? Devin, I'm going to tell you
a little brief story and I'm going to ask you
(23:03):
what you think. So the challenge is, I had a friend,
past customer who had an older home and she got
her windows replaced and she used a large window company
(23:23):
that you may know, they're probably known throughout the world
that installed her windows. And so when her insurance company
was coming up on their renewal, they reached out to
her and said, hey, because just like April Tolbert with
April Tolbert Insurance told us in the last piece, they
(23:47):
get drone footage, they see changes, they know they knew
that she had changed her windows. And she's like, yes,
I used this big window company and they came and
replaced my windows. Okay, great, we need the WPIA. She
reaches out to the window company and they say, oh,
we didn't get a WPI eight. You signed a waiver.
She goes, oh, no, I never would have signed a waiver.
(24:10):
She believes it was done fraudulently. It's not her signature
on that piece of paper that they say she signed.
And so at this point in time, the challenge is
her insurance company isn't wanting to ensure her and the
potential is she's going to have to buy all new windows.
So Devin, let's talk about what is required and listen,
(24:36):
here's one of the stories I want you to hear.
Call me, let me help you before call April. Call
before you make those kinds of decisions, and let me
guide you to some local companies that I know are reputable,
that I know won't do that to you. We have
(24:58):
done this a long time. We know the people who
are here, local who understand what we need. They're the
ones that you're going to run into at the grocery store.
So if something like this happens, their reputation is critically important.
So these other people don't live or work, care and
they really don't care, and they can take all of
your money and go, and then you're left with a
(25:19):
challenging situation. So Devin, let's talk about the windows situation.
What is required in replacing windows that you guys have
to look at as an engineer to ensure that they're
installed correctly.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
Yeah, and windows are a little bit trickier even than rus.
And unfortunately, you hear a lot of stories just like
the one you told, just because the public in general
is just not informed of these requirements. So this is
true for windows as well as doors and garage doors
(25:54):
all right, And there's different requirements for windows based on
what part of Jefferson County you live in. If you
live in the Beaumont area, all windows have to be
designed for the wind pressures for the particular wind speed
(26:15):
in our area. However, if you live in South County
in the Port Author Mid County area, your windows have
to not only be rated for the wind pressure but
also for impact resistance, so for flying debris and things
like that. And so what you have to look at
is the window itself has to be designed and have
(26:38):
testing data done that meets the Texas Department of Insurance requirements.
So you have to pick out a very specific manufacture
and a very specific model that meets the wind requirements.
And then that window has to be installed exactly as
(27:00):
shown on the testing data. So that means the number
of screws, the size of the screw, the spacing, everything
has to be exactly as shown on the testing data.
And the job of the windstorm engineer is to review
the proposed windows to make sure that they meet the
criteria and then also to document the fastening of an
(27:25):
anchorage of the windows to the substructure, and all of
this data will get turned into TDI for TDI to review,
and if that data is not collected during the construction,
you won't be able to get your WPI eight. And
so if you have windows that are already installed, the
only way to verify it is you're going to have
(27:47):
to remove the sighting or remove the sheet rock from
the inside to verify and document the anchorage. So it
becomes a whole new level of complexity when you start
dealing with windows.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Now that's such a challenge. And for people who just
work go to work every day, they just don't know this.
And if you don't have a contractor who is really
going to explain this to you upfront? It's the challenge
that is going to arise. And I'm sure you've dealt
(28:24):
with this as.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Well, more times than I would like to count, unfortunately,
and it, y'all, it's not getting any easier or better.
It's actually becoming more and more in the forefront as
these insurance companies, every carrier I work with, it seems like,
and now we work with dozens of them. You know,
people know me as April Tolborth the farmer's insurance agent.
(28:45):
But what they don't usually realize now until they work
with me, is we have dozens of companies that we
work with now, and every single one of them they
continue to get smarter and they continue to find ways
to make sure that they are holding us here along
the Gulf Coast to those standards one way or the other.
(29:10):
Or they're doing things like, Okay, if your roof is
over fifteen years old, even if it is when storms certified,
we are still going to reduce the kind of coverage
that you have on your policy, what would pay out
down to what we call actual cash value versus the
better type of policy we like, which is replacement costs
(29:33):
at the time of loss. So I say, the insurance
companies are getting smarter and they're fine charging us more
charging and reducing our coverage at the same time.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Now that makes that make sense to me.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
And I know you you don't make these rules and loss,
but it is something that I address with when we
go on a listing appointment. I mean, it is what
we address with every seller. If your roof is over
fifteen years old, it may be challenging because this buyer
isn't going to be able to get full coverage. That's
exactly right. And so but they're like, but my roof's fine. Yes,
(30:11):
I understand, But if you're buying a house and the
buyer is having to consider, especially if it's a young buyer,
new buyer, they don't have a lot of cash flow,
you know, if the something's going to happen to that roof,
it's going we're going to have a hurricane and that
roof has to be replaced, and you're only giving it
twenty five percent. That's right, that's right, because that's what
(30:31):
they're saying is left.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
The other thing we hear a lot, Dana, and I
know you do too, But I have a thirty year roof, right,
Oh yeah, I hear that every day, multiple times. There
is no such thing as a thirty year roof in
Southeast Texas. Now, what they mean is when you when
the roofer is selling you a quote unquote thirty year roof,
they're telling you that that shingle, the product they're putting
(30:55):
on your roof, has a thirty year warranty against manufacturing defects. Right,
that is where the thirty years and people here, I
have a thirty year roof, well, in Southeast Texas when
we have torrential rains, hailstorms, windstorms, all of the things
that we have here that are unique to living along.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
The Gulf Coast of Texas.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
That roof, that shingle, that life of that roof is
not going to last near thirty years. As a matter
of fact, again, here's the insurance companies putting the date
on things. What we see is that fifteen year mark
being very common. Some of them are a little more
than that. Some of them are actually a little less
than that is twelve yeah, right, So every insurance carrier
(31:42):
is a different as to what their requirements are. But
there are a lot of companies now that will not
They will change your policy at renewal. So if you
are not looking at your renewal documents, or you are
not reading through that fun reading every year, or you
are not having a conversation with your local insurance agent
(32:02):
every year about any changes that might have happened to
your policy, this may be happening to you and you
are not even aware that it's happening.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
I think that's the key. You have to ask the
questions and people don't know. They just think this is
the policy I signed up for it must be the
same policy.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I'm going to give you example of mine. I live
in Harden County and we talked earlier about Jefferson County
needing all the wind. One of the common things I
hear that's a misconception is, oh, I don't have to
have windstorm because I'm in Harden County, or I'm in
Orange County, or I'm in Liberty County. It's not that
you don't have to have windstorm. It's that the insurance
company puts the windstorm coverage on your homeowner's policy. Right.
(32:40):
Unlike in a lot of cases in Jefferson County, I'm
in Harden County. I live in rural Harden County. My
homeowner's insurance last year renewed with ed pretty significant difference
in my coverage, and it just automatically renews. They sent
me policy documents that said it. Well, first of all,
(33:00):
I looked at the price, and the price went up
about two hundred dollars. I was like, well, that's not
too significant, right, I mean, compared to some of the
rate increases we've seen. But guess what was in the
fine print? They had increased my windstorm deductible to five percent.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Yeah, without you even knowing it, that's without changing it.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
They did it automatically.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
That is correct.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
If you have to pay attention. And that's not just
Jefferson County, it is not just the fourteen coastal counties
that touch the water. Pay attention anywhere you are in Texas.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
And who is going to read that whenever they send
you the renewal.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I don't even like to read it. And I'm my
own insurance agent, so I am.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
That's why I hire licensed agents and have a wonderful
team of those across my three offices, and we do trainings.
I call them in power hours every morning for one
hour where we go in because our industry changes so often,
and so we go in and we look at what
are the most recent changes. We educate ourselves, we train
(34:03):
on it, we role play on it. We do these
things for an hour every morning so that every one
of my licensed agents in my offices can help answer
these questions for you and help be a resource for you.
So please have someone local that you trust that you
can pick up the phone and call and ask these questions.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Absolutely well, when we come up back, we're going to
wrap up this segment on windstorm and what the requirements are.
I'm gonna let each of our guests give their final thoughts,
so don't go away. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons, and we have had
an incredibly informative show about Windstorm, WPI eights and all
(34:42):
things associated with it. I'm telling you we could do
three more and still keep going. We've had April Tolbert
with April Tolbert Insurance and also Devin Jones, who is
the engineering manager at Sigma Engineers, and Devin, I'd love
for you to just be able to tell everyone wh
are all of the things that you have to offer
(35:03):
for our public out there, our listeners out there that
may need to contact an engineer, talk about a little
bit about the things that you do.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
Sure thing. Yeah, So, at Sigma Engineers, we are an
architectural and engineering firm. So of course we specialize in
designing buildings, both commercial, industrial and residential buildings. So if
you have problems with your foundation, if you see a
(35:32):
crack in your foundation, or if you get an inspection
report that says, hey, we think there might be some
issues with the structure, we can come and take a
look and give an opinion on that. We also do
inspections of commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and we design of
course we design architectural and do structural engineering for new
(35:55):
buildings as well.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
That's so good to know.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
So let's say someone's thinking about building home and they
need to be in our area, they can contact you guys.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
To help with all of that.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
That's correct. Yeah, and it's good to contact beforehand before
you get into the process to help. You know, we
didn't talk about foundations, but foundations are very important in
our area, and you have to have an engineer and
a contractor who's familiar with our type of highly expansive
clay soils. So and I would the advice I would
(36:28):
give is to you know, you have to you have
to educate yourself. Texas Department of Insurance they put the
burden on the homeowner to get all of this done,
and so feel free to call us and talk to us,
ask us questions and kind of find out the process.
Or you can go on to tdi's website and there
are a list of Windstorm approved engineers. But my advice
(36:51):
would be to reach out, get the information and have
the process in place before you begin construction, and that
way you'll have a much easier path to getting a
windstorm certificatese.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
You won't be in the situation many of the people
we talked about in our last segments have been in.
So how would they contact you, guys, Devin.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
Sure thing.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
You could call us our phone numbers four zero nine
eight nine eight one zero zero one and you could
call and ask for me or one of our other
engineers there and we would be happy to discuss the
process with you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
It's such a pleasure to have you. And yes, we
will do another show about foundations because let me just
tell you what, that's a whole nother, whole entire show
when we talk about foundations. So we'll do that again
on another show, Devin, if you'll come back, Oh, I'd
love to do that. This sounds great well, April, final
thoughts that you'd like to give to our audience about
just insurance and listen. One of the things I think
(37:49):
you do so well is just educating, which is the
biggest part of understanding what's going on. So just give
us a little information about what we need to know,
and then how do people contact you? If they have
any questions.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Sure, So the key takeaway today I hope is don't
wait until it's too late. Yes, review your insurance ahead
of time. And I used to say, oh, review your insurance,
set it and forget it. Those days are over. Now
You've got to review your insurance every year, have a
trusted local person that you talk to about any changes
(38:25):
with your insurance. Don't let something bad happen and then
have to file acclaim to find out that you have
a thirty five thousand dollars deductible now or you didn't
have the coverage that you thought you had. So you
can reach my team again. Three locations Beaumont, Kirbyville and Jasper.
Walk into one of our offices, find us online, find
(38:47):
us on social media everywhere. Just search April Tolbert Insurance
and we will pop up all over the Googler for you.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Right.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
You can also reach us at any of our offices
one convenient phone number four zero nine eight six six one.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Two three three.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
The team at April Tilbert Insurance Agency would love to
help you answer questions and just be a resource for
you well.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And you are a resource from my office all the time.
I mean, it's when we have questions, and the client
or customer may have a different insurance, But listen, I
know I can call you and get the real answers.
So you're not just a resource to your clients. You're
a resource to so many to so many people because
we know we can trust what you say and that
you aren't trying to sell me something. You're just trying
(39:31):
to help. And so appreciate that so much about you, April.
I hope today was helpful for many of you. I
hope it prevents you from being in a situation where
you're left out in the cold because your contractor did
not get your WPI eight. Listen, I always tell my
clients anytime you have a question, if you need a
(39:53):
resource for anything, call my office.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
You know, we work with all.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Kinds of people, kinds of contractors, roofers, foundation people. Don't
try to do it alone. Call people you know that
you can trust that no contractors who can do a
great job for you. That in the end, maybe it
does cost you a little bit more, maybe it doesn't.
Sometimes it doesn't cost you anymore to get someone who's
(40:21):
going to do it the right way. But we want
to ensure that you're getting taken care of on whatever
your needs are, so you know you can always call
my office. We also have a vendor list that has
a list of all of our vendors. Four O nine
eight sixty six eight three two six is our office number.
That's four O nine eight sixty six Team. And you
(40:43):
can also go online Danas Simmons real Estate dot com
uh and reach out to us. We're always happy to
help any questions, whether you bought or sold with us,
we are happy to just visit with you and try
to guide you in the right direction. Thank you so
much for joining us today. Thank you April, Thank you Devin.
I love being able to bring our local longtime residents
(41:06):
here who have built their businesses here in Southeast Texas
and want to see Southeast Texas thrive. So I hope
that you will reach out to them if you need
any services from them and allow them to assist you.
Go and make this a wonderful Saturday, and we'll see
you next week. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
Well, hello Southeast Texas. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful Saturday.
We have an amazing show for you today. April Tolbert
with Former's Insurance is going to share a little bit
about what's going on in the insurance world. We also
have Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering. So why would you
need to know about engineering? Well, you know, there's this
thing called windstorm and there are lots of parts of
(00:23):
your home that are required if you're in Jefferson County
that are windstorm approoves. So we're going to talk through
what are those things? What do you need to know?
And man, could I tell you some horror stories that
you might hear a little bit about today, So you're
going to want to stay tuned because you don't want
to be a part of one of those horror stories.
And I'd love for you to be educated on some
(00:43):
of the things you might need to know before you
start doing things like roofs and windows and garage doors
and other items at your home that are going to
require an engineer.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
To take a look at those.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
But before we get started, I'd love to give you
a little bit of an update on what's going on
in the Mark, and right before I came on the show,
I was looking at some data, and not just national
data but also local data, and it's pretty common. The
trend is that things begin to pick up January, February,
even a little bit into the first week in March.
(01:16):
But we've seen a little bit of a dip here recently.
Now are we still selling houses, Yes, absolutely, Do we
still have some wonderful deals out there? Yes, absolutely. We
are seeing some people get phenomenal prices on property. So
you are not going to want to just overlook. Is
(01:37):
now the right time what you want to look at?
Is now the right time for you? And we want
to be able to educate you on what's going on,
whether you're looking to buy or sell, on what's going
on in your situation. So give us a call and
let us sit down and just visit with you four
nine eight six six eight three two six or as
(01:57):
you know, we have people online every day eight to
eight Monday through Sunday and you can go to Danisimon's
real estate dot Com and one of my agents will
be able to reach out to you either by phone, text,
or on our website, So you can reach us any
of those ways. There's absolutely no pressure. If you just
(02:18):
need information, we want to provide that for you. We've
been around for a very long time and one of
the things that we love to do is just to
give you the information you need, guide you through the process,
help you make a decision whether if now is right
or maybe it's not right, and we want to be
able to help you make that decision. So don't hesitate
to give us a call and let us help you
(02:39):
do that.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Before we get.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Started today on some of the important factors about windstorm
and insurance and all of those things, I'd like to
just have our guests tell you a little bit about themselves.
And April, you've been on the show before, but for
those who may not know you, tell everyone just a
little bit about you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Well, I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much
for the invite back, Dana. April Tolbert. I am the
owner of April Tolbert Insurance Agency. I have three locations
of my insurance agency Beaumont, which most people know me
for that big blue roof with the Farmers Insurance sign
out on Major Drive. But now we also have two
(03:17):
additional locations north of in Jasper County, so Kirbyville and
Jasper as well. So we are a full service all
things insurance in Southeast Texas. And you know, I'm born
and raised here in Southeast Texas, been here my whole life.
I've raised my family here, I've started my business here,
and I love the people of Southeast Texas and I
try every which way to be able to give back.
(03:39):
Insurance just happens to be an area that I feel
like I can help people, and I serve with you
in several capacities. Thank you for everything you do within
our community as well that we serve on the Chamber
of Commerce board together. I serve on the Better Business Bureau,
Board of Directors, Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas, and several
organizations just to try to help make Southeast Texas the
(04:01):
place I know and love and that I grew up
in and keep it the place that I want my family,
my kids, and my grandkids to want to grow.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Up here too. So that's that's just a little bit
about who I am.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And don't you have a senior this year too? She's
a junior. She will be a senior next year. Yes,
she goes to legacy. So I have a it's still
a junior. I actually have a thirty one year old
son too that a lot of people know. If you
visit JW's patio, Seth is my kid. Oh there, and
a lot of people will say oh. Instead of going oh,
you're April Tolbert now they say, oh, you're Seth's mom.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Yeah. I love that. Yeah, I get that too.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah. Is anty great whenever your kids, you know, become
better known than you are.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Right, Well, what I love is that our kids are here. Yes,
you know, and you hit the nail on the head.
It's the reason we serve in so many different capacities
in our community is because we want a community that
our kids want to be here. My son and daughter
in law and they're too, and my daughter and son
(05:01):
in law and their their daughter is you know, they
live here. They are active in everything here in Southeast Texas,
and boy do I love being able to be active
in their lives locally. And so when we when we
work here, and when we use companies that are a
part of our community, that's what we get. So when
(05:24):
when I talk to people who you know, and we're
going to get more into this later, but just because
we're talking about it now, when I talk to people
who are getting quotes online from all over, you know,
on insurance, when those people have no idea about Southeast Texas.
Not only that their dollars aren't spent spent here in
Southeast Texas. Those things just bother me because I'm like,
(05:48):
what you get when you use a local person is
so much more than just insurance.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That's what really is.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
It's and I like to say it starts with knowledge
because those people, and they could be in Kalamazoo, but
they could also just be down the road in Houston
or Austin or Dallas. They are not familiar with the
challenges that we face along the Gulf Coast of Texas.
And that's why I'm so glad you're doing this show
today with Devon and Sigma, because these are the things
(06:20):
that we talk about all the time. You talk about
them with buyers and sellers of homes. I talk about
them from the insurance side of things, and that is
what are the things that are unique to us here
that we need to know that someone in Dallas they've
never heard of a wup I eight windstorm certificate, what
is that EXACTY have to be educated about that?
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Or if those of us.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
You and I have to be able to educate others
about it well.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
And the you know, Internet has created wonderful advantages but
also disadvantages. For example, agents who are in the Houston
area are coming over to Southeast Texas listing and selling property,
same thing. They have no clue about that sort of thing.
They don't know our area the same It would be
(07:08):
like me going to Houston and trying to sell a
property there. Really it's against the code of ethics in
real estate because it says we need to know the
area that we are working in. So having someone local
not only for the benefit of the knowledge, but the
benefit of community, you know, it's a wonderful thing. Well, Devin,
you're also with Sigma Engineers, and we're going to be
(07:31):
talking a little bit about in one of our next
segments a couple of things that we just worked on recently,
and it is WPI eight and that's one of the
things that's necessary. But how long have you been in
Southeast Texas? Tell me just a little bit about you.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Yes, sure thing. So again, my name is Devin Jones,
and I'm the engineering manager with Sigma Engineers here in Beaumont.
I've been with Sigma for twenty years now. Sigma Engineers
was founded by doctor Sena Najad in nineteen ninety three,
and so we've been part of the Beaumont community since then.
(08:07):
So yes, I was raised in Southeast Texas. I'm originally
from Silsby. I still live there with my wonderful wife,
who I've been married nineteen years now. Gradually, my son
is actually a senior at Sillsby High School and exciting.
I have a daughter in middle school and then I
have a two year old at home.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Oh wow, he started over again, like me.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Doesn't that keep you young?
Speaker 5 (08:31):
Oh? Yeah, the Lord has blessed us and absolutely, and
I recommend it was scary at first, but then I
recommend everybody to have an old age baby. Now it's
a lot better when you when you can appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Oh listen, That's why being a grandparent is so amazing.
I have a five year old to four year old
and a two year old, but I.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Love getting to spend time with them.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
But I will tell you, at this age, I'm really
thankful that after a few days they can go home.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I mean, it's wonderful, but wow, it's exhausting.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I don't remember being that exhausted whenever I was younger.
I don't know if it's the age or what, but
or the fact that we don't stop when they're at
my house. We're crafting, we're swinging, we're riding the cars.
Where do we just don't you know?
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Who cares about always something?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, there's and there's no house keeping that goes on
while they're there, that's right, So we're just doing the playing.
But no, how exciting. I love that you've been here
a long time. You too understand the challenges that go
along with Southeast Texas, but also the benefit of being
here and being a part building those relationships with people
(09:44):
over time. It's just something that you can't beat. So
I'm looking forward to the things that we're going to
share here. Shortly, we're going to talk a little bit
about what is a WP I eight, why do you
need it, who needs it? And on what do you
need it? So don't go away. This is Dana Simmons,
will be right back. Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons
(10:05):
and I am joined today by April Tolbert. She has
April Tolbert Insurance. Not just here in Southeast Texas, in
the Beaumont area, but also up in the Jasper area.
So if you need insurance anywhere in southeast Texas, you
can give April a call. We are going to be
visiting with her about some of the things that she provides,
along with Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering. Now, Devin, we
(10:29):
mentioned in the last segment about WPI eight, So let's
talk a little bit about what is a WPI eight
and who needs it and what do you need it for?
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Okay, great, And I think this is very important information
because there are lots of rules and regulations put in
by the Texas Department of Insurance and it's not always
clear what the process is. So the Texas Department of
Insurance declared that any construction, whether that's new construction or
(11:03):
a reroof or changing out your windows or doors, anything,
any new construction in a coastal county, which Jefferson County
is a coastal county, you're required to get a windstorm certification.
So to do that, you have to either contact the
(11:25):
Texas Apartment Insurance for their inspectors, or you have to
contact a windstorm engineer and that windstorm engineer will come
and certify that the construction and the design meets the
building code requirements and the windstorm requirements. So once that happens,
(11:46):
there's a lot of paperwork that goes into it, so
I won't bore you with that, but the engineers submit
paperwork to the state and the state will then issue
a what's called a WPI eight certification, and that's the
certification that will be given to the insurance company so
the insurance company can provide windstorm coverage. So any construction,
(12:11):
especially any new construction ground up, you have to have
it designed and certified by a windstorm engineer. And so
what that includes is your foundation, the framing, windows and doors,
roofing as well as your air conditioning units have to
(12:31):
be anchored down. So every aspect of the building envelope
has to be certified for windstorm and it has to
meet the requirements of the International Building Code or the
International Residential Code. And it's the same thing if you
are doing a remodel or an add on or getting
(12:54):
a new roof. So if you want to replace your roof,
you have to be sure in contact a windstorm engineer
so that they can ensure that the shingles that the
contractors proposing use are correct, has the correct testing, the
correct paperwork that goes with it, has to have the
right number of nails. And then there's some even some
(13:15):
new things like recently the Texas Department of Insurance has
adopted the twenty twenty four versions of the International Building
Code and International Residential Code, and so what that means
is there's extra requirements. So an example of that is,
if you're getting a new roof, you now have to
have two layers of underlayment under every single roof, where
(13:38):
previously only one was required. So that is something that
the windstorm engineer will have to check and verify that
the underlayment is installed properly before the certification can be issued.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Well, and let me talk about the challenges of that.
The challenge is that if someone doesn't know they have
to have that, they choose a contractor who installs the
roof and doesn't tell them you need a windstorm. They
go to sell the house in five years with that
(14:13):
new roof on it and now there's no windstorm on it.
The challenge is if it's when that new code has
come up, Let's say it's two years because it was
twenty four. Let's say your new code was twenty four.
It was two layers of underlayment. How do you they said, Well,
let me call the engineer. I can look now, is
(14:33):
that even possible?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
It is possible, But it adds a whole new layer
of complexity. And so there's also some paperwork called the
WPI eight E, which is for existing. So then it
puts the burden of proof on the engineer. The engineer
has to demonstrate to TDI that this existing roof was
(14:56):
installed according to code. And so what that means, and
this is what I hate having to tell homeowners is
that we're going to have to come cut holes in
your roof and we're gonna have to track down the
specific make and model of the shingles. Right, So whether
that's we can get in contact with the contractor and
find receipts, or hey, maybe they have some leftover singles
(15:19):
in the attic, we can verify. But we have to
verify what the shingles are, verify the nailing pattern. And
we talked about the underlayment, and so it puts there's
a lot more destructive work that has to go on
for an existing roof.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, and here's the challenge. Roofs aren't cheap right now,
and so people are pricing roofs and they're they're thinking
they're getting a good deal until they try to get insurance.
And so April, let's talk a little bit about the
challenges that can go with Let's say this roof doesn't
have the WPI eight. Somehow their current insurance company doesn't
(16:01):
know all they've done, and so their insurance coverage is fine.
But then they go to put it on the market,
the buyer has an inspection, the buyer's agent pulls and goes, wait,
this roof is only two years old, but there's no
WPI eight filed with text with austin. We can't pull
it off the TDI website. What's going on here? And
(16:24):
then we find out there was no insurance, no windstorm
filed for that roof with that contractor. Let's talk about
what are the options at that point for that buyer
when they're trying to get insurance.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I really wish that the story you just told was
a rarity, but it is not.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
It's I know, we see it a lot a lot.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I have these CAUs if not every day, multiple times
a week, where I'm helping people through this exact scenario
so I'm so glad we're talking about this and hopefully
we can give a nugget to someone to prevent them
from having this happen. So from an insurance standpoint, and
I've been doing insurance now in Southeast Texas twenty plus years,
(17:05):
so I remember Hurricane Rita very well. And I remember
back in the days when I was an insurance and
I didn't even know what a WPI eight was, even
though they were required, because it used to be that
the insurance companies didn't even ask for them even though
they were a requirement. And then Rita came through, and
then Ike came through, and then we all learned what
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association TWEA is, and we got a
(17:32):
real quick lesson in what the requirements were for the
certifications that Devin was talking about the engineers.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Because the insurance companies left, that's right.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So what happened is is your carriers pulled out, meaning
like your state farms, your farmers, your all states, your
big companies. If they didn't leave town at all totally,
then they what we call X winded the policy, meaning
that the insurance Department of Insurance, the commissioner allowed them
to be able to pull the windstorm coverage off of
(18:04):
their policy, so people had to go with this separate
windstorm insurance. So there were several years where there weren't
hardly any insurance companies offering a policy with windstorm. Almost
everybody was having to go through Texas windstorm for wind Okay,
So fast forward. Now we're many years removed from that,
(18:25):
and thankfully we're actually at a very decent time right
now for offerings.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
The prices aren't good. We don't like the price.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
The price is really expensive, but at least the offerings
are there where I now have a dozen or more
insurance carriers that will ensure homes here in Jefferson County,
and some of those carriers will not even require that
that home have a windstorm certificate. And I pause there
intentionally because just I want to say this be just
(18:57):
because that you can call me today and I can
give you an insurance policy possibly on a home that
has no windstorm certificate when the next storm comes through,
when the next Rita or Ike comes through, and all
these companies pull out again, if your home doesn't have
the proper certifications, then you're going to have a problem.
(19:19):
And I would much rather you be in front of
that now, if it cost you a few more dollars
to get that certification, or to whatever it is you
need to do, to make sure you do it right now.
Because I hear people say, well, my like Dana said,
my insurance didn't tell me I needed I have insurance.
I'm just fine, Well, yes, you haven't gone through a reinspection.
(19:44):
You haven't gone through trying excuse me to get a
new policy. When you do, they are going to either
come inspect. A lot of insurance companies do drone inspections.
Texas Windstorm has started reevaluating homes with drones every five years.
So you just may not be in a situation yet
where you've gone through the reinspection right, But when you do,
(20:09):
the first thing they're going to look for is the
age of the roof and if the age of the
roof makes it to where it does need to have
some sort of wind certification. This is roofs garage, doors, windows,
siding that we think about sighting as well. If it's
over a ten by ten area one square right of sighting,
(20:31):
it requires windstorm certification as well. So having the right
team right, having the right people on speed dial to
be able to call and ask the questions is so important.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
It's why local too. It's local with experience. Okay, so
we have a lot of local people, but they've not
been through what you and I've been through. You know,
I've been doing this almost thirty years. So yes, I've
been through all of that.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I've watched that.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
We don't need windstorm to it's required to now it's questionable.
But even if they don't have a windstorm right now
and they can get insurance, it's at a price. It's
a premium, right.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
That is correct specifically with TWEA, with the Texas Windstorm
Insurance Association. There's some dates involved here, so I don't
want to get in the weeds, but there is a
possibility that if you had a roof put on between
a certain date and a certain date, we could and
it doesn't have a windstorm certificate, you could qualify for
(21:29):
what's called a waiver of that, and that's a fifteen
percent surcharge that gets put on the cost of your insurance.
But you could at least still get the insurance now
after June first of two thousand and nine, if you
did not get whatever it was roof, garage, doors, windows,
or the entire building certified and it was required to be.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
There is no waiver. Yeah, you just.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Cannot get windstorm through Texas windstorm period.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
So we're going to talk about additional challenges when we
come back. I know that I have a personal story
that I'm with a customer that I'm going to share
here shortly about a challenge that I think everyone needs
to hear about. So don't go away. This is Dana
Simmons with the Dana Simmons Show.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
This is Dana Simmons, and we have been talking all
things WPI eight and roofs and wow, lots of good information.
I think one of the greatest lessons we can learn
from our last segment is get a qualified roofer that
knows what they're doing. That's going to get you a
WPI eight whenever you replace your roof, and don't try
to short change that because in the end it's going
(22:40):
to cost you one way or another. It also happens
with windows. So Devin Jones with Sigma Engineering is here
and he has been giving us all the information we
need to know about what are those WPI eights and
what do they do? Devin, I'm going to tell you
a little brief story and I'm going to ask you
(23:03):
what you think. So the challenge is, I had a friend,
past customer who had an older home and she got
her windows replaced and she used a large window company
(23:23):
that you may know, they're probably known throughout the world
that installed her windows. And so when her insurance company
was coming up on their renewal, they reached out to
her and said, hey, because just like April Tolbert with
April Tolbert Insurance told us in the last piece, they
(23:47):
get drone footage, they see changes, they know they knew
that she had changed her windows. And she's like, yes,
I used this big window company and they came and
replaced my windows. Okay, great, we need the WPIA. She
reaches out to the window company and they say, oh,
we didn't get a WPI eight. You signed a waiver.
She goes, oh, no, I never would have signed a waiver.
(24:10):
She believes it was done fraudulently. It's not her signature
on that piece of paper that they say she signed.
And so at this point in time, the challenge is
her insurance company isn't wanting to ensure her and the
potential is she's going to have to buy all new windows.
So Devin, let's talk about what is required and listen,
(24:36):
here's one of the stories I want you to hear.
Call me, let me help you before call April. Call
before you make those kinds of decisions, and let me
guide you to some local companies that I know are reputable,
that I know won't do that to you. We have
(24:58):
done this a long time. We know the people who
are here, local who understand what we need. They're the
ones that you're going to run into at the grocery store.
So if something like this happens, their reputation is critically important.
So these other people don't live or work, care and
they really don't care, and they can take all of
your money and go, and then you're left with a
(25:19):
challenging situation. So Devin, let's talk about the windows situation.
What is required in replacing windows that you guys have
to look at as an engineer to ensure that they're
installed correctly.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
Yeah, and windows are a little bit trickier even than rus.
And unfortunately, you hear a lot of stories just like
the one you told, just because the public in general
is just not informed of these requirements. So this is
true for windows as well as doors and garage doors
(25:54):
all right, And there's different requirements for windows based on
what part of Jefferson County you live in. If you
live in the Beaumont area, all windows have to be
designed for the wind pressures for the particular wind speed
(26:15):
in our area. However, if you live in South County
in the Port Author Mid County area, your windows have
to not only be rated for the wind pressure but
also for impact resistance, so for flying debris and things
like that. And so what you have to look at
is the window itself has to be designed and have
(26:38):
testing data done that meets the Texas Department of Insurance requirements.
So you have to pick out a very specific manufacture
and a very specific model that meets the wind requirements.
And then that window has to be installed exactly as
(27:00):
shown on the testing data. So that means the number
of screws, the size of the screw, the spacing, everything
has to be exactly as shown on the testing data.
And the job of the windstorm engineer is to review
the proposed windows to make sure that they meet the
criteria and then also to document the fastening of an
(27:25):
anchorage of the windows to the substructure, and all of
this data will get turned into TDI for TDI to review,
and if that data is not collected during the construction,
you won't be able to get your WPI eight. And
so if you have windows that are already installed, the
only way to verify it is you're going to have
(27:47):
to remove the sighting or remove the sheet rock from
the inside to verify and document the anchorage. So it
becomes a whole new level of complexity when you start
dealing with windows.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Now that's such a challenge. And for people who just
work go to work every day, they just don't know this.
And if you don't have a contractor who is really
going to explain this to you upfront? It's the challenge
that is going to arise. And I'm sure you've dealt
(28:24):
with this as.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Well, more times than I would like to count, unfortunately,
and it, y'all, it's not getting any easier or better.
It's actually becoming more and more in the forefront as
these insurance companies, every carrier I work with, it seems like,
and now we work with dozens of them. You know,
people know me as April Tolborth the farmer's insurance agent.
(28:45):
But what they don't usually realize now until they work
with me, is we have dozens of companies that we
work with now, and every single one of them they
continue to get smarter and they continue to find ways
to make sure that they are holding us here along
the Gulf Coast to those standards one way or the other.
(29:10):
Or they're doing things like, Okay, if your roof is
over fifteen years old, even if it is when storms certified,
we are still going to reduce the kind of coverage
that you have on your policy, what would pay out
down to what we call actual cash value versus the
better type of policy we like, which is replacement costs
(29:33):
at the time of loss. So I say, the insurance
companies are getting smarter and they're fine charging us more
charging and reducing our coverage at the same time.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Now that makes that make sense to me.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
And I know you you don't make these rules and loss,
but it is something that I address with when we
go on a listing appointment. I mean, it is what
we address with every seller. If your roof is over
fifteen years old, it may be challenging because this buyer
isn't going to be able to get full coverage. That's
exactly right. And so but they're like, but my roof's fine. Yes,
(30:11):
I understand, But if you're buying a house and the
buyer is having to consider, especially if it's a young buyer,
new buyer, they don't have a lot of cash flow,
you know, if the something's going to happen to that roof,
it's going we're going to have a hurricane and that
roof has to be replaced, and you're only giving it
twenty five percent. That's right, that's right, because that's what
(30:31):
they're saying is left.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
The other thing we hear a lot, Dana, and I
know you do too, But I have a thirty year roof, right,
Oh yeah, I hear that every day, multiple times. There
is no such thing as a thirty year roof in
Southeast Texas. Now, what they mean is when you when
the roofer is selling you a quote unquote thirty year roof,
they're telling you that that shingle, the product they're putting
(30:55):
on your roof, has a thirty year warranty against manufacturing defects. Right,
that is where the thirty years and people here, I
have a thirty year roof, well, in Southeast Texas when
we have torrential rains, hailstorms, windstorms, all of the things
that we have here that are unique to living along.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
The Gulf Coast of Texas.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
That roof, that shingle, that life of that roof is
not going to last near thirty years. As a matter
of fact, again, here's the insurance companies putting the date
on things. What we see is that fifteen year mark
being very common. Some of them are a little more
than that. Some of them are actually a little less
than that is twelve yeah, right, So every insurance carrier
(31:42):
is a different as to what their requirements are. But
there are a lot of companies now that will not
They will change your policy at renewal. So if you
are not looking at your renewal documents, or you are
not reading through that fun reading every year, or you
are not having a conversation with your local insurance agent
(32:02):
every year about any changes that might have happened to
your policy, this may be happening to you and you
are not even aware that it's happening.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
I think that's the key. You have to ask the
questions and people don't know. They just think this is
the policy I signed up for it must be the
same policy.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I'm going to give you example of mine. I live
in Harden County and we talked earlier about Jefferson County
needing all the wind. One of the common things I
hear that's a misconception is, oh, I don't have to
have windstorm because I'm in Harden County, or I'm in
Orange County, or I'm in Liberty County. It's not that
you don't have to have windstorm. It's that the insurance
company puts the windstorm coverage on your homeowner's policy. Right.
(32:40):
Unlike in a lot of cases in Jefferson County, I'm
in Harden County. I live in rural Harden County. My
homeowner's insurance last year renewed with ed pretty significant difference
in my coverage, and it just automatically renews. They sent
me policy documents that said it. Well, first of all,
(33:00):
I looked at the price, and the price went up
about two hundred dollars. I was like, well, that's not
too significant, right, I mean, compared to some of the
rate increases we've seen. But guess what was in the
fine print? They had increased my windstorm deductible to five percent.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Yeah, without you even knowing it, that's without changing it.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
They did it automatically.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
That is correct.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
If you have to pay attention. And that's not just
Jefferson County, it is not just the fourteen coastal counties
that touch the water. Pay attention anywhere you are in Texas.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
And who is going to read that whenever they send
you the renewal.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I don't even like to read it. And I'm my
own insurance agent, so I am.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
That's why I hire licensed agents and have a wonderful
team of those across my three offices, and we do trainings.
I call them in power hours every morning for one
hour where we go in because our industry changes so often,
and so we go in and we look at what
are the most recent changes. We educate ourselves, we train
(34:03):
on it, we role play on it. We do these
things for an hour every morning so that every one
of my licensed agents in my offices can help answer
these questions for you and help be a resource for you.
So please have someone local that you trust that you
can pick up the phone and call and ask these questions.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Absolutely well, when we come up back, we're going to
wrap up this segment on windstorm and what the requirements are.
I'm gonna let each of our guests give their final thoughts,
so don't go away. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons, and we have had
an incredibly informative show about Windstorm, WPI eights and all
(34:42):
things associated with it. I'm telling you we could do
three more and still keep going. We've had April Tolbert
with April Tolbert Insurance and also Devin Jones, who is
the engineering manager at Sigma Engineers, and Devin, I'd love
for you to just be able to tell everyone wh
are all of the things that you have to offer
(35:03):
for our public out there, our listeners out there that
may need to contact an engineer, talk about a little
bit about the things that you do.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
Sure thing. Yeah, So, at Sigma Engineers, we are an
architectural and engineering firm. So of course we specialize in
designing buildings, both commercial, industrial and residential buildings. So if
you have problems with your foundation, if you see a
(35:32):
crack in your foundation, or if you get an inspection
report that says, hey, we think there might be some
issues with the structure, we can come and take a
look and give an opinion on that. We also do
inspections of commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and we design of
course we design architectural and do structural engineering for new
(35:55):
buildings as well.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
That's so good to know.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
So let's say someone's thinking about building home and they
need to be in our area, they can contact you guys.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
To help with all of that.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
That's correct. Yeah, and it's good to contact beforehand before
you get into the process to help. You know, we
didn't talk about foundations, but foundations are very important in
our area, and you have to have an engineer and
a contractor who's familiar with our type of highly expansive
clay soils. So and I would the advice I would
(36:28):
give is to you know, you have to you have
to educate yourself. Texas Department of Insurance they put the
burden on the homeowner to get all of this done,
and so feel free to call us and talk to us,
ask us questions and kind of find out the process.
Or you can go on to tdi's website and there
are a list of Windstorm approved engineers. But my advice
(36:51):
would be to reach out, get the information and have
the process in place before you begin construction, and that
way you'll have a much easier path to getting a
windstorm certificatese.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
You won't be in the situation many of the people
we talked about in our last segments have been in.
So how would they contact you, guys, Devin.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
Sure thing.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
You could call us our phone numbers four zero nine
eight nine eight one zero zero one and you could
call and ask for me or one of our other
engineers there and we would be happy to discuss the
process with you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
It's such a pleasure to have you. And yes, we
will do another show about foundations because let me just
tell you what, that's a whole nother, whole entire show
when we talk about foundations. So we'll do that again
on another show, Devin, if you'll come back, Oh, I'd
love to do that. This sounds great well, April, final
thoughts that you'd like to give to our audience about
just insurance and listen. One of the things I think
(37:49):
you do so well is just educating, which is the
biggest part of understanding what's going on. So just give
us a little information about what we need to know,
and then how do people contact you? If they have
any questions.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Sure, So the key takeaway today I hope is don't
wait until it's too late. Yes, review your insurance ahead
of time. And I used to say, oh, review your insurance,
set it and forget it. Those days are over. Now
You've got to review your insurance every year, have a
trusted local person that you talk to about any changes
(38:25):
with your insurance. Don't let something bad happen and then
have to file acclaim to find out that you have
a thirty five thousand dollars deductible now or you didn't
have the coverage that you thought you had. So you
can reach my team again. Three locations Beaumont, Kirbyville and Jasper.
Walk into one of our offices, find us online, find
(38:47):
us on social media everywhere. Just search April Tolbert Insurance
and we will pop up all over the Googler for you.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Right.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
You can also reach us at any of our offices
one convenient phone number four zero nine eight six six one.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Two three three.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
The team at April Tilbert Insurance Agency would love to
help you answer questions and just be a resource for
you well.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And you are a resource from my office all the time.
I mean, it's when we have questions, and the client
or customer may have a different insurance, But listen, I
know I can call you and get the real answers.
So you're not just a resource to your clients. You're
a resource to so many to so many people because
we know we can trust what you say and that
you aren't trying to sell me something. You're just trying
(39:31):
to help. And so appreciate that so much about you, April.
I hope today was helpful for many of you. I
hope it prevents you from being in a situation where
you're left out in the cold because your contractor did
not get your WPI eight. Listen, I always tell my
clients anytime you have a question, if you need a
(39:53):
resource for anything, call my office.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
You know, we work with all.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Kinds of people, kinds of contractors, roofers, foundation people. Don't
try to do it alone. Call people you know that
you can trust that no contractors who can do a
great job for you. That in the end, maybe it
does cost you a little bit more, maybe it doesn't.
Sometimes it doesn't cost you anymore to get someone who's
(40:21):
going to do it the right way. But we want
to ensure that you're getting taken care of on whatever
your needs are, so you know you can always call
my office. We also have a vendor list that has
a list of all of our vendors. Four O nine
eight sixty six eight three two six is our office number.
That's four O nine eight sixty six Team. And you
(40:43):
can also go online Danas Simmons real Estate dot com
uh and reach out to us. We're always happy to
help any questions, whether you bought or sold with us,
we are happy to just visit with you and try
to guide you in the right direction. Thank you so
much for joining us today. Thank you April, Thank you Devin.
I love being able to bring our local longtime residents
(41:06):
here who have built their businesses here in Southeast Texas
and want to see Southeast Texas thrive. So I hope
that you will reach out to them if you need
any services from them and allow them to assist you.
Go and make this a wonderful Saturday, and we'll see
you next week. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
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