Dear Candy: We are under contract on a home but need to buy homeowners’ insurance. So how do you do that? Do I need a broker? What companies are the best? Thanks!

Start here, with the Texas Department of Insurance’s Helpinsure.com website to get three rate comparisons based on your credit rating, your home and your claims policy. No surprise: the more claims you have, the higher your policy will be and harder it will be to obtain insurance. I’ve always been told to take care of smaller repairs yourself — only claim the big Cahunas. And as we all know when it comes to insurance, cheapest is not always the best.

I know of one homeowner who battled with her insurer for three years when her home burned. Another invited her agent for Thanksgiving in the new house.

Personally, I like USAA and Chubb. But let’s throw this open to our readers to ask  about various home insurers — tell us what kinds of experiences you have had with Texas carriers?