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Most people do not think about homeowner’s insurance until their homes are damaged or sued for an injury on their property. Having enough coverage and a timely and fair insurer can then be the difference between financial security and disaster.

Sticking with your existing carrier is not always a negative idea. However, we encourage that you shop around for better rates regularly. Our assessments of 14 major insurance groups are an excellent place to start, and you might find a more affordable insurer among them. This is likely to be a source of concern for homeowners shortly, as rates in many areas are expected to rise.

Trends Affecting Homeowners Insurance Prices

Pricing for dwelling coverage—a significant component of your homeowners policy—is based on the house repairing or rebuilding cost in case it is damaged or destroyed. Contrary to popular belief, home insurance premiums are unrelated to home prices, therefore the recent real estate inflation in many places will have little effect on home insurance costs. However, these other recent trends may have an impact.

Deficiencies caused by pandemics: Construction materials have been in short supply at a time when demand from contractors has led to a rise in people doing their work by themselves. Price inflation is the result. Computer chip supplies, the “brains” of many house components, have also been taxed, as have appliance stocks. All of these factors influence the cost of rebuilding or repairing a home, as well as the cost of insuring it.
Natural disasters: In recent years, natural disasters (large-scale) have had an impact on home building prices. Major floods in the Southeast and wildfires in Western states have increased demand for construction supplies, driving up rebuilding costs.
Increased claims: In places where large-scale disasters have occurred over several years, state regulators have allowed insurers to boost premiums to compensate for the claims and the increased risk. Even homes that haven’t made claims in the area may be affected by the increases. Insurers may abandon an area or drop customers as a result of an increase in claims, forcing homeowners to obtain new coverage.

You may be wondering how to properly cover your house, cut insurance premiums, and deal with your current insurer—or locate a new one—in such a situation. These pointers might be useful.

Finding a good insurer

The best way to evaluate an insurer is to look at how well it manages claims. Almost 7,000 respondents told us how satisfied they were with their experience when they had a claim in our summer 2018 homeowners insurance poll, which received responses from more than 81,000 Consumer Reports members. Damage estimates were found to be one of the best indicators of customer satisfaction. Customers with lower-rated insurance were more likely to dispute their damage estimates and believe their final payout was too low.

Rate comparisons are published by some state insurance departments. Florida residents, for example, can visit the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, while California residents can visit the California Department of Insurance. You can also obtain quotations from an independent agent who sells plans from a variety of insurers. (Trusted Choice, which is linked with several such businesses, can help you find one.) Insure.com, NetQuote, and SelectQuote are all good places to look for insurance quotes.

Get the right coverage

To cover the labour and materials cost of rebuilding your home, purchase enough insurance, also known as the replacement value or cost. Take help of your insurance agent in determining that amount. Mention any exceptional qualities to make sure they’re remembered, such as any changes you made during the pandemic.

Buying too much coverage isn’t worthwhile, either. It’s a mistake, for instance, to assume you need coverage equal to your home’s market value. That value includes the land your home rests on, which will remain even after a catastrophe. That’s why in most cases, your home’s market value will be higher than the cost to rebuild it.

Increase your liability protection

The liability insurance limit included in homeowners policies (to cover costs and damages incurred from lawsuits) typically begins at $100,000. However, you may be sued, depending on where you live, for nearly everything of your assets, including investments, real estate, and personal property. If the value of your assets exceeds $100,000, you should increase your liability limit.

Consider Flood Insurance, Even in a Low-Risk Area

Flooding is only covered by homeowners insurance if caused by a broken pipe or another system in your home. Flood insurance must cover protection against flooding and mudflows from the outside. Even if you don’t believe your property is at risk, that coverage might be highly beneficial. According to the federal government-sponsored National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), more than 40% of flood losses paid from 2015 to 2019 were for houses outside of high-flood-risk areas.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) underwrites most flood policies in the United States; this coverage is available via most insurance agencies that sell homeowners and auto insurance. The regular NFIP insurance covers up to $250,000 in homes and $100,000 in possessions and is primarily sold through private brokers. According to the NFIP, the typical yearly cost for homeowners in high-risk areas is $797. In other places, the price is $516. Renters in high-risk locations pay $298 for items only; renters elsewhere pay $216.