Insurance Companies

I’m buying my first home really soon, and I need to get the homeowners insurance ASAP. What’s a good company to go with? Also, what’s the fastest way to shop around, because I’m kinda busy?

I currently have Geico for car insurance. Do they also do homeowners, and if so…is my best bet putting them both under the same policy?
Also…I’m in Pennsylvania, and I’m purchasing a townhouse outside of Philadelphia.

You really have to spend some time shopping around if you want to get the best deal, as insurers have become very sophisticated with their pricing. The same insurance company may charge you $200 more per year than your next door neighbor who lives in a very similar house.

In general, companies with decent ratings include USAA (for current/former military), Amica, Erie (in Mid-Atlantic states), Auto-Owners (in the midwest) and State Farm (if you want to deal with an agent).

What I would do is get a quote from Geico, then get 3-5 quotes from other companies and see if they can beat it. I would also see an independent agent, as they have contracts with multiple companies.

The multi-policy discount can vary widely, so I wouldn’t stop my search just because I save $100 per year. It is a good idea to look at the total insurance cost (auto + home) when evaluating quotes, though.

could you please tell me what insurance companies are left in florida that offers homeowners Insurance aside from citizens….

Here is a list of agents that sell homeowners insurance in Florida: http://www.insuremyhouse.com/florida.html
Its sorted by zip code.

My parents lost their home earlier this year because of a fire.. They were gone on vacation at the time of the accident.. After the investigation, it was determined that the cause of the fire was arson.. My parents were completely cleared of any wrong doings.. But now that insurance has settled up, they were told their homeowners insurance was dropped… And that no one would insure them for five years.. They are ten years away from retiring, and now without a home.. Is it possible for them to find coverage with someone?

These facts seem a little odd. If there was an incendiary fire that could not be traced back to them, then it should not negatively affect their rating. I would recommend that they shop around, providing evidence as to the issues as asked by prospective agents (copy of the fire marshall’s report, copy of the Proof of Loss submitted to the carrier).

If I get my engagment ring from a pawn shop, have it appraised, is it ok to get it insured under our renter’s or homeowner’s insurance company?

What if you don’t rent or own a home right now? Can you buy the ring now and then when you buy a home/rent an apartment, can you get it insured later??? how does this work?

You can buy a policy just for your ring. I have one and it doesn’t cost much.

We made a claim last year related to ice dam damage in our house (Massive — walls, ceilings, hardwood floors etc) and settled for around 28K. We also remediated the problem with heating cables and more insulation in the attic. Today, my daughter’s bedroom ceiling is 1/2 gone and her bed and bedding are ruined. 6 ceilings downstairs are affected and 2 other rooms upstairs (we have a large home in New England). How will the insurance company handle a 2nd claim?
The damage appears to be in a new area of our roof. We have a Royal Barry Wills fully dormered cape, so the back of our roof is essentially flat. When the right combination of temperature and precipitation hit, we end up with ice dams. These ice dams then cause water to back up and sit, and eventually seem into the roof in a variety of locations. We have been working with contractors, roofing companies and other professionals on this and thought we had solved the issue…guess n ot.
Sorry, no idea what "clue report" is, and with my house in shambles and the possibility of no homeowner’s insurance, I think that if that was a smart alec answer that you are really a neanderthal. There is thousands of dollars of damage, major disruption to my children and grave concern. Thanks for nothing.
Thanks for the great info so far…I thought the "clue report" was like a "get a clue" insult! Overly sensitive I know, but when one’s home is upside down, it is easy to get a bit crazed.

You may get canceled.

In which case you go find a policy with someone else.

What would you rather do…..get a new policy with someone else or pay to fix the damage out of pocket (assuming your policy covers this type of loss)?

A clue report is a record of your claims. When you go to get another policy with another company, this claim and the prior one will show up on your Clue. That’s why you don’t lie about prior claims. The new carrier will know about it anyway. So when you go to get another policy – and they ask about prior claims….fess up. That way the agent gets you a more accurate quote.

If you’re still in doubt about what to do….call your agent and discuss it with them.

But if it’s a lot of damage….it’s probably better to turn the claim in and if you get canceled go policy shopping. Even if a new policy costs you more per year in premium….is the premium increase going to be less than the claim payment? If so….probably worth filing the claim.

When homeowner hire a public adjuster and the claim was down, and homeowner insurance carrier agrrie of claim amount and pay the homeowner, can also insurance companies pay direct the public adjusters to their fee? So public adjusters dont need to wait for homeowners to pay them?

Yes, if the homeowner signed a direction of payment – but the FULL amount would go to the adjuster, and then they subtract their cut and forward the rest to you.

I have a rottweiler / doberman mix dog and am having difficulty finding a company that will write a homeowner’s insurance policy – any suggestions?
Sorry – I live in West Virginia and have never had a bite claim on the dog.

homeinsurance.awardspace.us – try this one. I just get home insurance from them. As I know they provide such a service.

if homeowner insurance has issued partial payment and disputing remaining payment and suit has been filed how long does it take the case to get to court and how long does it take for a judgment

Well, it can take up to 2 – 3 years to get a court date. Once you start the court date thing, it can be postponed & rescheduled for another year. The judgement happens at the end of the trial/hearing – which can be minutes, hours, or days.

other than progressive? (my house is evidently too old for them)

Most companies do auto and home: Allstate, State Farm, Farm Bureau, Auto Owners, Travelers, Nationwide, USAA, Geico, State Auto, Liberty Mutual, Hartford, Foremost, Farmers, Cotton States, American National, Grange are just a few. There may also be domestic carriers that only do business in your state.

Just open up the yellow pages under "Insurance" and you’ll see a whole list of them. And, if they are listed in the phone book – you know they write business in your state (not every company writes in every state).

If your property is hard to insure, you may want to go speak to an independent agent. They are agents that write for several companies. An independent agent may have better luck placing you with some one. This link will help you locate an independent agent in your area. http://www.iiaba.net/na/default?ContentPreference=NA&ActiveTab=NA&ActiveState=0

I received a letter from my Insurance Company asking me for a sale or isntallation documentation of my windows and or other opening protection shwoing the wind speeds that the protective device can withstand. I am the first owner of my house and there is no claim. Why they are asking for that?

Well, I’m GUESSING you’re in Florida. And I’m guessing that the insurance company is trying to cancel your policy. And your failure to provide that information will give them the grounds they need to cancel the policy.

What they’re doing is "reunderwriting" their homeowners book of business. Likely they sent that letter out to every single homeowners policyholder they have. If half the people don’t return the letter, well, they’ve just been able to cancel half the homeowners policies in a VERY high risk area.

You’re going to have to dig that information up, even if it’s from the builder. OR replace the windows with documented windows. Or prepare to be cancelled, and move to Citizens – the FL state fund.

YOUR agent can give you an answer, and they’ll "pretty it up" a bit more. I know mine is a blunt answer, but I do think that’s the bottom line.