Your home is probably your most valuable asset. You should have a homeowner policy that gives you the protection you need at the best possible price.

Ask us about the following:

Repair Guarantee
Guarantees that repairs done to your home by an agreed-upon contractor will be done to your satisfaction.

Home Replacement Guarantee
Covers the full cost of repairing your home when damaged in a covered incident, even if the cost exceeds your policy limits, provided your home is insured for 100% of its replacement value.

Full Value Contents
If you experience a covered loss in which an item is destroyed or stolen, your policy will pay to replace the item up to the limits stated within the policy and less your selected deductible. The difference between replacement cost and the actual cash value can be considerable.

How Much Insurance is Enough - Home

The cost to rebuild your home is its replacement value. This can be very different from the estimated market value or actual purchase price. In most cases, it costs more to rebuild the home you own than to buy one from the stock of homes on the market. It is important insight into why your Coverage A (Dwelling) limit is so important.

The first step in providing the right protection is helping you determine the amount of insurance you need to protect your home.

Deciding How Much Insurance is Enough

We'll work with you to estimate the replacement cost for your home and to adjust your policy limits from time to time as needed.

It is critical that you provide us with accurate, updated information about your home and contents. Ask us about Home Replacement Guarantee or Extended Dwelling Coverage, if available in your state.

Once a review of your home and possessions indicates you are properly insured, it's a good idea to reexamine your coverages and limits from time to time, especially whenever you make additions or improvements.

Be Sure You Have Enough Insurance

Here are some steps you can take to reduce the danger of being
seriously underinsured:

• Read your policy. Certain property, such as jewelry, and
  certain perils, such as earthquake or flood, are better
  insured separately. Knowing what is covered and for how
  much will help you insure properly. If there is anything in
  your policy you don't understand, contact your agent and
  ask for an explanation.
  
• If you have questions or concerns about the limits in your
  policy, ask us to show you how those amounts were
  calculated. This will also give you an opportunity to make
  us aware of any overlooked information.
  
• At each annual renewal of your policy, you receive a new
  Policy Declarations page showing limits of coverage and
  optional coverages. Review this information. If you do any
  significant remodeling or add a family room, extra bedroom
  or bathroom, etc., tell us about these changes so your
  coverage limits can be adjusted to cover the improvement.
  
• Consider carefully whether your policy provides all
  the protection you need. Does it provide coverage for
  extra costs resulting from building code changes? Does it
  automatically increase coverage limits annually to keep
  pace with inflation? Does it provide additional funds if the
  cost of rebuilding your home exceeds the policy limits?
  
• Find out whether your insurance company will stand
  behind repairs they agree on and pay for after an insured
  loss. We are able to put this guarantee in writing.
  
• Does your policy include replacement cost coverage for
  contents (clothing, furniture, appliances, and other
  personal property inside your home)? If not, you can add it
  by endorsement. The cost is small, the protection
  valuable. Without it, contents coverage is depreciated by
  the age and wear and tear of the items lost.
  
• If you have an art collection, antique furniture, jewelry, or
  other valuable possessions, talk to your agent about
  supplemental coverages, such as fine arts or scheduled
  property endorsements, to adequately protect your
  investment in these items. The cost is modest for the
  extra protection.
  
• Consider whether you should have more coverage for
  personal property (contents) than your policy provides.
  Personal property coverage is usually 70% of the coverage
  limit for the structure. Your limit may be lower than 70%.
  Supplemental protection is available for a small additional
  premium.
  
• Prepare an inventory of personal property items, update
  it periodically, and keep it in a safe place outside your
  home, such as a safe deposit box at your bank. It will
  save you hours of time trying to list everything you lost if
  the time comes when you have to make a claim. It will
  also help ensure you don't forget some items. Your agent
  can advise you on ways to simplify the job of preparing a
  personal property inventory such as videotaping each
  room, with descriptive information on the sound track.
  
• Besides making sure you have enough protection to cover
  possible damage to your own home and contents, you
  should also evaluate your exposure to liability risks. These
  result from damage to the property of another, or injury to
  a person, not a member of your household, for which you
  can be responsible. In recent years it's become common
  for homeowners to be sued for injuries or damages to
  others, even when there is no evidence of negligence by
  the homeowner. The reality today is if you have any
  appreciable assets, you are exposed to the risk of being
  sued. Even if you ultimately prevail in court, your legal fees
  and the months or years of worry and uncertainty can be a
  terrible burden on you and your family.
  
• If you have greater than average assets, you should
  probably talk to us about a personal liability umbrella
  policy. $1 million of coverage will usually cost less than
  $200 per year (costs vary from one locale to another) and
  even higher limits are available.