Home and Auto Home Owners Insurance

jiveturkey · 10-07-2011, 01:50 PM

Does anyone have any good recommendations for home owners insurance?

I use USAA for our cars but they're $1000 a year more than our current insurance on the home side. It's still something I'm willing to consider though. We've been with the cheapest for a while (SafeCo) and I'm slowly realizing that cheap isn't the way to go.

phisherman · 10-07-2011, 01:52 PM

We've been with Allied for a while for home and car. Our claims have always been handled quickly and professionally. I know some have had bad experiences with them, but they've always treated us right. They're not the cheapest, though I would put them on the more affordable end of the spectrum, for my family at least.

**DaFace** · 10-07-2011, 01:53 PM

Not that I price shopped or anything, but I love State Farm. Probably depends on your agent to some extent, but my guy's always been very helpful and reachable. I personally value that more than the absolute cheapest price.

DMAC · 10-07-2011, 01:54 PM

If you have good credit call Shelter or State Farm.

Stewie · 10-07-2011, 01:55 PM

I've been with Nationwide for about four years now. Switched from Travelers for home and Progressive for auto. They blew the rates I was paying out of the water. That depends on several things, though, so a different insurer may be preferable to you. I haven't made a claim, so I'm not sure how responsive they are on that end.

Mojo Rising · 10-07-2011, 02:20 PM

I pay slightly more for USAA and it is worth it. I filed 2 claims in the last couple of years and their service is excellent.

Cannibal · 10-07-2011, 04:16 PM

We've been treated fairly by farm bureau. Although im gonna look into a better price on car insurance and have them come down. They have in the past.

**Old Dog** · 10-07-2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo Rising

I pay slightly more for USAA and it is worth it. I filed 2 claims in the last couple of years and their service is excellent.

Same (other than one claim in 2008 and one in 2002 or so). The extra few $ a month is worth it for what I will get if I end up needing to use it.

**Rain Man** · 10-07-2011, 04:43 PM

We used to be big fans of USAA, but they were absolutely terrible to work with when we refinanced our mortgage a couple of years ago, and we're now wrestling with them over the water damage from our water line break. We're not too far from pulling all of our insurance from them and going somewhere else.

**SuperChief** · 10-07-2011, 04:43 PM

As someone who has sold and has seen the inner-workings of State Farm insurance in the past, I can honestly say that I would go with State Farm. I'll give you several reasons:

1. In the state of Kansas, there are three "forms" that Homeowner's Insurance can be written. Most insurance providers write Homeowner's that says something to the extent of "We'll cover you if this, this, this, or this happens." State Farm, on the other hand, uses the "broad form," meaning "We'll cover everything EXPECT for this, this, this, or this." The difference being State Farm offers a broader form of coverage in comparison to most others. I think Farm Bureau might also use this form.

2. With State Farm, if you insure your home to 100% of the estimated replacement cost (the cost calculated to replace your home in the event of a total loss,) they add an additional 20% on top of that. For example, if the estimated replacement cost of your home is $100,000, and you opt to cover your home at 100% of that, you'll actually get $120,000 in coverage (because of the added 20%)

3. From what I've seen and heard, this is pretty unique to State Farm: in the event of a total loss to your home, you can rebuild your home anywhere in the United States. It DOES NOT have to be on the same property or location where the total loss occurred. State Farm won't buy a piece of land for you somewhere else, but if you did have that land or bought some, you could have State Farm rebuild your home on that land. This might sound trivial, but think of an instance like Greensburg. Would you want to rebuild your home in a town that's been completely demolished and your job might not be anymore? I think not.

If you have any other State Farm questions, hit me up. These are just a few reasons why I, personally, would go with them.

chiefzilla1501 · 10-07-2011, 04:49 PM

Home Owners rates vary from state to state. All I can say is don't just shop on price. There are a bunch of scenarios where you're going to need that insurance and you're going to be pissed you skimped. I would go with a mix of which insurer gives you the best quote and which agent seems to be asking the most questions before preparing a quote.

And be aggressive about asking about discounts. Bundling with your auto coverage. Installing sprinklers, smoke alarms, security systems, etc.... Even find out if your university or any group belong to offers an affinity discount. These are all ways to save you money without sacrificing coverage.

**Ming the Merciless** · 10-07-2011, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

I use USAA for our cars but they're $1000 a year more than our current insurance on the home side.

Holy crap man do you live in a tornado/hurricane zone or something?? I think my policy on a typical ($350kish) bay area California house is about $900 a year total..

I use state farm currently but like to shop it around every couple years....I have my cars, some life, several fire polices and an umbrella with them.

They've been decent so far. And competitive price wise...

**alnorth** · 10-07-2011, 07:05 PM

I work as a casualty actuary for a huge insurance company, mostly homeowners pricing, so this niche is my odd specialty. Even I can't give someone a blanket statement that X is always cheaper than Y, not only do rates vary by state, they vary, sometimes greatly, by zip code.

In general: (in all cases this is for home insurance, I don't research auto as much)

Allstate tends to be very expensive for homeowners. Hartford can also sometimes be expensive.

State Farm and Safeco tend to be less segmented than most companies. What I mean by that is their rates tend to vary less person to person and place to place than most other insurance companies. In general, if you have no credit or if your credit is bad (except in CA, where rating by credit is illegal), these two (especially state farm) might win on price. State Farm's big thing is they have a gigantic tenure discount. If you stay with them for 10-15+ years, they start piling on the discounts because they have made the decision that they REALLY don't want to lose old customers, at all. However, State Farm also dings you pretty heavy for claims.

Nationwide/Allied and Travelers are highly aggressive in price segmentation. Their rates for a given risk can be wildly different from their competitors. Any time you quote them, there's a good chance that they will either give you a super-low jackpot rate or a super-high "wow, thats not even in the ballpark" rate. Because of that, if you are shopping on price, you should probably always quote Nationwide/Allied and Travelers just to see if your home is one that they like. Both of these insurance groups (again, except in CA) love people with good credit. Both of these insurance groups also tend to give big multi-policy discounts, so quote your car with them too.

However, that is just price. I have no idea on service or likelihood of paying claims without hassle compared to other companies, because I'm a corporate spreadsheet monkey. I don't answer phone calls from customers. However, even I know that USAA blows everyone out of the water on all the J. D. Powers awards. USAA is the gold standard for customer satisfaction in casualty insurance. If you qualify for USAA, and if their rates aren't too terribly high, you may want to stay with them.

**alnorth** · 10-07-2011, 07:25 PM

Got no disagreement here, just a couple comments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperChief

As someone who has sold and has seen the inner-workings of State Farm insurance in the past, I can honestly say that I would go with State Farm. I'll give you several reasons:

1. In the state of Kansas, there are three "forms" that Homeowner's Insurance can be written. Most insurance providers write Homeowner's that says something to the extent of "We'll cover you if this, this, this, or this happens." State Farm, on the other hand, uses the "broad form," meaning "We'll cover everything EXPECT for this, this, this, or this." The difference being State Farm offers a broader form of coverage in comparison to most others. I think Farm Bureau might also use this form.

Most insurance companies sell the broad form, but make all 3 available. However, I imagine some agents, especially if they know you are price shopping, might not bother explaining the advantages of the broad form and will just quote people for coverage on a named peril basis just to quote a cheaper rate and bind the customer. To State Farm's credit, I believe you are correct that they only sell the broad form.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperChief

2. With State Farm, if you insure your home to 100% of the estimated replacement cost (the cost calculated to replace your home in the event of a total loss,) they add an additional 20% on top of that. For example, if the estimated replacement cost of your home is $100,000, and you opt to cover your home at 100% of that, you'll actually get $120,000 in coverage (because of the added 20%)

I whole-heartedly agree with getting coverage for higher than 100% replacement cost. Unfortunately, a lot of customers insist on only getting insurance for what the home is worth rather than the replacement cost (and think the agent is trying to rip them off if they try to talk them into more coverage), much less actually buying more than replacement cost, so it can be tough, but getting 120%, 125%, (some even offer 150% or unlimited), etc dwelling replacement cost, if it costs anything extra, is dirt cheap.

The reason why you want it is for demand surge after a catastrophe. If your home burns down in a big town and a lot of out of work contractors are desperate for work, then sure maybe you wont need the extra coverage. However, if you have a Joplin situation where half the town suddenly needs to be rebuilt then the laws of supply and demand kick in, and what would have normally cost you $X to rebuild the home, now suddenly costs more than $X, unless you are willing to wait a while. People with the extra 120%+ replacement cost coverage get their homes rebuilt first.

Sometimes it doesn't take a major disaster. If the insurance company just flat-out blew it and guessed way too low on how much it would cost to rebuild the home, guess who gets stuck with the difference?

ThatRaceCardGuy · 10-07-2011, 08:20 PM

I sold insurance, and I work in the claims department for a major insurance company. Some insurance companies offer different endorsements, but they all cover pretty much cover the same basic perils. Most prices will be relatively the same , the real difference comes after you file a claim. The claims service is what separates insurance company A from insurance company B...do some consumer research regarding how companies handle claims , along with pricing.

10-07-2011, 01:50 PM
jiveturkey Captain Kick Ass Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Kansas Casino cash: $9305197	Home Owners Insurance Does anyone have any good recommendations for home owners insurance? I use USAA for our cars but they're $1000 a year more than our current insurance on the home side. It's still something I'm willing to consider though. We've been with the cheapest for a while (SafeCo) and I'm slowly realizing that cheap isn't the way to go.
Posts: 5,781

10-07-2011, 01:52 PM	#2
phisherman King Sandbagger Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The Summit, MO Casino cash: $1365484	We've been with Allied for a while for home and car. Our claims have always been handled quickly and professionally. I know some have had bad experiences with them, but they've always treated us right. They're not the cheapest, though I would put them on the more affordable end of the spectrum, for my family at least.
Posts: 3,825

10-07-2011, 01:53 PM	#3
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1776899	Not that I price shopped or anything, but I love State Farm. Probably depends on your agent to some extent, but my guy's always been very helpful and reachable. I personally value that more than the absolute cheapest price.
Posts: 51,947

10-07-2011, 01:54 PM	#4
DMAC MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Springfield, MO Casino cash: $10008735	If you have good credit call Shelter or State Farm.
Posts: 11,651

10-07-2011, 01:55 PM	#5
Stewie MVP Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: West of the Equator Casino cash: $1659901	I've been with Nationwide for about four years now. Switched from Travelers for home and Progressive for auto. They blew the rates I was paying out of the water. That depends on several things, though, so a different insurer may be preferable to you. I haven't made a claim, so I'm not sure how responsive they are on that end.
Posts: 13,628

10-07-2011, 02:20 PM	#6
Mojo Rising Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: OC Casino cash: $10009560	I pay slightly more for USAA and it is worth it. I filed 2 claims in the last couple of years and their service is excellent.
Posts: 1,792

10-07-2011, 04:16 PM	#7
Cannibal Better to burn out... Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Bible Thumping Country Casino cash: $10010618	We've been treated fairly by farm bureau. Although im gonna look into a better price on car insurance and have them come down. They have in the past.
Posts: 9,306

10-07-2011, 04:43 PM	#9
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3068491 VARSITY	We used to be big fans of USAA, but they were absolutely terrible to work with when we refinanced our mortgage a couple of years ago, and we're now wrestling with them over the water damage from our water line break. We're not too far from pulling all of our insurance from them and going somewhere else. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit. Last edited by Rain Man; 10-07-2011 at 07:29 PM..
Posts: 141,638

10-07-2011, 04:43 PM	#10
SuperChief Damn it feels good. Join Date: Mar 2011 Casino cash: $7547978	As someone who has sold and has seen the inner-workings of State Farm insurance in the past, I can honestly say that I would go with State Farm. I'll give you several reasons: 1. In the state of Kansas, there are three "forms" that Homeowner's Insurance can be written. Most insurance providers write Homeowner's that says something to the extent of "We'll cover you if this, this, this, or this happens." State Farm, on the other hand, uses the "broad form," meaning "We'll cover everything EXPECT for this, this, this, or this." The difference being State Farm offers a broader form of coverage in comparison to most others. I think Farm Bureau might also use this form. 2. With State Farm, if you insure your home to 100% of the estimated replacement cost (the cost calculated to replace your home in the event of a total loss,) they add an additional 20% on top of that. For example, if the estimated replacement cost of your home is $100,000, and you opt to cover your home at 100% of that, you'll actually get $120,000 in coverage (because of the added 20%) 3. From what I've seen and heard, this is pretty unique to State Farm: in the event of a total loss to your home, you can rebuild your home anywhere in the United States. It DOES NOT have to be on the same property or location where the total loss occurred. State Farm won't buy a piece of land for you somewhere else, but if you did have that land or bought some, you could have State Farm rebuild your home on that land. This might sound trivial, but think of an instance like Greensburg. Would you want to rebuild your home in a town that's been completely demolished and your job might not be anymore? I think not. If you have any other State Farm questions, hit me up. These are just a few reasons why I, personally, would go with them. __________________
Posts: 3,305

10-07-2011, 04:49 PM	#11
chiefzilla1501 In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $1854497	Home Owners rates vary from state to state. All I can say is don't just shop on price. There are a bunch of scenarios where you're going to need that insurance and you're going to be pissed you skimped. I would go with a mix of which insurer gives you the best quote and which agent seems to be asking the most questions before preparing a quote. And be aggressive about asking about discounts. Bundling with your auto coverage. Installing sprinklers, smoke alarms, security systems, etc.... Even find out if your university or any group belong to offers an affinity discount. These are all ways to save you money without sacrificing coverage.
Posts: 48,410

10-07-2011, 07:05 PM	#13
alnorth . Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $57166239	I work as a casualty actuary for a huge insurance company, mostly homeowners pricing, so this niche is my odd specialty. Even I can't give someone a blanket statement that X is always cheaper than Y, not only do rates vary by state, they vary, sometimes greatly, by zip code. In general: (in all cases this is for home insurance, I don't research auto as much) Allstate tends to be very expensive for homeowners. Hartford can also sometimes be expensive. State Farm and Safeco tend to be less segmented than most companies. What I mean by that is their rates tend to vary less person to person and place to place than most other insurance companies. In general, if you have no credit or if your credit is bad (except in CA, where rating by credit is illegal), these two (especially state farm) might win on price. State Farm's big thing is they have a gigantic tenure discount. If you stay with them for 10-15+ years, they start piling on the discounts because they have made the decision that they REALLY don't want to lose old customers, at all. However, State Farm also dings you pretty heavy for claims. Nationwide/Allied and Travelers are highly aggressive in price segmentation. Their rates for a given risk can be wildly different from their competitors. Any time you quote them, there's a good chance that they will either give you a super-low jackpot rate or a super-high "wow, thats not even in the ballpark" rate. Because of that, if you are shopping on price, you should probably always quote Nationwide/Allied and Travelers just to see if your home is one that they like. Both of these insurance groups (again, except in CA) love people with good credit. Both of these insurance groups also tend to give big multi-policy discounts, so quote your car with them too. However, that is just price. I have no idea on service or likelihood of paying claims without hassle compared to other companies, because I'm a corporate spreadsheet monkey. I don't answer phone calls from customers. However, even I know that USAA blows everyone out of the water on all the J. D. Powers awards. USAA is the gold standard for customer satisfaction in casualty insurance. If you qualify for USAA, and if their rates aren't too terribly high, you may want to stay with them. __________________ how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb? HOW MANY?! none they just sit in the dark and cry Last edited by alnorth; 10-07-2011 at 07:12 PM..
Posts: 36,130

10-07-2011, 08:20 PM	#15
ThatRaceCardGuy I BRAUGHT THE BOOZE Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: KU VILLE Casino cash: $10007253	I sold insurance, and I work in the claims department for a major insurance company. Some insurance companies offer different endorsements, but they all cover pretty much cover the same basic perils. Most prices will be relatively the same , the real difference comes after you file a claim. The claims service is what separates insurance company A from insurance company B...do some consumer research regarding how companies handle claims , along with pricing.
Posts: 2,895