Last week, I outlined the difference between the two broad types of home insurance policies; replacement cost and actual cash value (see http://bit.ly/1qLPE5W). This week, I want to build on that post and outline what goes into determining a home’s replacement cost value.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of home insurance policies; actual cash value and replacement cost. There are multiple forms with various options and coverage, but they all fit into one of these two “buckets.”
Most people usually don’t think about their roof unless there’s been a recent hail storm or a damp spot appears on a room ceiling. As long as it’s not leaking, we tend to ignore it even when we see it pulling into the driveway. This past week roofs have been the subject of three conversations, two were with clients and the other with a Dallas realtor on behalf of a client with an offer on a home.
The Dallas Morning News published an article on Friday, March 7th on the rising home prices of close in Dallas neighborhoods. In 12 months, prices have skyrocketed to historic highs while inventory of homes available for sale are at a 20 year low. Traffic at open houses has jumped and many sellers are receiving multiple offers for their home with most above the asking price. People who would normally be in the market to sell their house and move up are sitting on the sidelines for fear of not being able to find a home before they sell theirs.
This past week I helped a new client with condo insurance for his new home. The condo is in a high rise condominium tower located in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. It’s beautiful and the view is amazing. He’s very excited and has been wonderful to work with. There was one little issue we had to work through involving the amount of insurance for his new home and what the mortgage underwriters would approve. It was an interesting conundrum.
There are two broad areas of coverage in a Business Owner’s Policy or BOP; liability and property coverage. Last week I introduced liability coverage and the types of protection found in many BOP packages. This week we’ll outline the property portion of a BOP and what it’s designed to protect.
I talked with three people who are buying homes in the Dallas / Fort Worth area in the coming weeks. There are a number of questions I ask anyone buying a new home or rental property. In addition to discussing the finish out of the home it’s important to know about the updates the home has had and when they occurred. This is especially true if the home is over 10 years old. The updates insurance companies want to know about and that I discuss are in four key areas: plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, as well as the roof.
I received a call on Friday from a woman in Frisco, Texas on Friday who wanted me to review her home and car insurance. The family’s rates are going up on their upcoming renewal in August, and like most people she doesn’t want to spend more on her insurance than she has to. I don’t blame her!
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