How Much Should Home Insurance Cost?

Home insurance costs depend on your home's value, location, construction type, and claims history. But here's what we see across 30+ carriers for typical homes in our area.

What Affects Your Rate

Location. Where your home sits matters more than almost anything else. Homes in areas prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, or wildfires cost significantly more to insure. Even your proximity to a fire station and fire hydrant can move your rate up or down.

Construction type. A brick home typically costs less to insure than a frame home. Newer roofs get better rates than older ones. If your roof is over 15 years old, some carriers will only cover it at actual cash value instead of replacement cost, a difference that matters enormously at claims time.

Claims history. Filed a claim in the last 3-5 years? Your rate reflects it. Even claims you never filed can show up in the CLUE report that insurers pull. Rachel reviews your CLUE report as part of every home insurance quote to make sure there are no surprises.

Deductible choice. Raising your deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 can lower your annual premium by 10-20%. It's one of the simplest ways to reduce your cost without reducing your coverage where it counts. Rachel helps you find the right balance between out-of-pocket risk and premium savings.

The Problem

Most people never compare their home insurance rate. They buy a policy when they close on the house, set up autopay, and never look at it again. Meanwhile, their rate creeps up 5-10% every year. After five years, they're paying 25-50% more than they need to, and they don't even know it. Carriers count on this. They raise rates on loyal customers because loyal customers don't leave. The best rate almost always goes to new customers, not existing ones.