Penny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance.
Penny Gusner Insurance Writer and AnalystPenny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance.
Written By Penny Gusner Insurance Writer and AnalystPenny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance.
Penny Gusner Insurance Writer and AnalystPenny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance.
Insurance Writer and Analyst Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
| Deputy Editor, Insurance
Updated: Aug 13, 2024, 10:37am
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Forbes Advisor’s home insurance calculator is a fast and simple way to get an estimate of home insurance costs. Get started by answering a few quick questions. Get started by answering a few quick questions to find the cheapest homeowners insurance that matches your needs.
Insurance Senior Writer
Insurance Lead Editor
To determine the best home insurance amount for your situation, I suggest looking first at the foundation of home insurance: dwelling coverage. Dwelling insurance pays to rebuild or repair your house if it’s damaged due to a problem covered by your homeowners insurance policy , such as a fire or tornado. Your home insurance company will be able to provide an estimate of the cost of rebuilding your house , which can help you decide on the limits you should choose.
Insurance Senior Writer
Personal property coverage pays to repair or replace your belongings, such as furniture, appliances, clothing and other belongings, if they’re damaged or destroyed by a problem covered by your policy, such as a fire. Personal property coverage is generally set at 50% to 70% of your dwelling limit. I’ve found that you can pay to increase your personal property coverage. Completing a home inventory will help you determine your coverage needs.
The liability insurance within a homeowners policy pays for injuries and property damage you accidentally cause others. For example, if your dog bites someone, your liability insurance can cover their medical expenses. Liability insurance also covers your legal expenses if you’re sued over the incident. I strongly suggest buying enough liability insurance to cover what could be taken from you in a lawsuit .
An insurance deductible is the amount subtracted from a claim check. Typical deductible amounts range from $500 up to $2,000. Home insurance deductibles apply to your structure and personal property coverages. Deductibles are usually flat dollar amounts, but there are exceptions, including hurricane deductibles and hail and windstorm deductibles .
Insurance Lead Editor
Additional living expenses coverage reimburses you for extra expenses (such as hotel bills and takeout meals) if you cannot live at home due to an incident covered by your policy (such as a fire). Additional living expenses coverage is usually set to 20% of your dwelling coverage limit, but I’ve found that you may be able to increase that amount.
Location, the cost to rebuild your house, past claims history, how much coverage you choose and your credit are the main factors in home insurance costs.
How much home insurance you need depends on the cost to rebuild your house, how much personal property coverage you need, how much liability insurance you require and other factors.
Your home insurance company can figure out the estimated cost to rebuild your house. This amount should be your dwelling coverage limit. And there are other coverage needs to consider.
Dwelling coverage pays to repair or completely rebuild your house, but it doesn’t take into account an unexpected rise in construction costs. For example, after a widespread disaster like a tornado, construction costs can spike due to demand. To prevent customers from being underinsured, some companies sell enhanced dwelling coverage called extended and guaranteed replacement cost coverage:
Ask your home insurance company if it offers one or both, if you’re interested in this safeguard. Not all companies offer these upgrades.
An insurance deductible is the amount subtracted from a claims check if you file a home insurance claim. It influences how much you pay for coverage. The higher the deductible, the cheaper the costs you pay for coverage. If you’re looking to save, a higher deductible can save you money without sacrificing coverage.
Personal property covers your belongings, like furniture, clothing, electronics and appliances. Insurance companies usually set personal property coverage at between 50% and 70% of dwelling coverage.
Let’s say you have $300,000 dwelling coverage with 50% personal property coverage. That would mean you have $150,000 coverage for your belongings. If the cost to replace your possessions exceeds that amount, talk to the insurance company about increasing the personal property coverage.
Replacement cost coverage reimburses you for the cost of buying new, similar items, rather than the depreciated value of what was destroyed. Replacement cost coverage will cost you more but you’ll get a higher payout if you have a personal property claim.
Personal liability insurance pays legal costs if someone sues you for an issue covered by your liability insurance. This can include medical bills and lost wages if a person is injured at your home, and other problems for which you’re responsible, such as a lawsuit against you over a dog bite.
Home insurance policies typically provide liability coverage starting at $100,000 but that might not be enough. You want enough liability insurance to protect your assets.
You may find that the maximum liability limits available from your home insurance company aren’t enough to properly cover you, based on your net worth. In that case, consider an umbrella insurance policy of $1 million or more.
An umbrella insurance policy kicks in when you exhaust your home insurance liability coverage limits. An umbrella policy will also extend over your auto insurance policy, providing extra liability insurance in case you cause a large car accident.
The national average cost of homeowners insurance is $1,678 per year, according to our analysis. That home insurance estimate is for a policy with $350,000 in dwelling coverage, $175,000 for personal property coverage and $100,000 in liability coverage.
Rates vary significantly from one home insurance company to the next, so be sure to shop around with multiple companies when looking for an affordable home insurance estimate.
Where you live plays a factor in how much you pay for home insurance. Here are the average home insurance costs by state.
North Dakota South Dakota West VirginiaSource: Quadrant Information Services. Based on home insurance with $350,000 in dwelling coverage, $175,000 personal property coverage and $100,000 in liability insurance. Not all 50 states are shown due to data availability.
See More See LessThe cheapest home insurance cost estimate is $729 a year from Progressive, based on our analysis of average costs among large insurers.
Source: Quadrant Information Services. Based on home insurance with $350,000 in dwelling coverage, $175,000 personal property coverage and $100,000 in liability insurance.
*USAA home insurance is only available to military members, veterans and their families.
If you have the following information on hand when comparing home insurance quotes, it should be a smooth process:
Shop around. The rates for the same homeowners policy can vary substantially from one insurance company to the next, so comparing home insurance quotes with several companies will help you find the policy you need at the most affordable price.
Raise your home insurance deductible. You can save on home insurance costs by raising your deductible.
Bundle your home and auto insurance. Bundling insurance means you buy both your home and auto insurance policies from the same company. A bundling discount is typically one of the better discounts you can obtain.
We used data from Quadrant Information Services, a provider of insurance data and analytics. Rates are based on ZIP codes across the nation for varying coverage limits, deductibles and credit.
Our nationwide analysis found Progressive and Erie to be the cheapest homeowners insurance companies when looking at a variety of dwelling limits. Both companies received five stars in our cheapest home insurance companies analysis.
Westfield, State Farm and USAA topped our list of best home insurance companies. (Only military members, veterans and their families are eligible for USAA home insurance.)
Helping You Make Smart Insurance DecisionsGet Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best insurance companies and helpful information on how to find the best travel, auto, home, health, life, pet, and small business coverage for your needs.
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Insurance Writer and AnalystPenny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance into easy-to-understand advice and tips to help consumers make the best choices for their needs. Her work has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including The Washington Post and Kiplinger’s.
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