Home insurance
Home coverage priced on your roof, not a national average
A homeowners policy is really four promises in one: rebuild the house, replace what's in it, house you meanwhile, and defend you if someone's hurt on your property. We make sure each promise is sized to your actual house — then shop it.
What home insurance covers — and what it doesn't
What it covers
- Dwelling (Coverage A) Rebuilds the structure at today's construction costs. The right number is rebuild cost, not market value — they can differ wildly.
- Personal property Your stuff, at home or off-premises. Ask us about replacement-cost vs actual-cash-value — the cheaper option pays depreciated prices for your six-year-old couch.
- Loss of use Hotel and living costs while your home is uninhabitable after a covered loss.
- Personal liability If a guest is injured or you damage someone else's property, this defends and pays — anywhere, not just at home.
- Other structures Detached garage, fence, shed — usually 10% of dwelling coverage automatically.
What it typically doesn't
- Flood Surface water needs a separate flood policy — even one inch of it. We'll tell you honestly whether your lot warrants one.
- Earth movement Earthquake and mine subsidence are separate endorsements in Ohio.
- Gradual leaks & neglect A pipe that drips for six months is maintenance. A pipe that bursts is a claim. Carriers hold that line firmly.
- Home-based business property Standard policies cap business gear around $2,500 and exclude business liability — tell us if you work from home.
Worth asking about
- Water backup. Sump-pump failure and sewer backup — the most commonly regretted omission in the Midwest.
- Scheduled valuables. Rings, instruments, cameras above the standard sub-limits, covered for mysterious disappearance too.
- Service line. The buried water/sewer line between the street and your foundation is yours. This covers digging it up.
Your home's market value includes the land. Insurance doesn't rebuild land. That's why the right dwelling number is the rebuild cost — and why we run it on every quote instead of copying last year's guess.
The premium, honestly
What actually moves the price
No secret handshake here — these are the levers underwriters actually pull, and an honest note about which ones are yours to move.
| Factor | Why it matters | Whose lever is it? |
|---|---|---|
| Roof age and material | The roof takes the hail. Carriers price it first, and some switch older roofs to depreciated payouts — we flag that before you buy. | Partly in your hands |
| Claims history (yours and the house's) | Past claims — even the previous owner's — show up in the CLUE report and price in for 5 years. | Partly in your hands |
| Rebuild cost | Bigger, more detailed houses cost more to rebuild. Custom trim and imported tile are lovely and expensive twice. | Partly in your hands |
| Deductible | Moving from $1,000 to $2,500 meaningfully trims premium. Just keep the difference somewhere you can reach it. | You control this |
| Updates to systems | New wiring, plumbing, furnace, and water heater all reduce the odds of a claim — and most carriers give credits for documented updates. | You control this |
| Distance to hydrant & fire station | Protection class is set by geography. Nothing you can do, but it explains rural pricing. | Not up to you |
Sample site: factors are real, but no premium amounts appear here because honest pricing needs your actual details — that's the ten-minute conversation, not the webpage.
Next step
Not sure what you're missing? Start there.
The five-minute coverage checkup finds the gaps in plain English — no premium guessing, no obligation, nothing stored. Then, if you want numbers, we shop your details across our carriers for real.