Happy or sad?

[f6john]

Just paid my quarterly homeowners insurance bill, $849.56. A little over $286.00 a month. Should I be alarmed or I should be jumping for joy it’s not higher? This is the third increase in as many quarters. It makes me start looking for other places to cut expenses but I’m running out of spots to look!

[Chrisj CMA]

Mine was around 2,000/year then went up and up to like where yours is now. When they wanted 5k I said no and got a new company. Now it’s around 2,000 again but I had to get a new roof. 3,400 is not too terrible

[old2soon]

     Well all I can add is that amount at this time would cover 2 months of my rent and bout 2 tanks of 87 octane fer the Grand Prix. AND ++++++++ my Landlord pays the taxes as it Is His house! Just to pay rent utilitiies and my natural gas bill takes bout $800.00  $850.00 a month maybe a bit more when really hot or really cold. And I have a car and a 1/2 garage with a good sized work bench and room for "stuff"! And YES I Know renting ain't fer everyone BUT this situation I have WERKS fer me.   RIDE SAFE.

[Valkorado]

Colorado is not only a sanctuary state, it's becoming a rich person's woke paradise.  Real estate prices statewide are a joke nowadays.  Winters are too cold for my aging bones, and shoveling mountains of snow and constantly feeding firewood into the ravenous wood stove are wearing on me.  Reconnaissance is going to be the toughest thing, where to next?  A small town atmosphere with heartland values and attractive real estate prices are most important to me.  Somewhere where my vote actually counts in the electoral college sense.  

I can always travel to the beautiful, touristy areas when I need scenery.  Colorado has just about priced me out.

[f6john]

    Well all I can add is that amount at this time would cover 2 months of my rent and bout 2 tanks of 87 octane fer the Grand Prix. AND ++++++++ my Landlord pays the taxes as it Is His house! Just to pay rent utilitiies and my natural gas bill takes bout $800.00  $850.00 a month maybe a bit more when really hot or really cold. And I have a car and a 1/2 garage with a good sized work bench and room for "stuff"! And YES I Know renting ain't fer everyone BUT this situation I have WERKS fer me.   RIDE SAFE.

That’s sounds like a good situation for you! Couldn’t touch that around here. I have a family friend a little older than me who had enough money and property to “burn a wet mule” and he has said more than once he would be better off if he were renting.

Mine was around 2,000/year then went up and up to like where yours is now. When they wanted 5k I said no and got a new company. Now it’s around 2,000 again but I had to get a new roof. 3,400 is not too terrible

I’d be a lot happier at $500 a quarter, but not sure that we be possible for me. Guess I need to do some more checking around.

Colorado is not only a sanctuary state, it's becoming a rich person's woke paradise.  Real estate prices statewide are a joke nowadays.  Winters are too cold for my aging bones, and shoveling mountains of snow and constantly feeding firewood into the ravenous wood stove are wearing on me.  Reconnaissance is going to be the toughest thing, where to next?  A small town atmosphere with heartland values and attractive real estate prices are most important to me.  Somewhere where my vote actually counts in the electoral college sense. 

I can always travel to the beautiful, touristy areas when I need scenery.  Colorado has just about priced me out.

I don’t know if I have another move left in me, short of an old folks home! Hope it doesn’t come to that.

[Serk]

For reasons our prior insurance company declined to renew any policies in Dallas county. We learned our prior insurance company was not alone in making this business decision so we were recently forced to shop around.

After a month or two of shopping, agonizing, and general PITA stuff we ended up with USAA (Who we have for auto, banking and a lot of other stuff, but they had always been much higher than anyone else for homeowners.

After all the discounts we could pile on, we're paying $4134.10 a year for homeowner's insurance now. (It was over $8k before "discounts")

Sucks, but here we are.

[John Schmidt]

Nancy and I rent the same place I moved into when I first moved here from Florida in 2019. It's in a beautiful rather "young" neighborhood, both in age of construction and residents. We are in one of four bldgs. with eight apts. in each and an onsite manager that loves motorcycles...a big plus. Nancy decided to sell her 100 year old home in an historic area of Green Bay, did so in 2023 and made a nice chunk of change since they bought the place about 40 yrs. ago. So, the neat thing about apartment living at our age is many faceted...we are on the ground floor with attached 2-car garage, 1300 sq. ft. 2 bdrm, 2 bath with fully equipped kitchen. Plus, our investments cover the monthly rent, we have no home owner's insurance or property taxes, no snow removal and no yard care to worry about. Last winter when we went to Florida for a couple months, all we had to do was let my daughter know, turn the heat down a bit, turn the key and leave. At my/our age it's kinda nice to have so few responsibilities although I do miss having my own home sometimes but now it's just not worth it.

[Jess from VA]

What torques me off is that in my 71 years, I've never made but one single claim on any insurance policy ever.

Freshman year in college, some asshole(s) stole my '67 Dodge Van (well used in a Sears fleet, until I bought it, fixed it up, finished the inside, and got a paint job).  And it was never recovered.

So I bring a claim, they look in their book, and offer me $400.  But I had about $1500 in it!  So sue us (if you can).  So I took the $400 and lived with it.   

Insurance, we all pay through the nose for it, and hope we never need it at all.  Once of the greatest shell games ever devised by mankind. 

 

[Sorcerer]

Insurance is like going to the casino. There is a reason they look like palaces. At the end of the day the, the house always comes out on top.

[Jess from VA]

With insurance, while sitting at the casino table, you bet money against the possibility that something bad will happen to you, or you will do something really stupid (or both).  And you hope you lose every bet you make. 

And you go out of your way to make no claims for small/medium things you can pay yourself (so your rates don't go up).

[DIGGER]

Just got my Flood Only bill renewal $677.  Thats not counting my home owners insurance....was in the $400's Two years ago.

[Chrisj CMA]

The only thing homeowner insurance is beneficial for is total loss. Just about anything less than total loss you have probably already paid for. So insurance is more like a savings program these days.

[Oss]

we made a claim several years ago due to ice damming and it sent water into our kitchen ceiling and ruined some walls, cabinets and ceilings in the kitchen and the room behind the kitchen on the next floor


When we bumped out the kitchen 35 yrs ago we had a problem with the kitchen cabinets and
contractor   I got the company to ship us some extra panels that ended up not being needed  I stored them all these years in my basement off the ground

Progressive said the cabinets were all gonna have to be replaced and gave us good $   I found a contractor who agreed to just replace a couple of panels, sheetrock, paint etc and made out with enough that I could get a front door and the whole downstairs painted

Not all insurance companies are good, sometimes it is the adjuster who really matters and your contractor when you have a loss   We did not make a claim this summer when we had a roof failure. I found a great roofer and got a great estimate and so we are doing the whole house roofs when we return from SC

[cookiedough]

for sure SAD,  my home insurance went up 18 percent, so shopped around.  Did not find a better rate but switched anyways paying an extra 180 per year new company since prior company raised our 1K deductible on wind/hail damage to 2500 and said 'cosmetic' damage to siding/roof is NOT covered at all must be leaking or rip/cut vs. just dents in siding/roof. 

For 180 year extra, I also got an extra 75K coverage for replacement of home since I know the prior company we had for years was valued to replace our home 'maybe' just enough to cover it, maybe? 

So, although much more in price, I have better coverage just in case need a new replacement house.

What gets me is same insurance company my neighbor got quoted we both went with, his house near double my size 8 years old vs. my house is 31 years old, his house 150K more in value, is CHEAPER to insure than my house.  That makes NO sense to me at all.  How can he have say 150K more in replacement cost yet although newer home,  is cheaper than my small ranch home to insure? 

Insurance is a SCAM never makes sense and ONLY really need if have near total replacement cost.

For that reason, I went with another company for $180 year more simply because 'just in case' want to be fully 100% covered vs. was prior 'just maybe barely' covered enough.

[cookiedough]

Tell you what though, the prices you all are paying for yearly homeowners insurance is by far more (mine under 800 year) than I could or want to pay, then again not many have a small 3 bedroom 1.5 bath ranch home 1104 sq ft.     As said, my neighbor same insurance company went with,  his home say 400K, mine 250K in value to replace is still cheaper with that insurance company than what mine is, just barely though.  NO claims, so makes NO sense to me at all.   Just because 8 years old vs. 31 years old has to be the difference in home insurance?  Newer homes are cheaper to insure, even if over 1000 sq. ft bigger? 

[cookiedough]

After calling around though to 3-4 different insurance companies to replace home insurance,  the rates are so widespread is unbelievable to me some triple the cost to insure my home.  So, pays to shop around for sure.

[f6gal]

For reasons our prior insurance company declined to renew any policies in Dallas county. We learned our prior insurance company was not alone in making this business decision so we were recently forced to shop around.

After a month or two of shopping, agonizing, and general PITA stuff we ended up with USAA (Who we have for auto, banking and a lot of other stuff, but they had always been much higher than anyone else for homeowners.

After all the discounts we could pile on, we're paying $4134.10 a year for homeowner's insurance now. (It was over $8k before "discounts")

Sucks, but here we are.

WTH??  I have USAA $2316 per year (no, it's not a small house).

[Rams]

For reasons our prior insurance company declined to renew any policies in Dallas county. We learned our prior insurance company was not alone in making this business decision so we were recently forced to shop around.

After a month or two of shopping, agonizing, and general PITA stuff we ended up with USAA (Who we have for auto, banking and a lot of other stuff, but they had always been much higher than anyone else for homeowners.

After all the discounts we could pile on, we're paying $4134.10 a year for homeowner's insurance now. (It was over $8k before "discounts")

Sucks, but here we are.

Real Estate and Insurance have one thing in common, Location, Location and Location.   There's apparently a reason all the other companies bailed on your county.   We've been with USAA for 40+ years and on average I shop insurance about every other year.   I will attest to their coverage being wonderful and in my shopping, I've never found another company that was as price effective and reasonable.   There's a reason I've been with USAA that 40+ years.  

I encourage those who qualify for USAA insurance to check them out.

Rams

[Jess from VA]

I encourage those who qualify for USAA insurance to check them out.

Me too.