HOME OWNERS INSURANCE

[HoneyBunny & Mouse]

;D My wife and I are planning a second trip to TV this Oct. 08. Trying to make up are mind to purchase.. I read that home owners insurance seems to be more difficult to obtain. Also, what are average insurance costs for the same. ???

[ohiogolf]

We bought in February, went to Villages Insurance and had our choice of 3 different policies from 3 different insurers. the whole process took about an hour. The cost was about $650 for a home valued at $200,000. Easy as pie.

[mokey]

Several things determine the cost of homeowners insurance inTV. Price of house of course, type of construction, type of roof and age of house. Anything after 2002 meets new hurricane standards. The Village Insurance seems to be the way to go. When I got here had been insured with State Farm for 45 years (home and car) and they told me sorry can not insure your home. Was very bitter so took my car insurance else where also. For a 10 year old, frame and vinyl home at about 200,000 expect to pay around 1100 to 1200 hundred a year. :bigthumbsup:

[Barefoot]

We pay under $600 for a C. Villa built in 2004. I had a "Mysafefloridahome" inspection which resulted in a reduction of the premium.

[HoneyBunny & Mouse]

:bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: OHIOGOLF, MOKEY,BAREFOOT AT LAST;

THANKS FOR THE INFO IN REGARD TO HOME OWNERS INSURANCE. THIS WILL BE HELPFUL WHEN WE ARRIVE TO NEST AT TV.

CHAS. :clap2: wav

[hunt9791]

Just bought a policy on a new CYV for $582 from Geico...beat the Villages insurance quote by $85 bucks! Shop around...

[NYVette]

Chas......
I bought last Oct. When I was shopping in Sept I visited Allstate and State Farm for price quotes. Their first question is "new construction or older home?" New building codes make a huge difference. (As mentioned prior I believe 2002 is correct) Cement block or vinyl siding makes a small difference and of course the cost of the home. After those inquiries I went to TV Insurance. TV beat both Allstate and State Farm. Also.... TV asked what my living plans are....how often would I be here? The policy differs if you are permenant, intend to use as a vacation/second home, or investment property. I told them my plans were to be in TV about 3 months/year for the next two years (waiting for the wife to retire) and I might consider renting the house a few months when I can't be here. To my surprise the insurance quote was lower if I rent a few months and use the house a few monts instead of myself being here only a short time. Their logic is that if the house is empty a long time period and something goes wrong (roof leak?) the damage can be extensive....but if there is a tenant in the house and there is a problem someone will be notified to make a quick repair. I'm not accustomed to logic like that in NY. I went with the part time vacation home with a possability to rent. When they say "rent" they are talking about anyone other then myself being here..for instance... my mooching brother-in-law takes his family to see Mickey and uses my house as a dormitory for a week. If a kid falls in the shower I'm covered. Almost forgot.... my cost is about $620 for a $208,600 Bougainvillia.

[nhelleks]

I just got home owners' insurance for a CY that we will close on soon, but won't become permanent residents until next June. It wasn't that easy. The Villages Insurance could only find one company to insure us because the house would be relatively vacant for a year. They advised me to look elsewhere which I did. Because of this thread, I called Geico and after three tries they found a policy for us. It was $200 less than the Villages quote with better coverage. Seems that each insurance company will only insure a certain percentage of houses in an area, so they won't lose money in a catastrophic event. Many of the companies are maxed out now and not providing any new policies. Never realized how hard it was to get insurance.

...Nancy

[zcaveman]

If you have a dog do not mention it. If the dog is one of about 20 breeds, you will not be able to get homeowners insurance. I went to switch carriers because of the cost and was turned down when they found out I had a shepherd/chow - even though he is 14 years old and docile as a lamb.

If they ask if you have a dog then it is up to you to be honest.

[johudd]

What difference does it make if you have a dog? We have a lab and as soon as we sell up North - we will pick out a home and become permanent full-time residents.

[tkret]

If you have a dog do not mention it. If the dog is one of about 20 breeds, you will not be able to get homeowners insurance. I went to switch carriers because of the cost and was turned down when they found out I had a shepherd/chow - even though he is 14 years old and docile as a lamb.

If they ask if you have a dog then it is up to you to be honest.


zcaveman,
I, too, have a shepherd/chow mix who is 15 and has always been the sweetest guy. In fact, I've referred to as "The Will Rogers of the canine world" because he has never met another dog he didn't like.
Gene

[zcaveman]

What difference does it make if you have a dog? We have a lab and as soon as we sell up North - we will pick out a home and become permanent full-time residents.


All I am saying is that some of the insurance companies in Florida are tough on certain breeds of dogs. When I moved from NJ, I had to have an affidavit from my vet saying that my dog did not bite to continue my coverage with Liberty Mutual in Florida.

[tkret]

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/insurance/bad-dog-list1.asp

this will show the breeds that insurance companies are concerned about.

[zcaveman]

Thanks Tkret. Some insurance companies have a few others added. And some insurance companies will flat turn you down if you have one of those breeds.

[Peazoup]

I recently bought a 1600+ sq ft Savannah CYV and bought insurance through Liberty Mutual in Ocala. With the "mysafefloridahome" discount the policy was about $580/year.

[villages07]

Pea,

Does this include sinkhole coverage?

What kind of deductibles do you carry --For hurricane/windstorm damage? For Sinkhole? For other perils?

Thanks for sharing your info.

[Peazoup]

Hi Villages,
I'll check my policy and get back to you. Stay tuned.

[Peazoup]

Here goes - I'll try and decipher the policy. This is based on a 2004 CB CYV and I think construction type makes a difference to the cost of the policy.
dwelling - $170K, structures on premises - 17K, pers property w/replacement - 119K, loss of use of premises - 34K
deductible - 1K, hurricane deductible - 2% ($3400)
pers liability - 300K, medical - $1K ea
there is also coverage for credit card/forgery, sewer backup, fungi
yes there is sinkhole coverage, hurricane, windstorm and all the other usual coverages with the exception of flood.
The policy could be further discounted with the addition of hurricane shutters.
I was very pleased with the agent I dealt with at Liberty Mutual - Jill Higdon - very knowledgeable and well aware of The Villages. Her # is 352-840-0042 or 877-305-5936. Good luck to you.....................

[villages07]

Thanks, Peaz.....

That helps for comparison shopping; alas, they have the dreaded 2% hurricane deductible too. So far, I've only heard of ASI that has a fixed deductible.

[ssw]

Block Home, Built 2008--Homeowner's Policy through St Johns Ins. Purchased at the Allstate office on Hwy 441 just North of Wal-Mart--Stephanie Winfrey 347-9201
$ 175,000 on home with $ 500 ded and $ 500 hurricane ded, 300,000 Liability with 5,000 Med Payment

$ 634.00 year

[rwcw]

The Homeowners coverage discussion has been very helpful so far. What's the story on the faster golf carts (see Star's Ad- 36 05 38 volt choice) and Homeowners insurance? Is there an extra charge? Will the insurance company not write coverage for you if you have a "fast" cart?

[zcaveman]

The Homeowners coverage discussion has been very helpful so far. What's the story on the faster golf carts (see Star's Ad- 36 05 38 volt choice) and Homeowners insurance? Is there an extra charge? Will the insurance company not write coverage for you if you have a "fast" cart?


Anything over 19 mph is not insurable under the homeowners policy. You are street legal and need an automobile policy - plus seat belts, lights, registration, etc..

[Cinco]

We've been here over 4 years and have had Traveler's through Village Insurance since we closed. This year, when we got our renewal notice, we were informed that they were dropping the sinkhole coverage. Florida law requires insurers to cover for catastrophic ground collapse, but that means your house would have to be totally destroyed before they'd cover it. That doesn't usually happen. However, in our village, there have been sinkholes, and one had to put over $100,000 worth of concrete in "the hole" before house repairs could be made.

Additional sinkhole coverage could be purchased for less than $100, which I didn't have a huge problem with, except for the fact that the DEDUCTIBLE IS 10%. You can do the math, but that would be $10,000 out-of-pocket for the $100,000 worth of concrete mentioned above, and that's just the beginning.

Traveler's also had the 2% hurricane deductible, which would be roughly $4,500 out-of-pocket during a hurricane. ALSO, we were told that the 2% deductible goes into effect as soon as a hurricane watch is issued for ANY area of Florida. Therefore, if a watch is issued for the Miami area and we were to have a freak thunderstorm up here which damaged the house, you would be held to the 2% deductible instead of the normal deductible, because there was a valid hurricane watch in Florida. We were told that the 2% stays in place for 24 hours after the last watch had expired.

I've never been real thrilled with the above issues, but figured that's the way it was. With the sinkhole development this year, I did some major research.

We now have a policy with ASI, through Village Insurance, and the policy carries a $500 hurricane deductible and a $500 sinkhole deductible. The premium was just over $700 a year.

We also purchased a separate policy for the golf cart, since it's now our main source of transportation. With a low deductible and coverage to match our vehicle, the premium was just over $100 for the year.

BTW, our home is a block/stucco designer model.

[villages07]

CinCo,

Thanks for the summary....I have gone thru the same angst with Travellers recently. The overall premiums aren't bad but those high deductibles are scary. My "anniversary" date is in August...right in the middle of hurricane season, so, I went ahead and re-upped with Travellers but will probably look at ASI and other alternatives in Feb or so...I'd like to get my anniversary month to a different time of year.

[Barefoot]

.... in our village, there have been sinkholes, and one had to put over $100,000 worth of concrete in "the hole" before house repairs could be made.

Can you share with us which Village has sinkholes?

[sandybill2]

Our home owners renewal policy came recently--with coverage for sink holes being an option. We have been discussing whether or not this was needed but not any more--we saw our first sink hole today and only a few blocks from our home. Needless to say, I am writing a check today to our insurance company for ALL coverage--including sink holes.

[Peachie]

Yikes, SandyBill, which street?

[sandybill2]

It is between two houses on Keaneland---It is a cul de sac and the houses back up to one of the golf course by Pimlico Rec. I am not at all familiar with sink holes---my question is--where did the dirt go? is it like a cavern?

[Peachie]

I have a pretty good idea but I'll bet Tal will have a better explanation than I can give. That makes me rethink that insurance coverage also.

[Barefoot]

It is between two houses on Keaneland---It is a cul de sac and the houses back up to one of the golf course by Pimlico Rec. I am not at all familiar with sink holes---my question is--where did the dirt go? is it like a cavern?

Thanks for sharing that information Sandybill. Very scary! :yikes:

I back on a golf course in the Pimlico area. Never gave a second thought to sink hole coverage! I just checked with my insurance company, Sumter-Marion Insurance, and I am covered for sink holes.

I'll bet Insurance Companies in TV will be getting a sudden flood of calls; people checking whether they have sink hole insurance!

[GatorFan]

Block Home, Built 2008--Homeowner's Policy through St Johns Ins. Purchased at the Allstate office on Hwy 441 just North of Wal-Mart--Stephanie Winfrey 347-9201
$ 175,000 on home with $ 500 ded and $ 500 hurricane ded, 300,000 Liability with 5,000 Med Payment ( includes sinkhole with $ 500 ded. )

$ 634.00 year

[English Ivy]

[QUOTE=Cinco;145760]We now have a policy with ASI, through Village Insurance, and the policy carries a $500 hurricane deductible and a $500 sinkhole deductible. The premium was just over $700 a year.QUOTE]


Cinco, what village are you in? We're purchasing in Bonita and ASI will not write a policy there, supposedly due to active sinkhole claims within a mile or less. We have ASI on our current home in Duval, but that does not matter, they won't write our new location. We've gotten several other quotes so we will get insurance, we just won't have that nice $500 hurricane deductible ASI offers. Anyone else encountering insurance difficulties with new homes in the Bonita/Hemingway area?

[784caroline]

rwcw

I found that a golf cart can be insured as part of your home owners policy but ONLY if you use your golf cart to go to and from the course (ie golf paths) and while on the course itself. If you use intermodal paths or streets at all, you would not be covered under your home owners policy even if you cart goes only 10 MPH.

The VIllages Insurance has a reasonable cost Golf cart policy that covers you all throughout the villages .... I would highly advise you to check out the individual policy

[Helene2008]

English Ivy....we are closing on a CYV in Bonita on 10/1....got our insurance from Villages Insurance in Colony Plaza. $500. ded. and $500. ded. hurricane for $472.00 yr. Had no problem getting insurance.

[English Ivy]

English Ivy....we are closing on a CYV in Bonita on 10/1....got our insurance from Villages Insurance in Colony Plaza. $500. ded. and $500. ded. hurricane for $472.00 yr. Had no problem getting insurance.

Helene ... who is the actual insurance company writing your policy? Is it ASI or someone else? Which CYV area are you in ... Pilar or Kenya Villas? Appreciate the info. :)

[Helene2008]

English Ivy....We bought in Pilar. The Insurance company is American Integrity. The agent at Colony is Erin Natalino, 751-5985. Hope this helps. Where did you buy in Bonita?

[English Ivy]

Thanks for the info Helene. I'll call them in the morning. We'll be on Derringer Avenue, the first left off Baisley past your CYV. Look forward to meeting you in Bonita :welcome:

[Helene2008]

Looking forward to meeting you....we will be up on the 15th of October....if you are going to the luncheon at Crisper's on the 17th we'll see you there..:)

[English Ivy]

Thanks again Helene. Erin was very helpful and I'd recommend her for anyone looking for insurance. She was able to do something that another agent told us couldn't be done!:a040:

[Sharon Ward]

The McDonald Agency/Allstate located on 466 in Palm Ridge and on 441 North of Wal-Mart have a policy with $ 500 deductibles for all covered lossess including hurricane and sinkhole.

[jojo]

We used Erin Natalino from Villages Insurance in Colony Plaza and found her to be knowledgeable and competent.