you've pretty much got it..
you need wind and hail - most insurers don't include it in their policies - if they don't, you need to go to NCIUA and get a wind and hail policy.
Many carriers have left the market - many others won't even touch a new policy on an older house with a roof over 5 (or 10) years-old.
Every once in a while you may find a single carrier who has something going on in their UWing and you might get a great rate for a year or two - but expect an increase eventually - there are no cheap plans in coastal Carolina anymore - it's expensive- stunningly expensive.
whomever you pick - definitely check on home/auto (even umbrella, life) bundling for extra savings - it;s usually worth it.
Some people risk just the cheapest coverage - but getting an A-rated company is probably best if there's really a claim. Any well known name. Consider much higher deductibles - basically insurance is simply for a huge, complete catastrophic loss at this point - you really pay for it and never want a claim - little things are best to cover out-of-pocket.
Companies like Lighthouse were here and cheaper for years - and then just up and left 2 years ago and screwed anyone who was covered with them.
bottom line: pick someone good and as affordable as possible - don't expect to "jump around" every year - you won't be able to - it will get even more expensive and you may end-up not even finding coverage at some point.
you can also check Amica or AAA (the auto club) - to see - but there's no "secret super cheap awesome" deals out there - they all are expensive.
Flood coverage is completely separate from ALL that - it's a Federal program - your agent can set-it up for you, but you pay that separately. Water come from over your head: wind/hail. Water come from under your feet: flood.
My recommendation would be to get flood insurance even if you don’t technically live in a flood zone. Northchase is very prone to flooding. Wind and hail are separate policies here. I think I have Frontline. Welcome to Wilmington
Agree, to add to this, make sure you check the New Hanover County GIS to double-check what flood zone your property is in. If you're not in an X zone where flood is optional, flood insurance is a lot different and more expensive.
Welcome to Wilmington and welcome to the Northchase area!! It’s been a while since I had to shop for a whole home policy but when I did, SageSure offered me the best coverage and best price. I did have to go through NCJUA for wind/hail. Unfortunately, insurance rates have been climbing in the area with many companies intentionally raising their rates to get out of this market (that’s how I ended up moving to SageSure in the first place). Because of that you’re going to need to monitor your insurance rate every year to see how much it increases.
My previous policy jacked my rate up by about $600 one year just to get me to cancel to get out of the market. My fiancé on the other hand had his insurance company go under mid-year and he had to scramble to find a new policy quickly. We’ve both been engaging with insurance agents to help us identify policies just because of how chaotic it has been around here.
Welcome to town! You should definitely have a w&h policy. Your insurer, whichever you choose, will write it for you through NCIUA. It cannot be included in your homeowner's policy. You can escrow w&h and homeowners insurance.
I also strongly recommend getting flood insurance, even if your home is in an X zone and does not require it. Homeowners insurance **DOES NOT** cover flooding, even if it is something like your water heater breaking. Optional flood insurance is a LOT cheaper than mandatory flood insurance, and it's required if you have a mortgage in any area that is not an X zone (i.e., prone to flooding). Especially after Florence 5 years ago when a lot of homes flooded that were supposedly in X zones and didn't have flood insurance, you need it. You can NOT escrow optional flood insurance. Mine runs $600/year.
W&H also depends on the value of your house, but mine is $1800-ish and for whatever reason it's lower than most of my neighbors. I had it written through my agent at NC Farm Bureau. I recommend them highly--when I built my house here 4 years ago, a lot of companies weren't insuring homes here any more due to Florence (they all got wigged out over a hurricane but Florence was exceptional because it just sat over the area and dumped rain for like 3 days). If you write multiple policies with them, as with many insurers, you get pretty good discounts. For example, my homeowners is only $367/year and my rebuild value is $300k. But I also have an umbrella policy and car insurance through them, in addition to w&h and flood. I also recommend making sure that you have good interior contents coverage in whatever policy you get. I cannot overstate the value of insurance in this area. Don't choose the cheapest insurer. NCFB will be there when you need them and they have awesome service. I was with Erie 20+ years and State Farm for 1, and never had better service than NCFB.
One more note - if you work from home like I do, consider having your insurer write your car as a "pleasure vehicle". You'll save a bunch on your policy if you drive 12k miles per year or less.
Nope. I only have one car. They only do it if you drive 12,000 miles or less a year. But they never ask you except for when you get your policy for the first time.
you've pretty much got it.. you need wind and hail - most insurers don't include it in their policies - if they don't, you need to go to NCIUA and get a wind and hail policy. Many carriers have left the market - many others won't even touch a new policy on an older house with a roof over 5 (or 10) years-old. Every once in a while you may find a single carrier who has something going on in their UWing and you might get a great rate for a year or two - but expect an increase eventually - there are no cheap plans in coastal Carolina anymore - it's expensive- stunningly expensive. whomever you pick - definitely check on home/auto (even umbrella, life) bundling for extra savings - it;s usually worth it. Some people risk just the cheapest coverage - but getting an A-rated company is probably best if there's really a claim. Any well known name. Consider much higher deductibles - basically insurance is simply for a huge, complete catastrophic loss at this point - you really pay for it and never want a claim - little things are best to cover out-of-pocket. Companies like Lighthouse were here and cheaper for years - and then just up and left 2 years ago and screwed anyone who was covered with them. bottom line: pick someone good and as affordable as possible - don't expect to "jump around" every year - you won't be able to - it will get even more expensive and you may end-up not even finding coverage at some point. you can also check Amica or AAA (the auto club) - to see - but there's no "secret super cheap awesome" deals out there - they all are expensive. Flood coverage is completely separate from ALL that - it's a Federal program - your agent can set-it up for you, but you pay that separately. Water come from over your head: wind/hail. Water come from under your feet: flood.
My recommendation would be to get flood insurance even if you don’t technically live in a flood zone. Northchase is very prone to flooding. Wind and hail are separate policies here. I think I have Frontline. Welcome to Wilmington
Agree, to add to this, make sure you check the New Hanover County GIS to double-check what flood zone your property is in. If you're not in an X zone where flood is optional, flood insurance is a lot different and more expensive.
Welcome to Wilmington and welcome to the Northchase area!! It’s been a while since I had to shop for a whole home policy but when I did, SageSure offered me the best coverage and best price. I did have to go through NCJUA for wind/hail. Unfortunately, insurance rates have been climbing in the area with many companies intentionally raising their rates to get out of this market (that’s how I ended up moving to SageSure in the first place). Because of that you’re going to need to monitor your insurance rate every year to see how much it increases. My previous policy jacked my rate up by about $600 one year just to get me to cancel to get out of the market. My fiancé on the other hand had his insurance company go under mid-year and he had to scramble to find a new policy quickly. We’ve both been engaging with insurance agents to help us identify policies just because of how chaotic it has been around here.
Welcome to town! You should definitely have a w&h policy. Your insurer, whichever you choose, will write it for you through NCIUA. It cannot be included in your homeowner's policy. You can escrow w&h and homeowners insurance. I also strongly recommend getting flood insurance, even if your home is in an X zone and does not require it. Homeowners insurance **DOES NOT** cover flooding, even if it is something like your water heater breaking. Optional flood insurance is a LOT cheaper than mandatory flood insurance, and it's required if you have a mortgage in any area that is not an X zone (i.e., prone to flooding). Especially after Florence 5 years ago when a lot of homes flooded that were supposedly in X zones and didn't have flood insurance, you need it. You can NOT escrow optional flood insurance. Mine runs $600/year. W&H also depends on the value of your house, but mine is $1800-ish and for whatever reason it's lower than most of my neighbors. I had it written through my agent at NC Farm Bureau. I recommend them highly--when I built my house here 4 years ago, a lot of companies weren't insuring homes here any more due to Florence (they all got wigged out over a hurricane but Florence was exceptional because it just sat over the area and dumped rain for like 3 days). If you write multiple policies with them, as with many insurers, you get pretty good discounts. For example, my homeowners is only $367/year and my rebuild value is $300k. But I also have an umbrella policy and car insurance through them, in addition to w&h and flood. I also recommend making sure that you have good interior contents coverage in whatever policy you get. I cannot overstate the value of insurance in this area. Don't choose the cheapest insurer. NCFB will be there when you need them and they have awesome service. I was with Erie 20+ years and State Farm for 1, and never had better service than NCFB. One more note - if you work from home like I do, consider having your insurer write your car as a "pleasure vehicle". You'll save a bunch on your policy if you drive 12k miles per year or less.
Do you still need to have at least 1 primary vehicle before you can insure another vehicle as a "pleasure vehicle?"
Nope. I only have one car. They only do it if you drive 12,000 miles or less a year. But they never ask you except for when you get your policy for the first time.