Understanding Homeowners Insurance Coverage

You have a lot to consider in the pursuit of finding your first home, which is why it can be easy to gloss over something like your home insurance options. But choosing homeowners insurance is actually one of the most important steps in the home buying process. Many first time homeowners choose a policy without doing enough research, but one of the smartest things you can do as a new homeowner is understand how to protect it.

Take a look at what you need to know about homeowners insurance.

What Is Homeowners Insurance?

Homeowners insurance is protection for your home that helps cover repairs or replacements to your home's structure, belongings and even covers you if you're liable for injury to another person or damage to their property.

Do You Need Homeowners Insurance Before Closing?

Yes. Most mortgage lenders require that a buyer has homeowners insurance before they purchase a home. They’ll request proof of insurance before they agree to closing. This is because they want to make sure their investment is protected, since they’ll technically own the title of the home until you pay off the mortgage. So unless you’re paying in cash, you’ll need home insurance before closing.

The Basics of Homeowners Insurance

There’s a lot to know about homeowners insurance, but learning about it doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. We’ll start with the basics about what you need to know before buying a home insurance policy.

How Does Homeowners Insurance Work?

Home insurance is financial protection that covers damages to the interior and exterior of your home and your personal property. It also includes liability protection for you and your family members. It’s designed so you’ll have the funds to return your home and possessions, or additional structures on the property, back to normal if your home faces damage covered by your policy.

What Makes up a Homeowners Insurance Policy?

Although homeowners insurance isn’t required by law, typically your mortgage lender will require you to have it. Here’s a high-level look at the main components of homeowners insurance: property coverage, liability coverage and other coverage options.

Property Coverage

From fires and storms to vandalism and burglaries, property insurance helps you recover from accidental damage or destruction to your home and its contents. In the event you need to repair, rebuild or replace what’s damaged or lost, homeowners insurance helps cover the costs, so you aren’t stuck paying everything out of pocket.

Liability Coverage

Let’s say an accident occurs on your property — a visitor is injured after slipping on your icy sidewalk, or you’re cutting down a tree and it falls on your neighbor’s brand new car. Liability coverage helps financially protect you from paying expensive damages for which you are legally liable.

Optional Coverage

For extra coverage and peace of mind, you can add optional coverage to your homeowners policy. Some optional coverages are itemized personal property, which covers things like jewelry, fine art and musical instruments. Other available options include coverage for identity theft, home day care, home office, equipment breakdown, service line coverage and more. Talk with your insurance agent to decide which coverage works best for your home.

Want to find out about more ways to protect your new home? Keep reading to learn about all your options for homeowners insurance coverage

Compare the main components of homeowners insurance

How Much Insurance Do You Need for Your Home?

There are a number of factors your insurance agent will look at in order to help you create a customized policy that’s specific to your needs. They’ll consider things like the cost to rebuild your home, your home’s age, your claims history and recreational additions, like a trampoline or swimming pool.

It’s important to have enough protection to cover the costs of rebuilding your home and replacing your possessions in the event of the unexpected.  

Need More Information About Homeowners Insurance?

Reach out to an American Family Insurance agent to find the best coverage for your home and needs. They’ll help you create a customized policy that works hard all year round to protect your home and lifestyle. If you’d like to take the first step in insuring your home, get a home insurance quote online.