
Realtors Guide to Home Insurance
First Let's Take A Look At What Homeowners Insurance Cover?

Dwelling — this is the part of your policy that covers the dwelling. The cost to replace your home can fluctuate from time to time. This can vary due to the cost of raw material and labor to rebuild your home.
Other Structures — this covers most structures on your property that are not permanently attached to your house. This could include fencing, driveways, sidewalks, and detached buildings like sheds and garages. Furthermore, this coverage is 10% of your Dwelling limit but it can be increased.
Personal Property — this covers belongings like clothing, furniture, electronics, and appliances. Basically anything that would fall out of your house if you turned it upside down and shook out the contents.
Loss of Use — this can give coverage for temporary extra expenses you may have because your insured home is unlivable after a loss your policy covers.
Medical Expense —this can provide limited medical expense coverage for guest who gets injured on your property. In certain cases it can coverage injury to others off of your property. In contrast, it does not provide coverage healthcare costs for you or other members of your household.
Family/Personal Liability — this typically provides a set amount of coverage for specific type of injury that you cause to others. This can also provide coverage for damage to others property. When choosing your liability coverage limit, consider things like how much money you make and the things you own.
But How Can I As A Realtor Help.....
Many customers put the contract down on their home and now its time to get things in order. This is when getting a quote for insurance usually comes into play. It is important to have certain information available for them to get a quote and policy set up. This is where you as the realtor can really help save them time and efforts. Here is a couple of items their agency will ask for:
- Roof Age & Layers of Shingles
- Type of Plumbing
- Age of the Home
Home Insurance helps your clients protect their dream home. Selecting a policy usually happens after a contract is put down on the home. Many realtors don't realize they can make this process much easier for their clients and help better serve them.

Did you know you can help save money?
Selecting the right home is a very important decision. You as a realtor play an important role in helping your client find their dream home. Helping your client find an "insurance friendly" will not only possibly help them save money but sometimes even help them qualify for their loan. The cost of insurance is estimated when their initial pre-qualification is done by their loan officer. If the cost for insurance comes back higher after putting their contract down, it could potentially effect their loan qualification. Here are a couple of items you will want to look for in their new home.
When looking for a home here are some important items to look for:
- Roof Age – Roof Age is one of the most important factors. Many companies don’t like to take roofs in Missouri older than 15-20 years. Some companies reduce coverage after a roof hits a certain age. The best rule of thumb is to try to find a home with a roof less than 10 years old but newer roofs can reduce the cost and provide discounts.
- Layers of Shingles on the Roof – Many companies don’t like roofs with layered shingles. This can limit the number of companies they can get to insure the home.
- Protection Class & Distance to Fire Department – So many times we see consumers put a contract on a home in the country or a rural area, later to find out it is a high protection class or over 5 miles away from the fire department. When searching with your customer, you can always call the local fire department or contact an Insurance Agent to determine the protection class. Typically, to keep the cost for insurance lower you want to look for a home a protection class of 7 or lower and less than 5 miles from the responding fire department.
- Plumbing- You always want to ensure plumbing is in good working order but there is also certain plumbing types some companies won’t insure. Galvanized plumbing is becoming a plumbing type that some of the companies do not like to insurance. If the home has a plumbing that has been updated, some companies will offer a discount.
- Wiring – When looking at the wiring, you typically want to ensure the home has circuit breakers. A few companies will still take fuse wiring, but many companies are no longer want to offer coverage on this type of wiring.