Homeowners Insurance

A standard HO-3 homeowners policy (the most common) covers six main areas:

• Dwelling — the structure of your home
• Other structures — detached garage, fence, shed, pool
• Personal property — your belongings (furniture, electronics, clothing)
• Loss of use — additional living expenses if you can’t occupy your home after a covered loss
• Personal liability — injuries on your property or damage you cause to others
• Medical payments — small medical bills for guests injured on your property

Common exclusions that surprise homeowners:

• Flood (separate NFIP or private flood policy required)
• Earthquake (separate endorsement)
• Sewer or sump-pump backup (often available as an endorsement)
• Maintenance issues — gradual damage, chronic-leak mold, termites, wear and tear
• High-value items — jewelry, art, fine collectibles often need a scheduled rider above standard sub-limits
• Home-based business — usually requires an in-home business endorsement or a separate policy

We review the standard policy and flag the riders worth adding for your situation.

Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. In the DC metro, flood risk varies by neighborhood — properties near the Potomac, Anacostia, Rock Creek, and Patuxent watersheds have meaningful exposure, and FEMA flood zones change over time. Even outside designated high-risk zones, roughly 25% of NFIP flood claims come from low- or moderate-risk areas, often from heavy rain events. We can pull your property’s flood-zone designation and quote both NFIP (federal) and private-market flood policies — private flood often offers lower premiums and higher limits than NFIP for many DC-metro homes.

There are three different “values” homeowners often confuse, and only one is the right answer for insurance:

• Replacement cost — what it would cost to rebuild your home today, with current materials and labor. This is what your dwelling coverage should be set to.
• Market value — what the home would sell for. Usually higher than replacement cost because it includes the land, so insuring to market value over-insures you.
• Original purchase price — irrelevant. Construction costs may have risen 30–50%+ since you bought.

For personal property, most carriers default to 50–70% of dwelling coverage; high-value items should be scheduled separately. For liability, $300k–$500k is a reasonable baseline, with an umbrella policy on top if you have meaningful assets, rental properties, teen drivers, a pool, or a dog.

Yes. A standard policy covers your personal property “off-premises” anywhere in the world — in your car, on vacation, at work, or at college (for dependent students). A few things to know:

• Off-premises limits are usually 10% of your personal-property coverage. If you have $100,000 personal property, you have $10,000 off-premises. High-value laptops, cameras, and jewelry often exceed this.
• Theft from a vehicle is generally covered, but auto-related items (custom audio, permanent in-vehicle equipment) may need to be on the auto policy.
• High-value scheduled items — engagement ring, art, musical instruments — follow you anywhere with their own scheduled coverage and often no deductible.

If you travel often or own valuables, ask us about a personal articles policy for broader coverage.

Your deductible is what you pay out of pocket before insurance kicks in. Raising your deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 typically reduces premium 10–20%, and going to $5,000 can save 20–30%. The trade-off: you’re self-insuring smaller losses. A few considerations:

• Hurricane, wind, and hail deductibles are often percentage-based (1–5% of dwelling coverage) and apply only to those perils. A $500,000 home with a 2% wind deductible has a $10,000 wind deductible — different from your standard deductible.
• Make sure you can afford the deductible in cash before raising it. There’s no point in saving $200/year if a claim would put you in financial stress.

We model the trade-off when quoting your policy.

Yes. Bundling home and auto with the same carrier typically saves 10–25% versus buying separately, and many carriers stack additional discounts for adding umbrella, life, or condo to the same household. Because we represent multiple A-rated carriers, we compare bundle discounts side-by-side and quote the combination that delivers the best total value. Sometimes a “split” placement (one carrier for auto, another for home) actually beats a bundled quote — but more often, bundling wins. Call us at 301.468.9600 or request a quote online to start.