Home Insurance
Protect what you've built. home.
Compare home insurance from carriers that actually want to cover your area — including the ones not advertising on TV.
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What are you insuring?
Where to start
Three paths through home
Size your dwelling correctly
The most common home insurance mistake is being underinsured by 20-40% relative to current rebuild costs. Here's how to right-size your coverage.
Find the cheapest competitive option
Home insurance pricing varies dramatically by state and home characteristics. The cheapest carrier in your market may not advertise nationally.
Capture mitigation discounts
Wind mitigation, impact-resistant roofs, monitored security, and updated systems can produce 20-50% premium reductions.
How we think about home insurance
It's not about coverage amounts. It's about coverage that fits.
Home insurance is misunderstood as a single product. It's actually six distinct coverages bundled together: dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments. Each does something different. Each can be over- or under-insured.
And what's NOT covered is just as important. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, earthquake, and (in coastal areas) often hurricane wind. The most expensive surprises after a claim come from finding out something wasn't covered.
Our work: explain each coverage, help you size it correctly, find the discounts most homeowners miss, and break down the decisions that matter most — what to file, what not to file, when to add flood, when to schedule jewelry.
Explore home guides
Everything you need to choose well
How much do I need?
Replacement cost vs. market value, personal property limits, liability sizing, loss of use — how to size each coverage correctly.
Types of coverage
Coverage A-F explained, plus the endorsements that matter (sewer backup, service line, scheduled riders, equipment breakdown).
Common discounts
The discounts that move premiums by 10-50% — bundling, wind mitigation, impact roofs, new construction, smart home devices.
Cheapest carriers
Who actually competes on price by state and home profile — including regional specialists most consumers don't know about.
By state
Rates and rules in 10 major markets. California's wildfire pricing, Florida's hurricane exposure, Texas hail belt, and more.
Home FAQs
What's actually covered, when to file claims, deductible math, and the questions most homeowners are too embarrassed to ask.
Carriers we've reviewed
The 6+ carriers competing for your business
Independent reviews of the major home insurance carriers — ratings, pros, cons, and where they actually win vs. where they don't.
Amica
Amica is the highest-rated home insurance customer satisfaction with dividend policy options and strong claims handling. Below, QuoteYeti's …
USAA
USAA is the top-rated home insurance for military families with industry-leading customer satisfaction and competitive rates. Below, QuoteYe…
Lemonade
Lemonade is the fastest digital home insurance experience with instant policies and AI-driven claims. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team brea…
State Farm
State Farm is the largest home insurer in the US with the deepest agent network and reliable claims service. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial te…
Travelers
Travelers is a comprehensive home coverage with green-home rebuild options and identity-theft protection. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team …
Allstate
Allstate is a comprehensive home insurance with claim rate guard and broad coverage options. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team breaks down w…
In-depth reading
Home insurance, explained
Long-form guides on the decisions that actually matter — written for buyers, not search engines.
When to file a home insurance claim (and when not to)
Filing a claim isn't always the right move. Here's how to decide, and what the rate consequences look like.
02Flood insurance vs home insurance: the gap that ruins lives
Why standard home insurance doesn't cover flood, what NFIP vs private flood policies do, and how to decide whether you need it.
03Condo and co-op insurance (HO-6) explained
What HO-6 condo insurance covers, what it doesn't, and how to coordinate your policy with your building's master policy.
04Wind mitigation inspections: the highest-ROI inspection in coastal home insurance
What a wind mitigation inspection is, what it checks, and why it's the single best money-saver for homeowners in hurricane-prone states.
05How to file a home insurance claim
The step-by-step process from incident to payout.
06How much home insurance do I need?
Sizing dwelling, contents, liability, and loss-of-use coverage to your actual situation.
Home insurance by state
State-specific rules and rates
Home insurance is regulated state by state. Rates, requirements, and available carriers vary dramatically. We've broken down the 10 largest markets.
Common misconceptions
What most people get wrong
Myth Home insurance covers everything that happens at my house.
Reality Standard policies exclude flood, earthquake, wear and tear, pests, and (often) hurricane wind in coastal areas. Knowing the gaps is half the work.
Myth My dwelling coverage should equal my market value.
Reality It should equal replacement cost — what it would take to rebuild. Market value includes land, which doesn't need rebuilding. Replacement cost is often higher than purchase price.
Myth I should file a claim for every loss.
Reality Small losses near your deductible often cost more in rate increases over 3-5 years than they pay out. For losses under 2x your deductible, paying out of pocket is often the better math.
Myth My homeowners covers my engagement ring.
Reality Only up to a sublimit — typically $1,500-$2,500. Higher-value items need a scheduled rider with documented appraisals. Without it, a stolen $8,000 ring pays out the $1,500 sublimit.
From The Dispatch
Reading list, curated
When you should add an umbrella policy
Umbrella insurance is the cheapest insurance most people don't have. For about the cost of dinner once a month, it adds $1M+ of liability protection on top of your auto and home policies. Here's why most middle-class households should have it.
PreparationHow to do a home inventory in one afternoon
If your house burned down tomorrow, could you list everything you own? Most homeowners and renters can't — and that gap costs them at claim time. Here's a one-afternoon method that fixes it.
How insurance worksWhat your credit score actually does to your insurance premium
In 47 states, credit affects what you pay for auto and home insurance. Sometimes by 50% or more. Here's why — and what to do about it.
Frequently asked
Home insurance, demystified
Is home insurance required by law?
No, but your mortgage lender requires it. If you own outright, it's optional — though going without means you bear the full cost of any damage or loss yourself.
Does home insurance cover flood damage?
No. Standard policies exclude flood entirely. You need a separate NFIP or private flood policy. About 25% of flood claims come from properties outside designated high-risk zones.
What's the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value?
Replacement cost pays to replace your damaged property with new equivalents. Actual cash value depreciates older items — your 8-year-old TV pays out at $80 instead of $400. Always choose replacement cost coverage if available; typically only $30-$80 more per year.
How often should I shop for home insurance?
Annually at renewal. Get quotes from 3-5 carriers. Premium spreads of 25-40% on identical coverage are common, especially in challenging markets like coastal Florida or wildfire-zone California.
What's a wind mitigation inspection?
An inspection (typically $75-$150) in coastal states that documents your home's hurricane-resistance features. Can produce 20-50% premium reductions in hurricane-exposed markets. The single best ROI inspection in coastal home insurance.
When should I add a flood policy?
If you're anywhere in a coastal county, near a river or stream, in a low-lying urban area, or anywhere with poor drainage. About 25% of NFIP flood claims come from properties outside designated flood zones.