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Does "guaranteed replacement cost" even exist for homeowner's insurance?

04/28/07

Permalink 01:15:00 pm, by Jeremy Email , 402 words, 2971 views   English (US)
Categories: Money

Does "guaranteed replacement cost" even exist for homeowner's insurance?

Dave Ramsey recommends that you get "guaranteed replacement cost" coverage on your home in case construction costs jump up right at the time that your house burns down, and I found this text at the MOAA website:

Most insurance experts recommend “actual replacement cost,” “guaranteed replacement cost,” or “full replacement cost” language within the policy. This can be particularly important for owners of older or historic homes, for which the true replacement cost could be considerably higher than the current market value of the home. If the policy is for “actual cash value,” then the cost to fully replace the home might not be covered. Certain carriers require a separate full replacement cost rider for historic homes. Failure to cover your home at full replacement value can be a nasty shock in the case of a major loss.

However, I can't find ANY company willing to sell me such a policy!! Do they even exist any more?

UPDATE: I found one! Yup, it is my current insurance company AAA. It's not even an option there, they just do it that way. Unlike every other company, that acted like I was a crazy person for asking such a silly question, AAA just said "Of course, after all there might be a hurricane and construction costs might jump up and you wouldn't have enough insurance."

UPDATE: I was wrong. My AAA policy is just for 25% over the coverage amount, just like everyone else. Stinker. The odd part is that even though they only insure to the coverage amount, they won't let me choose the coverage amount.

UPDATE: In the end, I went with AllState. This will save me about $250/year on home owners insurance, and $100/year on car insurance, and $80 in auto club membership. They will cover the cost of rebuilding the house in the event of a total loss, up to 120% of the stated value. So I'll just have to watch that value very closely from year to year and make sure that it is high enough. At least they will let me change the value up or down if I think that their calculated amount is off.

Several of the insurance quotes I got were just for the tax assessment, which is $20k less than I paid for the house, and definitely not what I would want the insurance to be for. Shameful really, but it made for some really cheap quotes!

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Martin [Visitor] Email
The replacement cost is calculated by a number of factors. You generally can purchase more coverage but not less than the calculated amount determined by the insurance company's calculation method. I am an Allstate agent in CA and we allow the insured to increase the dwelling coverage and, depending on the policy, we offer 150% of replacement cost. Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage doesn't exist; at least with Allstate in CA it doesn't.
PermalinkPermalink 04/28/07 @ 16:07
Comment from: arizona home owner insurance [Visitor] Email · http://www.grandcanyonquotes.com
There are a handful of companies that give unlimited guaranteed replacement. Most offer 120%, 125% or 150%.
PermalinkPermalink 10/10/07 @ 21:20
Comment from: gary [Visitor] · http://www.arizonahomeownerinsurance.biz
If a company only offers 125% and not unlimited, simply ask your agent to increase your dwelling limit amount. Insurers don't mind increasing coverage, usually.
PermalinkPermalink 11/02/07 @ 04:29
Comment from: arizona auto insurance [Visitor] · http://www.arizonaautoinsurance.cc
I work auto and home. I don't find the guaranteed issue to be a big deal. If you insure a home properly up front, then monitor it at the anniversary you should be ok.
PermalinkPermalink 12/11/07 @ 14:04
Comment from: John [Visitor]
I write ARIZONA HOME OWNER INSURANCE. The biggest issue for me is making sure each home is insured properly at their renewals. You just never know exactly how much building materials/labor is going up so you need to stay on top of that. Due to the wildfires in past years home owners were caught underinsured and as agents we need to do our job to make sure they are not.
PermalinkPermalink 01/04/08 @ 11:08
Comment from: Brigette [Visitor] Email · http://www.southwest.metlife.com
Metlife Auto & Home offers guaranteed replacement in Arizona.
PermalinkPermalink 04/30/08 @ 21:09
Comment from: Brooke [Visitor] Email · http://www.countryfinancial.com
COUNTRY Financial offers GUARANTEED REPLACEMENT COST on homes 30 years or newer. It also has strong industry ratings and superior claims service. I would highly recommend checking them out.
PermalinkPermalink 05/07/08 @ 16:04

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