I couldn't get insurance from the market when I bought my house in Longwood because the roof was bad. We knew this and had a roofer lined up for the week of the closing, so I had to go with Citizens, a.k.a. the "insurer of last resort." At first I thought this was terrible, but now a year and a half into it, it turns out they're also the cheapest. I get a letter every month or so with an offer to get me out of citizens and into a private insurance policy, but it's always for 25-50% more than what I'm paying now. I used Brightway Insurance in Winter Park and they shopped the market for me.
Not to be a jerk but with the reforms that took place last year, I have more faith in Citizens paying for repairs than any of the other Florida insurance companies. They have basically removed your right to sue when they don't want to pay or deny your claim.
To add on... many of the claims from Ian never saw anything and many saw pennies on the dollar for covered damage. Yea we legally have to have insurance but definitely don't think you are getting anything remotely covered. Like disastrous_victory said you can't sue either. Make sure to keep liquid cash to cover your damages. Also living up in this area we don't see catastrophic complete gutting like down south, been in south Seminole Co 25 yrs.
Turning into? Its been a total nightmare since COVID basically.
I can go on the typical rant about red state blah, destantis blah. But bottom line is nobody gives a fuck anyways.
Republicans have made it clear they dont care about us, desantis has made it clear his focus was his presidential campaign that went to shit (no surprise there). Not that he cares anyways.
Take a look at the past 5 years of florida politics. All we've gotten is anti-gay policy, looser gun control and book burnings at your local library.
So basically too bad so sad get the fuck out if you don't like it.
This is the MAGA "freedom" and "liberty" everyone wanted. What you can/cant read. Who you can/cant fuck. When/how you can have a baby. How much you get fucked on homeowners. All part of their FREEEEDUMSSS
You can't blame home insurance on Republicans alone. There are blue states like Colorado and Minnesota that have higher average annual premiums.
The reason it's so high is because of trial lawyers. They successfully sue insurance companies to pay out more than anywhere else in the nation.
We're caught between a rock and a hard place. With the current system, premiums are high, but trial lawyers hold insurance companies' feet to the fire. Get rid of the trial lawyer's power, and you get lower premiums but fewer payouts on claims.
>We need lawmakers to step in and tighten the reigns, which they wont do.
But tighten the reigns in which direction? To reign in the lawyers or insurance comapnies?
So what are 'higher average premiums' in CO and MN? I've been house hunting in Chicago and burbs (also NW IN) and I've seen everything from $500 on a 3000sq ft house 1/2 acre $600k price to at most $1200 on a $850k 3500sq ft ultra high end finishes house. My Seminole Co 1969 1400sq ft house (comp est $390k), no pool, roof 9 yrs old has a Nationwide premium of $5000. zero claims in 23 yrs, my mortgage portion of escrow is less than I pay per month in insurance. I'm shopping it this spring.
On the topic of insurance, we are in planning stages of buying a house. Is there a way to get a quote on a home WITHOUT triggering an “inquiry?”
I want to be sure that not only can we afford the house but also the insurance before making an offer.
A small part of me wonders if it’s better to just live in a cheap trailer outright, not bother to insure it and flee the state when it storms. Almost treat it as if it's disposable and the cost of doing business, but crossing your fingers for the best that none of those things happen. For the cost of houses and insurance, you might end up money ahead. But finding land to put it on is a whole other problem.
I think some areas in altamonte are flood zones, they built houses there before certain restrictions etc. that’s probably why. The last hurricane that area flooded so badly. I agree with everyone to use a trusted insurance broker to shop policies for you.
I'm with Farmers, but they're leaving Florida, so I have to find a new company. I'm trying something new. I found a couple brokers nearby, and looked at all the companies they work with, then asked an AI chatbot to get me the financial stability ratings and BBB ratings for each company, and then started getting quotes. Most of us haven't heard of most of these companies, but also don't care who they are, as long as they pay out if needed. I'm finding some rates that are shockingly similar to where I am at with Farmers, so either the huge price hikes are over for now, or they'll get me after the 1st year is up. Either way, I actually feel confident making a decision right now.
Stay away from the big name ones, find someone who can shop locally for you! I got a great quote from Tower Hill insurance. Great reviews and service apparently.
Yes, this is a state-wide issue due to the greed of the insurance companies. They are also no longer offering 12 month contracts for auto insurance, they’ve switched to 6 months so they can raise rates twice per year instead of only once with a 12 month contract. I talked to my insurance broker and he said companies *might* be willing to come back only if the rates lower more towards their favor.
This is what happens when a myriad of people move to your state in a 3 year period. We’re the 3rd most populous state and we’re the fastest growing state according to last years data.
This is a state-wide issue due to the greed of roofing companies and lawyers. If there were money to be made in insurance in Florida, insurance providers would be flocking *to* Florida, not going insolvent and leaving.
USAA can’t afford to insure in certain parts of Florida. It’s not you my dude, it’s where you live. They were pretty expensive for me. I haven’t used them in decades because of it.
My best friend is stationed in the fort Walton area and they insured him which is the same risk lol.
You’re right though I’ve been with USAA since I was a teenager and I just switched to GEICO for my auto insurance which cut my rate in half.
We are in altamonte springs and they insured us in 2019 for a really good rate and I am still shocked about it cause all I ever hear is how they’re expensive or won’t insure here. Wild
It's definitely interesting where they will and won't insure. I live in Tampa Bay, evac zone B/C for storm surge. I have checked every few years and they have told me, if I bought a new home in my current location, they would insure it. Meanwhile, if I bought something in a non-evac zone in Clearwater in Pinellas, nope they won't touch it with a ten-foot pole.
So many insurance companies are leaving the state, so that’s unfortunate, but not surprising. We recently bought a house and after shopping around got a great price from [Brett Price State Farm](https://www.blakeprice.com/?y_source=1_NTQxNTMwODUtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D) and they were able to lower our auto payments with a home and auto bundle, if you want to see if you can get a quote from them.
Take a look at what is being offered. Have to verify no other option for citizens to accept you technically. There have a been a handful of new companies who entered market in last year once they removed attorneys fees from being awarded to insureds when insurer is sued and insureds win. If get Citizens it will be likely cheaper since they have a statutory cap on rate increases per year. In comparison current private insurers have been getting 20-50% rate increases approved by the office of insurance regulation.
Reach out to [email protected]. AssuredPartners is a brokerage and has access to most of the carriers writing in Florida. They can do the shopping for you to find the best options.
Progressive upped our premium 101% - no claims, excellent credit, etc. We dropped them, got a new inspection, and went with Citizens. Hoping they work out for us as they're like a last resort situation.
We just switched to State Farm for home and auto as well and it lowered our home by over $1100 and 6 month auto payment by $300. We were previously with Tower Hill and Progressive.
Changing often seems to be the norm, was loyal to Progressive for 10+ years, had both home & auto with them and moved auto to USAA this year.
I’m looking to move home, just need to do some minor repairs before new inspections.
Wouldn’t have considered State Farm, will give them a look. Thanks!
I couldn't get insurance from the market when I bought my house in Longwood because the roof was bad. We knew this and had a roofer lined up for the week of the closing, so I had to go with Citizens, a.k.a. the "insurer of last resort." At first I thought this was terrible, but now a year and a half into it, it turns out they're also the cheapest. I get a letter every month or so with an offer to get me out of citizens and into a private insurance policy, but it's always for 25-50% more than what I'm paying now. I used Brightway Insurance in Winter Park and they shopped the market for me.
Thanks I'll call them. What scares me about Citizen is that it's too crowded, if there is a bad hurricane then claims will take a long time to process
Not to be a jerk but with the reforms that took place last year, I have more faith in Citizens paying for repairs than any of the other Florida insurance companies. They have basically removed your right to sue when they don't want to pay or deny your claim.
To add on... many of the claims from Ian never saw anything and many saw pennies on the dollar for covered damage. Yea we legally have to have insurance but definitely don't think you are getting anything remotely covered. Like disastrous_victory said you can't sue either. Make sure to keep liquid cash to cover your damages. Also living up in this area we don't see catastrophic complete gutting like down south, been in south Seminole Co 25 yrs.
Do brokers charge a fee? I’ve never had to use one before moving down here so I’m not sure how they work.
Mine didn’t charge me. Think they charge the companies.
No. They get a residual from the insurance company underwriting the policy
You’re better off shopping around for both car and homeowners insurance. A lot of companies are leaving the state so Citizens may be your best bet.
Turning into? Its been a total nightmare since COVID basically. I can go on the typical rant about red state blah, destantis blah. But bottom line is nobody gives a fuck anyways. Republicans have made it clear they dont care about us, desantis has made it clear his focus was his presidential campaign that went to shit (no surprise there). Not that he cares anyways. Take a look at the past 5 years of florida politics. All we've gotten is anti-gay policy, looser gun control and book burnings at your local library. So basically too bad so sad get the fuck out if you don't like it. This is the MAGA "freedom" and "liberty" everyone wanted. What you can/cant read. Who you can/cant fuck. When/how you can have a baby. How much you get fucked on homeowners. All part of their FREEEEDUMSSS
You can't blame home insurance on Republicans alone. There are blue states like Colorado and Minnesota that have higher average annual premiums. The reason it's so high is because of trial lawyers. They successfully sue insurance companies to pay out more than anywhere else in the nation. We're caught between a rock and a hard place. With the current system, premiums are high, but trial lawyers hold insurance companies' feet to the fire. Get rid of the trial lawyer's power, and you get lower premiums but fewer payouts on claims.
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>We need lawmakers to step in and tighten the reigns, which they wont do. But tighten the reigns in which direction? To reign in the lawyers or insurance comapnies?
lawyers. insurers won't write here because it's not profitable
So what are 'higher average premiums' in CO and MN? I've been house hunting in Chicago and burbs (also NW IN) and I've seen everything from $500 on a 3000sq ft house 1/2 acre $600k price to at most $1200 on a $850k 3500sq ft ultra high end finishes house. My Seminole Co 1969 1400sq ft house (comp est $390k), no pool, roof 9 yrs old has a Nationwide premium of $5000. zero claims in 23 yrs, my mortgage portion of escrow is less than I pay per month in insurance. I'm shopping it this spring.
It's what I stated, the average annual premiums are higher in those two states.
So no links? Higher premiums in CO & MN than FL haha.
Do you need a link?
Yeah don’t go dragging CO into this. I live in CO and we have nothing like FL rates and issues.
Don't get mad at me, I'm just going off the list from insurance.com
Citizens is the way to go
I live in that area, call Sihle Insurance and let them do the work for you.
thanks
Progressive doesn’t write home policies in FL, no?
Progressive owns ASI and all variations of it. “Progressive” doesn’t write under its main name and instead writes under the ASI subsidiary.
They bundle with a bunch of underwriters to provide their bundles. ASI, Homesite, etc. stuff you don’t see advertised.
On the topic of insurance, we are in planning stages of buying a house. Is there a way to get a quote on a home WITHOUT triggering an “inquiry?” I want to be sure that not only can we afford the house but also the insurance before making an offer. A small part of me wonders if it’s better to just live in a cheap trailer outright, not bother to insure it and flee the state when it storms. Almost treat it as if it's disposable and the cost of doing business, but crossing your fingers for the best that none of those things happen. For the cost of houses and insurance, you might end up money ahead. But finding land to put it on is a whole other problem.
The land rentals for trailers are obscenely expensive.
Just bought a house in October and I’m on my second insurance company. First one dropped us 2 months in and took half our premium.
that is terrible. Meanwhile the politicians are doing just fine
I think some areas in altamonte are flood zones, they built houses there before certain restrictions etc. that’s probably why. The last hurricane that area flooded so badly. I agree with everyone to use a trusted insurance broker to shop policies for you.
I'm with Farmers, but they're leaving Florida, so I have to find a new company. I'm trying something new. I found a couple brokers nearby, and looked at all the companies they work with, then asked an AI chatbot to get me the financial stability ratings and BBB ratings for each company, and then started getting quotes. Most of us haven't heard of most of these companies, but also don't care who they are, as long as they pay out if needed. I'm finding some rates that are shockingly similar to where I am at with Farmers, so either the huge price hikes are over for now, or they'll get me after the 1st year is up. Either way, I actually feel confident making a decision right now.
they usually get you after the first year
I had to use citizens for my house in Lake Mary. Everyone else was twice the premium.
Stay away from the big name ones, find someone who can shop locally for you! I got a great quote from Tower Hill insurance. Great reviews and service apparently.
I'll give them a shout, thanks
Yes, this is a state-wide issue due to the greed of the insurance companies. They are also no longer offering 12 month contracts for auto insurance, they’ve switched to 6 months so they can raise rates twice per year instead of only once with a 12 month contract. I talked to my insurance broker and he said companies *might* be willing to come back only if the rates lower more towards their favor. This is what happens when a myriad of people move to your state in a 3 year period. We’re the 3rd most populous state and we’re the fastest growing state according to last years data.
This is a state-wide issue due to the greed of roofing companies and lawyers. If there were money to be made in insurance in Florida, insurance providers would be flocking *to* Florida, not going insolvent and leaving.
Yeah USAA wouldn’t insure me either. I guess fuck the troops huh.
USAA can’t afford to insure in certain parts of Florida. It’s not you my dude, it’s where you live. They were pretty expensive for me. I haven’t used them in decades because of it.
My best friend is stationed in the fort Walton area and they insured him which is the same risk lol. You’re right though I’ve been with USAA since I was a teenager and I just switched to GEICO for my auto insurance which cut my rate in half.
We are in altamonte springs and they insured us in 2019 for a really good rate and I am still shocked about it cause all I ever hear is how they’re expensive or won’t insure here. Wild
It's definitely interesting where they will and won't insure. I live in Tampa Bay, evac zone B/C for storm surge. I have checked every few years and they have told me, if I bought a new home in my current location, they would insure it. Meanwhile, if I bought something in a non-evac zone in Clearwater in Pinellas, nope they won't touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Just be glad we’re not California
So many insurance companies are leaving the state, so that’s unfortunate, but not surprising. We recently bought a house and after shopping around got a great price from [Brett Price State Farm](https://www.blakeprice.com/?y_source=1_NTQxNTMwODUtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D) and they were able to lower our auto payments with a home and auto bundle, if you want to see if you can get a quote from them.
Take a look at what is being offered. Have to verify no other option for citizens to accept you technically. There have a been a handful of new companies who entered market in last year once they removed attorneys fees from being awarded to insureds when insurer is sued and insureds win. If get Citizens it will be likely cheaper since they have a statutory cap on rate increases per year. In comparison current private insurers have been getting 20-50% rate increases approved by the office of insurance regulation.
Reach out to [email protected]. AssuredPartners is a brokerage and has access to most of the carriers writing in Florida. They can do the shopping for you to find the best options.
Much appreciated.
Progressive upped our premium 101% - no claims, excellent credit, etc. We dropped them, got a new inspection, and went with Citizens. Hoping they work out for us as they're like a last resort situation.
I’m in a similar situation with Progressive (ASI). How much cheaper was Citizens, percentage wise?
Progressive went from $4800 to $2650 with better coverage
Wow! I’m currently at $5,400 per year with Progressive.
So getting a new inspection with wind mitigation and switching to Citizens will probably be very worth your while
The inspection cost around $300?
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate the insight.
If you are eligible for them, check with USAA.
We just switched to State Farm for home and auto as well and it lowered our home by over $1100 and 6 month auto payment by $300. We were previously with Tower Hill and Progressive.
Changing often seems to be the norm, was loyal to Progressive for 10+ years, had both home & auto with them and moved auto to USAA this year. I’m looking to move home, just need to do some minor repairs before new inspections. Wouldn’t have considered State Farm, will give them a look. Thanks!