Get that Farmers in effect ASAP. You do not want to get on the homeowners database for cancelation from AAA.
AAA won't renew our homeowners insurance
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Regarding the fire hydrant, insurance companies use your local fire district ratings as a measurement for determining rates. The distance between you and the station also comes into play.
For example, a manned 24/7/365 district will rate higher than a volunteer or semi-volunteer one.
Most of this though is obviously tied to the recent fires in your region.
For example, a manned 24/7/365 district will rate higher than a volunteer or semi-volunteer one.
Most of this though is obviously tied to the recent fires in your region.
Had the same thing happened to me with STATE FARM in FL. After 40+ years handling all my vehicle, boat and home insurance, they opted out of the home insurance so they lost my vehicles. It is called GREED. Ed
Well - I've got AAA homeowners insurance. I remember the Oakland/Berkeley Hills fire of 1991 (I was in college at the time and saw it from campus where computer lab power was shut down) and I thought that freaked out a lot of insurers. We certainly don't live in the middle of nowhere (plenty of escape routes), but absolutely we see fire danger warning signs around here. We're definitely on the urban/wildland interface.
My biggest issue getting a homeowner's policy is that my home doesn't have breakers. The first time I got a policy my agent (with Farmers) had to search as a broker because Farmers wouldn't insure. My bill came from Farmers, but I had to make the checks out to the actual insurance company.
My biggest issue getting a homeowner's policy is that my home doesn't have breakers. The first time I got a policy my agent (with Farmers) had to search as a broker because Farmers wouldn't insure. My bill came from Farmers, but I had to make the checks out to the actual insurance company.
Ins companies have agendas that us mortals can never understand. I was refused further insurance by Hartford when they discovered I didn't have central heating! I have electric baseboard (standby), freestanding propane heaters & a woodstove. Never had a pipe freeze in 47 years, but if I had central heat and a power failure they'd be paying the big bucks.
Either buy a underground bunker or surround yourself by water so they cant say its a fire risk. I guess the risk to them then is water.
This is all an eye opener as my insurer said theyed cancell my policy if i didn`t paint my barn or have it sided. I had no idea this a universal problem. one of the neighbors had thier policy cancelled because thier barn is connected to a long shed to the house. Same family same insurance for 65 years.
Where are the media who love to shout outrage, where are the state and federal regulators.
Where are the media who love to shout outrage, where are the state and federal regulators.
I built a brand new house. My agent walked through it with me, right before I got my occupancy permit from the city and moved in. He saw the entire house as it was being completed, wrote me a policy based on what he'd seen, insured it for a proper and reasonable value, and all was good.
Less than 3 years later, I got the phone call from my agent, that "the insurance company needs to inspect your house". Whaaaa? I reminded him that he'd already walked through it. His response was that his walk-through meant nothing to them, that the inspection would be performed through a third party inspection service. This was based on no claims, no nothing. This came out of nowhere, and they were demanding the inspection that the inspection take place right before Christmas with less than a week's notice.
I was willing to compromise, and told the agent that anyone was welcome to come onto the property and look at anything they wanted to from the outside, but that he (my agent) was the only person who would be allowed access to the inside my house. I considered the agent a friend, as had been a teacher at the small high school which I had attended. He wasn't a stranger to me.
That wasn't acceptable to the insurance company. They threatened me with cancellation or non-renewal unless I agreed to let a stranger inspect my house, without any explanation as to what they were looking for, on their tight timeline. Their actions also declared very clearly, that they didn't even trust their own agent. So, I gave the agent the bad news, cancelled out, and took my business elsewhere. He lost it all... insurance on the house, cars, truck, and a motorcycle. Even though this mess was forced onto him as well, he understood my decision. I tried to compromise, and Pekin Insurance didn't want to budge at all.
I suspect that they were looking for a fireplace or a wood burning stove... which I don't have.. or that they suspected some sort of fraud with the policy, since I had built the house myself and had not used a contractor. Also, since I had built the house, there wasn't a real estate sale recorded, or any MLS records. The only available numbers available to them, would have been tax assessment records.... which showed the insured value of my house was reasonable.
I will be putting a new roof on my house this year. As soon as it is on and done, I will be shopping for a new insurer with lower rates. They love hearing the words "new roof" when giving out quotes.
Less than 3 years later, I got the phone call from my agent, that "the insurance company needs to inspect your house". Whaaaa? I reminded him that he'd already walked through it. His response was that his walk-through meant nothing to them, that the inspection would be performed through a third party inspection service. This was based on no claims, no nothing. This came out of nowhere, and they were demanding the inspection that the inspection take place right before Christmas with less than a week's notice.
I was willing to compromise, and told the agent that anyone was welcome to come onto the property and look at anything they wanted to from the outside, but that he (my agent) was the only person who would be allowed access to the inside my house. I considered the agent a friend, as had been a teacher at the small high school which I had attended. He wasn't a stranger to me.
That wasn't acceptable to the insurance company. They threatened me with cancellation or non-renewal unless I agreed to let a stranger inspect my house, without any explanation as to what they were looking for, on their tight timeline. Their actions also declared very clearly, that they didn't even trust their own agent. So, I gave the agent the bad news, cancelled out, and took my business elsewhere. He lost it all... insurance on the house, cars, truck, and a motorcycle. Even though this mess was forced onto him as well, he understood my decision. I tried to compromise, and Pekin Insurance didn't want to budge at all.
I suspect that they were looking for a fireplace or a wood burning stove... which I don't have.. or that they suspected some sort of fraud with the policy, since I had built the house myself and had not used a contractor. Also, since I had built the house, there wasn't a real estate sale recorded, or any MLS records. The only available numbers available to them, would have been tax assessment records.... which showed the insured value of my house was reasonable.
I will be putting a new roof on my house this year. As soon as it is on and done, I will be shopping for a new insurer with lower rates. They love hearing the words "new roof" when giving out quotes.
Beautiful home and I'm happy you got it insured. This simply proves that showing loyalty these days to a business is not worth it. Simply shop around and look out for your best interests. That's what all these corporations do.
AAA did the same to me a few year ago. Then they kept upping my Auto rates for no reason. Zero claims! I dumped them fast.
Beautiful home Scott, great photos. Nice to see folks working hard on their house and enjoying the beauty when its done.
Beautiful home!!
I too am finishing up with AAA this year. They went nuts on car insurance, raising rates to pretty much high risk drivers. Only one claim by the wife in ten years...
Also found out my great policy on my house with AAA will be canceled this summer because it covers too much. (Everything is sold a la carte now) No good reason given
Just sad I guess.....
I too am finishing up with AAA this year. They went nuts on car insurance, raising rates to pretty much high risk drivers. Only one claim by the wife in ten years...
Also found out my great policy on my house with AAA will be canceled this summer because it covers too much. (Everything is sold a la carte now) No good reason given
Just sad I guess.....
You might try Hartford; they are who I use for home insurance.
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
My wife and I have had AAA insurance for almost 40 years. We've insured everything with them; our homes, our cars, umbrella policies, etc. Not once have I made a single claim with them except for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake claim on our Los Gatos home - 30 years ago. They had to do some drywall and stucco repair, nothing major.
About a month ago I got a call from AAA telling me that they wanted to inspect our primary residence prior to renewing the home owners insurance (we insure a second home with them as well). With all the fires in Cali I wasn't surprised.
Well, I just got a call from them telling me that they are not going to renew our home owners policy because they say it's a fire risk. I find this laughable because we live in the suburbs on a large parcel of 1 acre plus lots of California ranch style homes in California's Central Coast Wine Country. We are not tucked away up in the mountains, accessible only by a twisty, single lane road. We are just 1 mile as the crow flies from the local hospital and associated medical offices, dozens of them. There is a fire hydrant directly across the street from our house (!), and many others at regular locations throughout our tract of California "ranchers". The streets are wide enough for two vehicles to easily pass by each other. Most of the surrounding areas are vineyards, not tall trees or dense underbrush. The winds here are always mild and we don't have mountainous ravines that accelerate them. At night we regularly cool down with a "marine layer" - we are only 11 miles from the ocean.
Regardless, they consider our home high risk (it's immaculate inside and out).
What does this mean for AAA? They will lose all my business, and I will not wait for renewal time. AAA will be sending me refund checks because I always pay my policies in full when payments are due.
What does this mean for you? Whether you live in parts of California, areas on the Eastern Seaboard, Florida, the Mississippi River Valley, a tree lined street of 100 year old Victorians, etc., kiss it off - your home owners insurance may not be renewed. Is this another part of the "new normal"?
Funny thing is, when I told the agent that there is a fire hydrant directly across the street from us, his reply was "We don't take that into consideration". That's an exact quote. What a joke.
Pictures of our uninsurable home are attached.
Scott
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
There are many great independent brokers in your area (one in particular) who can probably help (and provide better options than Farmers), but just understand that the situation for CA property is plain ugly and carriers are being forced to take steps to limit their exposure.
My wife and I have had AAA insurance for almost 40 years. We've insured everything with them; our homes, our cars, umbrella policies, etc. Not once have I made a single claim with them except for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake claim on our Los Gatos home - 30 years ago. They had to do some drywall and stucco repair, nothing major.
About a month ago I got a call from AAA telling me that they wanted to inspect our primary residence prior to renewing the home owners insurance (we insure a second home with them as well). With all the fires in Cali I wasn't surprised.
Well, I just got a call from them telling me that they are not going to renew our home owners policy because they say it's a fire risk. I find this laughable because we live in the suburbs on a large parcel of 1 acre plus lots of California ranch style homes in California's Central Coast Wine Country. We are not tucked away up in the mountains, accessible only by a twisty, single lane road. We are just 1 mile as the crow flies from the local hospital and associated medical offices, dozens of them. There is a fire hydrant directly across the street from our house (!), and many others at regular locations throughout our tract of California "ranchers". The streets are wide enough for two vehicles to easily pass by each other. Most of the surrounding areas are vineyards, not tall trees or dense underbrush. The winds here are always mild and we don't have mountainous ravines that accelerate them. At night we regularly cool down with a "marine layer" - we are only 11 miles from the ocean.
Regardless, they consider our home high risk (it's immaculate inside and out).
What does this mean for AAA? They will lose all my business, and I will not wait for renewal time. AAA will be sending me refund checks because I always pay my policies in full when payments are due.
What does this mean for you? Whether you live in parts of California, areas on the Eastern Seaboard, Florida, the Mississippi River Valley, a tree lined street of 100 year old Victorians, etc., kiss it off - your home owners insurance may not be renewed. Is this another part of the "new normal"?
Funny thing is, when I told the agent that there is a fire hydrant directly across the street from us, his reply was "We don't take that into consideration". That's an exact quote. What a joke.
Pictures of our uninsurable home are attached.
Scott
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
There are many great independent brokers in your area (one in particular) who can probably help (and provide better options than Farmers), but just understand that the situation for CA property is plain ugly and carriers are being forced to take steps to limit their exposure.
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Originally Posted by The Critic
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
It's a bit strange in that around here the land may be considerably more valuable than the house. I can't imagine it really costs that much more to build a 4 BR house in the Bay Area than it does to build an equivalent one in the Central Valley, yet it's worth $1.5 million in Silicon Valley while one of similar size/lot might be $400,000 or less in Stockton. I was under the impression that a lot of insurance liability is really about the costs of rebuilding a structure than about the full value of the property.
Still many (including myself) choose to live in a heavily wooded area with lots of brush. It's just what we live with around here. And lots of eucalyptus trees. I've heard Australians call them widow makers for their tendency to randomly drop large branches. And maybe explode in fires.
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
It's a bit strange in that around here the land may be considerably more valuable than the house. I can't imagine it really costs that much more to build a 4 BR house in the Bay Area than it does to build an equivalent one in the Central Valley, yet it's worth $1.5 million in Silicon Valley while one of similar size/lot might be $400,000 or less in Stockton. I was under the impression that a lot of insurance liability is really about the costs of rebuilding a structure than about the full value of the property.
Still many (including myself) choose to live in a heavily wooded area with lots of brush. It's just what we live with around here. And lots of eucalyptus trees. I've heard Australians call them widow makers for their tendency to randomly drop large branches. And maybe explode in fires.
Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by The Critic
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
It's a bit strange in that around here the land may be considerably more valuable than the house. I can't imagine it really costs that much more to build a 4 BR house in the Bay Area than it does to build an equivalent one in the Central Valley, yet it's worth $1.5 million in Silicon Valley while one of similar size/lot might be $400,000 or less in Stockton. I was under the impression that a lot of insurance liability is really about the costs of rebuilding a structure than about the full value of the property.
Still many (including myself) choose to live in a heavily wooded area with lots of brush. It's just what we live with around here. And lots of eucalyptus trees. I've heard Australians call them widow makers for their tendency to randomly drop large branches. And maybe explode in fires.
Reconstruction costs are very market dependent. Rumor on the street is that reconstruction costs of 2-3x the norm are common in Sonoma County right now.
Keep in mind that reconstruction is significantly more expensive than new construction.
Originally Posted by The Critic
Nice place. Unfortunately for you, I am not surprised by their position at all. The brush exposure in your geographic area is likely to be severe. Each company uses their own proprietary data to determine which geographic areas are most prone to brush-related CAT losses. Some of the factors being considered include historical losses in the area, the amount of available fuel (brush) to burn and your proximity to more severe exposures. The total value at stake is also a consideration - if you have a $1.5M at stake in a high-exposure area vs $500K, it is a much different risk to consider. Some carriers have even gone the route of blocking out entire zip codes as part of their CAT management program.
It's a bit strange in that around here the land may be considerably more valuable than the house. I can't imagine it really costs that much more to build a 4 BR house in the Bay Area than it does to build an equivalent one in the Central Valley, yet it's worth $1.5 million in Silicon Valley while one of similar size/lot might be $400,000 or less in Stockton. I was under the impression that a lot of insurance liability is really about the costs of rebuilding a structure than about the full value of the property.
Still many (including myself) choose to live in a heavily wooded area with lots of brush. It's just what we live with around here. And lots of eucalyptus trees. I've heard Australians call them widow makers for their tendency to randomly drop large branches. And maybe explode in fires.
Reconstruction costs are very market dependent. Rumor on the street is that reconstruction costs of 2-3x the norm are common in Sonoma County right now.
Keep in mind that reconstruction is significantly more expensive than new construction.
When shopping around for new insurance, Progressive refused to insure me because we have horses....even though I have a separate policy that covers them and any damage they might do, they still would not insure me even with a horse exclusion.
I haven't read the whole thread to see if it has been mentioned, but the same thing happened in Florida after Hurricane Andrew. State Farm and Allstate dominated the market here before Andrew and after Andrew they bailed out of the homeowners market using any excuse to non-renew. I was like the OP having used State Farm for all of my insurance since graduating from college. When they dropped my homeowners I dropped everything else.
We have a vacation property where the land is way more valuable than the structures. Our insurance company at the time many years ago suddenly insisted on using the total value rather than just that of the structures for value and loss coverage. We dropped them and never had anything like that happen again. Strange action and no explanation given.
The insurance companies have zones and the location part of the rating is by zone. Then there are the individual characteristics of a home that are part of the rating. They include certain breed of dogs, wood stoves and trampolines.
I would bet your neighbors are being told the same thing if they have AAA.
I would bet your neighbors are being told the same thing if they have AAA.
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