Bluffton Homeowners Insurance

Those looking for a home in Bluffton will also inevitably be looking for home insurance, especially if you have a mortgage. Homeowners insurance is the best way to financially protect your property.

The purpose of home insurance is to provide coverage to rebuild or repair your house in the event it gets damaged by a covered peril. Your home is likely one of the biggest investments in your life, and a homeowners insurance policy is the best way to protect that investment.

Below, we’ll go over everything you need to know about home insurance in Bluffton. We list notable insurance companies in the area and their average rates, and we will go over many cost factors that affect insurance rates in Bluffton. We also explain the coverages you can expect in a standard home insurance policy.

The average cost of homeowners insurance in Bluffton on a $200,000 house is $2,508. While this number is a good reference point, it doesn’t give the whole picture. There are a variety of factors that can affect home insurance premiums, and you should be aware of how these factors can affect rates.

Take a look at the list of popular providers below and notice the range in rates and the differences between rates from the same providers for homes at different price points.

The rates in this article are from the South Carolina Department of Insurance​. They reflect actual prices from insurers that write at least $1 million in premiums in the state. However, they don’t reflect policy discounts or other variations in price that may apply to your particular policy.

Two major factors that can affect the cost of home insurance in Bluffton are the value of your home and the construction style of your home. Generally, larger, more expensive homes are more costly to insure because they have a higher replacement cost. They could have more expensive, high-end features that would cost more to rebuild or replace if they were damaged.

Masonry homes can have lower insurance premiums than frame houses because masonry homes can withstand the elements better. They tend to take less damage from severe weather like fires or the high winds from hurricanes. They also aren’t susceptible to termites or wood rot like frame homes are.

Take a look at the average home insurance rates in Bluffton for $200,000 homes accounting for the differences in construction type.

You’ll notice another important factor that influences insurance premiums is home age. Newer homes can cost less to insure than an older home of similar build and style because newer homes are up to the latest building and safety codes. Older homes may not have been built in the most optimal way, leaving them weaker or more unsafe. They’re inherently riskier than newer homes, so they generally cost more to cover.

In especially older homes, features such as outdated wiring or a very old roof can directly increase your rates, and they may even cause insurers to deny you coverage altogether.

Looking at the numbers, Universal Property & Casualty had some of the lowest average rates in both age ranges. An interesting note, though, is that State Farm had the smallest average increase between age ranges, going up only $134, or 7%, from the 1-34 age group to the 35-and-up age group of homes.

Let’s take a look at home insurance rates in Bluffton for $350,000 with the same variables.

Homeowners insurance typically comes with some standard coverages. Policies are divided into different sections based on these areas of coverage. A home insurance plan in Bluffton likely contains the following coverages:

Dwelling coverage is the coverage that may come to mind first when you think of home insurance. It’s the part of your policy dedicated to the main structure of your house, like the walls, windows, floors, and roof. Your dwelling coverage is based on the value of your house. For instance, if you have a $200,000 house, you should have at least $200,000 of dwelling coverage so you can rebuild properly in the worst-case scenario.

Other structures coverage protects the structures on your property detached from your house. This includes sheds, fences, detached garages, and more. The amount of other structures coverage you have is based on a percentage of your dwelling coverage, often maxing out at 10%. For example, if you have $200,000 of dwelling coverage, you may have $20,000 of other structures coverage.

Personal property coverage financially safeguards the belongings inside your house, like furniture, electronics, clothes, art, and more. Insurers offer personal property coverage at replacement cost or at actual cash value. Actual cash value coverage factors in depreciation when reimbursing you for your damaged or stolen items, which means it provides a smaller payout, although it’s the more affordable option.

Liability coverage and medical payments coverage protect your financial liability if someone gets injured on your property. If someone gets hurt and pursues you for damages, your liability coverage can pay for their medical expenses and your legal fees if you’re found liable. Medical payments also covers minor injuries and smaller medical costs.

Loss of use coverage kicks in when you’re forced to move out of your house after it’s been destroyed by a covered peril. If your home gets destroyed, and your insurer agrees to cover the damage and repair your house, you’ll need to move somewhere else during the rebuild. Loss of use coverage enables your provider to reimburse you for the money you spend to relocate. Your hotel stay, food, gas, and more can be covered.

The cost of homeowners insurance is affected by a variety of factors. We’ve delved into some big ones, but there are many more we haven’t gone over, such as location, claims history, and more.

The location of your house matters in several ways. In Bluffton, hurricanes are a serious threat during the storm season. Hurricane Matthew hit the coastal South Carolina area fairly hard in 2016, and more recently, Bluffton felt the effects of Dorian just three years ago.

Insurance companies have to factor the possibility of serious storm damage in their premiums, so property owners in hurricane-prone areas, like Bluffton, usually pay more for home insurance than people who don’t live in such places.

South Carolina has its share of sinkholes, too, which may be taken into account. Providers also care if you live in an area prone to wildfires or earthquakes, but these aren’t important in Bluffton.

Location is important in other ways unrelated to severe weather, too. Insurers may take note if your house is in an area with high crime rates, for instance. Alternatively, you may receive a discount on your premiums if you’re within a certain distance to a fire hydrant or a fire station.

If you have a recent history of filing home insurance claims, you’ll likely pay higher premiums. Insurers want to know if you’ve filed claims in the past 3-5 years. They believe someone who has filed a claim in the past is more likely to file another in the future. As a result, they may charge you more for insurance to offset this perceived increased risk of a payout.

There are also some steps you can take to lower rates. Having a home security system can lower premiums. Additionally, many companies offer paperless discounts. You can also get discounts for veteran status, having a new roof, bundling, and more.

If you’re looking for a home insurance quote in Bluffton, we’re here to help. Clovered is an independent insurance agency that partners with many of the top providers in the country. We’ve grown to provide our business in 19 states, including South Carolina.

We’d love to find you coverage.  If you want to speak to a licensed agent on the phone, just call 833-255-4117 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Or, you can email us anytime at [email protected], and an agent will get back to you soon.

In addition to storm surges due to a hurricane, Bluffton is prone to flooding from heavy rains. Unfortunately, home insurance won’t cover damage from floods. You’d need a separate flood insurance policy to be fully protected from the dangers of flooding. We can help with that, too.

We partner with that country’s largest flood insurance provider, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as well as several private flood insurance companies to give you options for flood coverage.

Keep in mind that the NFIP is available everywhere thanks to the federal government. Private flood insurance options can vary based on your location, but it often has higher limits and more coverage options at a similar, if not better, rate. We can help you decide which option is best.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines flood zones for the country. They’ve classified areas based on their flooding risk. In Bluffton, some properties along the May River and around Palmetto Bluff are in high-risk flood zones.

Mortgage lenders require flood insurance in federally designated high-risk flood zones, which typically carry an AE or VE designation on FEMA flood maps. To check your flood risk, you can visit FEMA’s website. Flood maps are subject to change as FEMA maintains and updates them, so be sure to stay on top of your classification. 

Know, too, that your house can flood even if it’s not in a flood zone. The NFIP reports that over 25% of their claims come from properties outside of high-risk flood zones. It’s always better to be safe and sorry; flood insurance may be worth it for you.