crantelStatement no. 2026-Q1Period: Jan–Mar 2026Page 1 of 1

Buying home insurance for the first time

15 September 2026 7 min read

Two things have moved at once. The price of a policy has climbed fastest in the places people most want to live, and insurers have gotten much quicker to walk away from a property they already cover. Inflation-adjusted average premiums in the Western region are up 43.3% since 2018, and company-initiated non-renewals per 1,000 policies in force in the Western Zone have grown 216% over the same period. In the Southeast, non-renewals per 1,000 policies rose 96% since 2018. What has not changed is the shape of the contract itself: a standard homeowners policy still covers the dwelling and attached structures, your belongings, your liability, and your living expenses if the house becomes uninhabitable after a covered loss. According to NAIC, dwelling coverage pays for damage to your house and to structures attached to your house, including fixtures such as plumbing, electrical wiring, heating, and permanently installed air-conditioning systems.

What A Policy Actually Is

Home insurance is a contract that pays out when a listed peril damages the thing you named on the declarations page. Four coverages do most of the work. Dwelling coverage handles the structure and any

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Buying home insurance for the first time

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