Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2013 · 73 posts · 2 votes
Just got my first home to flip and need some info on vacancy insurance. What should I expect to pay? I assume its by month? Any formula I can use to estimate cost? Help is appreciated. Thanks!
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
If you eventually turn the vacant property into an occupied rental, be sure to notify them when the change occurs; and you at that point would also want to check into loss of rents coverage.
Developer · Andover, MA · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 489 votes
13y
Congrats on your first flip Maher Bateh.
As you can imagine, the price of insurance on vacant properties is greatly dependent on location and the amount of insurance. I suggest calling an insurance agent to get accurate numbers. Nonetheless, expect to pay more than your standard homeowners insurance. Up here in Boston I budget for about $225/month. - this about twice the cost of standard insurance.
Investor · Northeast, OH · Member since 2012 · 239 posts · 106 votes
13y
I have the same experience in NE Ohio as Justin Silverio does in Boston....$1950/year vacant vs. $1099/year occupied. This is for a 3-family. By the way, for a MF, my insurance company considers the property occupied if one unit is occupied.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
I assume you mean vacant house insurance. The times I've bought policies I paid three months at a time. The last policy had various options, but the short time you paid at a time the more expensive it was. Looks like we had an initial payment of $335 and then monthly payments of $145. That was for a house worth about $200K in a pretty good area. These policies vary a LOT.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I know that Foremost offers insurance for vacant houses. I have a commercial policy that covers all of my houses whether they are vacant or occupied. If you have at least ten properties, I would look into commercial.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
These typically ARE 3 months at a time, but Affinity Group will do these on a monthly basis. Some other threads on here about them already, and some of the people at Affinity are also BP members as well.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
deb,
rob uses a policy that's not specific to one house. so, unlike me, he has one policy that covers his 30 houses. i have a policy for each house and it's a pain. and more expensive.
then he has an umbrella that gives him the extra protection up to 2M.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
Originally posted by George P.:
there are a few "affinity insurance" providers.... can someone PM me a link?
...
Other threads cover them, and their employees have made appearances in these next two; you should be able to find the website from an employee profile page.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
Deborah B. George is right. I have one policy that I can keep adding houses to. It ends up costing less than $500 per year, per house. They can be vacant or occupied, but I need to let them know which.
I haven't made a claim yet, so I don't know how they are handled. The agent said claims are handled fine.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
thanks, steve... Ben already gave me the link, which never came up in my 2 mins search.
in the first link, Will mentioned another thread - http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/53/topics/41874-the-best-insurance-for-rehabbers , but that thread does not exist.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
Originally posted by Rob K:
Deborah B. George is right. I have one policy that I can keep adding houses to. It ends up costing less than $500 per year, per house. They can be vacant or occupied, but I need to let them know which.
I haven't made a claim yet, so I don't know how they are handled. The agent said claims are handled fine.
PM me your company, plz. my premiums just went up by $400. for 7 houses and 3 autos i am paying around 5k. shopped around, but that was still cheaper than anyone else.
want to see if your guy can do something better.... thanks
Developer · Andover, MA · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 489 votes
13y
I went to a local REI event last night (Black Diamond) and Tim Norris, the President at National Real Estate Insurance Group and Affinity Group Management was speaking. Tim's an investor himself and understands what other investors are looking, hence the reason the company is such a great resource for us investors.
Homeowner · Dalton, GA · Member since 2010 · 108 posts · 13 votes
13y
http://www.nreinsurance.com/ this is an insurance site a friend of mine uses for all investment properties stated amount you want property insured for and they also have policies for vacancies and under contrats
Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2013 · 73 posts · 2 votes
13y
Sammy - That's who I called but the are asking me if I want replacement cost or ACV(actual cash value) coverage. Of course ACV is cheaper but wanting to to know you guys are selecting.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
If you eventually turn the vacant property into an occupied rental, be sure to notify them when the change occurs; and you at that point would also want to check into loss of rents coverage.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
There are some threads in the insurance forum on the replacement value vs. actual value debate. I'd say, if you would intend to repair it, get replacement value. If you'll just take the cash, clean up and sell the lot and go buy another policy, get actual value.