Home & Condo Insurance
Burley, Twin Falls

When it comes to keeping your home safe, you need a Starley-Leavitt Insurance independent insurance agent to evaluate your situation. We don’t just represent one insurance company, we can tailor coverage across multiple carriers to ensure you have the right protection at the right price.

What You Need to Know About Home & Condo Insurance

Your home is more than just a structure, it’s where you build your life. That’s why it’s essential to work with an independent Starley-Leavitt Insurance agent who can match your situation with an insurer that fits both your coverage needs and your budget.

Policies typically cover:

• Your home’s structure
• Personal belongings
• Liability protection
• Additional living expenses if you’re temporarily displaced due to a covered event

Be aware though, standard policies often do not cover floods, earthquakes, or high-value items, though endorsements can be added to fill in these gaps.

Why Coverage Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

Calculating rebuilding costs and itemizing personal property can feel overwhelming. Without careful evaluation, your coverage may be based on assumptions, not actual needs.

A Starley-Leavitt Insurance agent can guide you through:

• Rebuilding cost estimates based on current local construction rates, not just market or purchase price.
• Home inventory development for personal belongings, including replacement vs. actual cash value considerations.
• Coverage for living expenses, liability, natural disasters, other structures, and special endorsements, customized for your unique situation.

What to Do If Your Home Insurance Premium Increases

It’s not uncommon for premiums to rise due to factors like inflation, higher construction costs, more frequent severe weather, or changes to your property’s risk profile (e.g., a new trampoline or recent claim).

If your premium has increased, consider:

• Reviewing your current policy: you may be paying for coverage you no longer need.
• Consulting your agent: Starley-Leavitt Insurance's independent agents can help you compare insurance quotes across carriers.
• Bundling policies: combining your home and auto insurance with the same insurer often qualifies you for multi-policy discounts.
• Investing in home improvements: such as a new roof, security system, or updated wiring may help lower premiums.
• Increasing your deductible: this can reduce premiums, though it raises your out-of-pocket cost in the event of a claim.

Home Insurance Cost Savings

A Starley-Leavitt Insurance agent can help you secure multi-policy discounts when bundling your home and auto insurance. You may also qualify for discounts if your home is equipped with safety features like anti-theft devices, fire sprinklers, or monitoring systems.

How Much Does Bundling Insurance Save?

Bundling your home and auto insurance with the same insurer can lead to significant savings, on average 10% to 15% per year, often totaling hundreds of dollars. In some cases, savings may be even higher, depending on your provider, location, and coverage details.

Why the savings? Insurers value the loyalty and administrative simplicity of bundling, advantages that are passed on to you through lower premiums.

Is Bundling Insurance Worth It?

Absolutely, but only if you shop around first.

Bundling is worth considering if you’re gaining:

• Real cost savings: typically 10-25%
• Simplified billing: one agent, one bill, one renewal date
• Streamlined claims handling: especially helpful if both home and auto are affected by a single event

That said, unbundled policies from different insurers may sometimes offer better pricing. Always compare both bundled and unbundled quotes before making a decision.

Bundling can be particularly effective if your home insurance premiums have increased, it’s a strategic move to lower costs without sacrificing coverage.

Benefits of Bundling Home and Auto

1. Significant Premium Discounts
Expect savings of 10-20%, with leading insurers offering up to 25-30%.
2. Simpler Policy Management
Skip multiple agents and billing cycles with one point of contact, one invoice, and one renewal.
3. Streamlined Claims Handling
In events like storms or flooding that impact both your home and vehicle, it's much easier when one insurer manages both.
4. Access to Additional Discounts
Bundling can unlock extras like auto-pay, safe-driver, or protective-structure discounts that you may not get otherwise.
5. Enhanced Loyalty Benefits
Incentives may include deductible waivers, credits for claims, or expedited service.

Why Starley-Leavitt Insurance Makes a Difference

• An independent agent and local advisor who represents multiple insurers ensures you get a well-rounded comparison for both coverage and price.
• A continuous focus on policy alignment, cost-saving opportunities, and risk identification, from basic structure to disaster-specific endorsements.
• Ongoing support if premiums increase, with smart strategies like bundling, deductible adjustment, or home improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What else is not covered by your homeowners insurance policy?

  Insurance companies do not provide coverage for routine wear and tear. But, through regular maintenance and repair inside and outside of your home, you can help prevent problems from arising. This includes keeping your roof in good shape by replacing worn out shingles and replacing appliance water hoses to prevent water damage.

• How much will it cost to replace my personal possessions?

  We often underestimate the amount of stuff we have. When you consider all of your clothes, furniture, appliances, toys, electronics, etc., it can add up pretty quickly. In general, the amount of personal property coverage is tied to the total homeowners coverage you have. You can customize the amount of coverage based on the value of your personal possessions. The best way you can determine the amount of coverage you need is by creating a home inventory and estimating the value of your belongings.

• What is replacement cost and how is it calculated?

  Replacement cost is how much it would cost to rebuild your home if it is damaged or destroyed. The cost to rebuild can often be very different from market value due to the value of the land and the current state of the housing market. Your insurance is covering the cost to rebuild the structure, and sometimes that cost is more and sometimes less than market value. It's important to go over the details of the home with your agent and make sure your coverage is adequate.

• How Much Homeowners Insurance Do I Need?

  In most cases, people don't know how much it would cost to rebuild their home and replace all their personal belongings after a total loss. The prospect of calculating local building costs and creating a thorough inventory of all your possessions can seem overwhelming. As a result, home insurance has too often been based on assumptions either a rough guess or a default percentage of the home's structural value set by the insurance company.

  Your local Starley-Leavitt Insurance insurance agent can help you protect your investment by consulting with you to determine the amount of insurance you need to cover the following:

  1. The Structure of Your Home

     • Cost to rebuild the home based on current local construction and material costs.
     • Consideration of any unique or custom features that may increase reconstruction costs.

  2. Personal Belongings

     • Comprehensive inventory of all personal items including electronics, furniture, clothing, and valuable items like jewelry and art.
     • Assessment of the actual cash value versus replacement cost coverage for your possessions.

  3. Living Expenses

     • Coverage for additional living expenses in case your home is uninhabitable during repairs.
     • Estimate of costs for comparable temporary accommodation and daily living expenses.

  4. Liability Protection

     • Coverage for injuries or damage to other people or their property where you are deemed responsible.
     • Consideration of higher liability limits or an umbrella policy for added protection.

  5. Natural Disasters

     • Assessment of the geographic location’s susceptibility to disasters like floods, earthquakes, or hurricanes.
     • Understanding exclusions and additional policies required for specific risks (e.g., flood insurance).

  6. Other Structures

     • Insurance for structures on your property not attached to your house, such as garages, sheds, and fences.
     • Consideration of the replacement costs for these additional structures.

  7. Special Coverage

     • Options for endorsements or floaters that provide additional coverage for specific items or circumstances.
     • Review of any gaps in standard policies where additional coverage might be necessary.

  8. Discounts and Deductibles

     • Discussion of available discounts for bundling policies, installing security systems, or making home improvements.
     • Appropriate selection of deductibles to balance out-of-pocket costs with premium rates.
• Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Excavation?

  Homeowners insurance typically does not cover excavation. Standard homeowners insurance policies generally exclude coverage for earth movement, including excavation. This exclusion means that if damage occurs to your property or home due to excavation work, it is unlikely to be covered by your standard policy. However, there may be exceptions or additional endorsements that can be added to a policy to cover specific types of earth movement or excavation-related incidents. It's essential to review your policy details or consult with your insurance provider to understand the specific coverages and exclusions that apply.

• How much coverage do I need?

  Your Starley-Leavitt Insurance agent will help you assess structure, contents, liability, living expenses, and risks—through precise estimates and comprehensive discussions.

• What isn€™t covered by homeowners insurance?

  Standard policies usually exclude excavation, floods, earthquakes, or routine wear-and-tear. But endorsements and other products are available to cover those gaps.