Ohio coverage that feels like home

Most increases have little to do with you and a lot to do with the weather and the cost of rebuilding. Severe spring and summer storms bring straight-line winds, hail and the occasional tornado. Winter freezes burst pipes. And the labor and materials needed to repair roofs and rebuild homes cost more than they used to. Those pressures push premiums up even for homeowners who have never filed a claim.

What you can control: your deductibles, bundling your home and auto, and making sure your dwelling limit matches what your home would actually cost to rebuild. And shopping. Because we're independent, we can compare several carriers at renewal instead of handing you one company's increase.

Some homeowners policies carry a separate wind/hail deductible. Instead of a flat dollar amount, it may be figured as a percentage of your dwelling coverage. For example, on a home insured for $300,000, a 1% wind/hail deductible would mean $3,000 out of pocket on a hail claim, even if your regular deductible is lower.

Not every policy has one, and terms vary by carrier. Your roof's age and material can also affect how a roof claim is paid, including whether it's settled at replacement cost or actual cash value. We'll show you where yours sits and what it would cost to change it.

Usually not on its own. Standard homeowners policies usually exclude water that backs up through drains or overflows from a failed sump pump unless you add a water backup endorsement. For Ohio homes with finished basements, it's one of the most useful add-ons there is.

Water backup is different from flood. Backup coverage is for water coming up through your drains or sump. Flood insurance is for surface water rising from outside, like a creek over its banks. Condo owners and renters can add backup coverage too. We'll check whether your policy has it, and how much.

It's worth a serious look. A standard homeowners policy does not cover flood. Flood is a separate policy, and we can help you get coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Homes along the Olentangy and Scioto River corridors aren't the only ones at risk. Creeks like Alum Creek and Big Walnut Creek can rise fast in heavy rain, and flash flooding doesn't stop at flood-zone lines. NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts, so don't wait for the forecast. If your home is in a high-risk flood zone (SFHA) and you have a mortgage, your lender will require flood coverage.

Enough to rebuild your home, not enough to rebuy it. Your dwelling limit should track the cost to reconstruct your house at today's labor and material prices, which has little to do with what you paid or what a listing site says it's worth.

Under-insuring is the common mistake, and it only shows up at the worst possible moment, like after a big storm when roofers and materials are in demand. We'll run the rebuild numbers with you.

Rarely. Ohio requires 25/50/25 liability limits: $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. Ohio is an at-fault state, so if you cause a serious crash on I-71 or US-23, medical bills and today's vehicle prices can outrun those limits fast, and you could owe the rest.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) isn't required in Ohio. It's optional, and worth considering, because it protects you when the other driver can't pay. We size coverage to what you actually have to protect.

Start by shopping. As an independent agency, we can quote your coverage with several carriers and compare, instead of offering one company's price. Then the usual levers: bundle your auto with your home, condo or renters policy, raise your deductible if you have savings to cover it, drop collision on a car that isn't worth much anymore, and make sure every discount you may qualify for is applied.

A paid-off car, a new driver, a move or a new commute can change what you pay, so we review it with you every year. What doesn't work is quietly cutting your liability limits. That may save a few dollars a month and exposes everything you own.

A common rule of thumb is 10 to 12 times your annual income, but the better math is specific to you: what's left on the mortgage, what it would cost to raise and educate your kids, any debts that wouldn't disappear, and how many years your family would need income if you weren't here.

Term life is often more affordable than people expect. Try the life tab in our rate estimator to ballpark it, then ask us to compare term and permanent options across the carriers we represent.

It's life insurance or an annuity with long-term care benefits built in or added by rider. It's often funded with a single premium or a limited number of payments. If you need care, the policy helps pay for it. If you never need care, a death benefit goes to your heirs.

That's different from traditional long-term care insurance, where premiums can rise over time and you "use it or lose it." The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates someone turning 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services. Learn more on our long-term care page. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.

An umbrella policy adds liability protection on top of the limits in your home and auto policies, usually starting at $1 million. If you're found responsible for a serious accident and the claim exceeds your underlying limits, the umbrella picks up from there instead of your savings, your equity or your future wages.

For homeowners and real estate investors with assets to protect, it's often a cost-effective layer. Ask us whether an umbrella makes sense for you; it pairs naturally with a home and auto bundle.

Your HOA's master policy generally covers the building's structure and shared areas. Your condo policy, an HO-6, covers what the master policy doesn't: your interior walls, floors, cabinets and fixtures, your belongings, your personal liability, and loss assessments the HOA can charge back to you.

The mistake is assuming the HOA has it handled. Read the master policy's limits, then insure the gap. We'll read it with you.

An independent agency represents multiple insurance companies, not just one. That means we can shop your coverage across several carriers, compare price and coverage side by side, and recommend the best fit. We help you buy insurance rather than sell it to you, and we work for you, not an insurance company.

It also means you don't have to start over when your needs or the market change. Mark has been a licensed insurance professional since 1990, and we'll keep guiding you, from your first policy through every renewal.