Florida Insurance
My Florida home insurance quote came back way higher than I expected.
In Florida the insurance quote is part of qualifying, not a detail to sort out later. A high quote can change what you can afford or kill a deal at underwriting, so get quotes early, before you are under contract if at all possible.
Why is Florida insurance different from what I paid before?
Because you are not buying the same product. Florida sits in a hurricane exposure zone, and the insurance market here has its own conditions, its own carrier appetite, and its own inspection requirements. Carriers move in and out of the state, and they change which homes they will write.
That is why what a relative pays in another state, or what you paid on your last home somewhere else, tells you almost nothing about what this house will cost to insure. It is also why I ask buyers to get real quotes on the actual address instead of assuming a number.
I am not going to print an average premium here. Florida figures move fast, and a number I published months ago could mislead you into a decision. What I can do is explain what drives your quote and how to get it down.
Why does the age of the roof matter so much?
Roof age is the single biggest driver of what you will pay, and sometimes of whether you can get covered at all.
Carriers underwrite the roof more than almost anything else, because that is where their claims come from. Past a certain age, many carriers will decline the home, require the roof be replaced as a condition, or write it at a much higher premium. This can happen even when the roof looks fine and has no active leak, because the decision is being made on age and remaining useful life rather than on curb appeal.
So before you fall in love with a house, ask two questions: how old is the roof, and is there documentation of the replacement. On a home with an older roof, we address insurability during the inspection period, not after.
What are the four point inspection and the wind mitigation report?
These are two separate documents and buyers mix them up constantly. Both can change your premium.
- A four point inspection covers the roof, the electrical system, the plumbing, and the HVAC. Carriers commonly require it on older homes before they will write a policy. It is a gate, not a discount: it tells the carrier whether the home is acceptable.
- A wind mitigation report documents the features that help the home resist wind, such as roof-to-wall attachments, the roof deck attachment, the roof shape, and opening protection like impact windows or shutters. This one frequently lowers the premium, sometimes meaningfully.
- Here is the practical point on wind mitigation: order it even when nobody requires it. It is an inexpensive report relative to what it can save on a policy you will hold for years, and if the home already has qualifying features, you only get credit for them if they are documented.
Do I need flood insurance too?
Flood is a separate policy. Your homeowners policy does not cover flood damage, and that surprises people every single hurricane season.
If the home sits in a mapped high risk flood zone, your lender will require flood coverage, and it needs to be quoted as part of your monthly payment from the start. Check the flood zone for the specific parcel, not the neighborhood, because zone lines run through subdivisions.
The important nuance: being outside a mapped high risk zone is not the same as being safe from water. Maps get updated, drainage changes as areas develop, and Central Florida sees rain events that do not care what a map says. Not required and not worth considering are different statements, and I will tell you honestly which one applies to a given house.
Why does new construction often insure more cheaply?
Because it is built to current code, with a brand new roof and current opening protection standards, and a wind mitigation report on a new home tends to document exactly the features carriers give credit for.
This matters more than buyers expect when comparing a new build against an older resale at a similar price. The monthly cost of ownership is not just the mortgage payment, and insurance can quietly close part of the gap between the two. If you are weighing new construction, read what I wrote about how builder purchases actually work, and keep insurance in that comparison from the beginning.
The quote came back high. What do I actually do?
Do not accept the first number as the market's answer, and do not assume the deal is dead.
- Shop it properly, through someone who can access multiple carriers rather than a single company. Carrier appetite in this state varies enormously by home, roof age, and location.
- Look at the deductible structure, not just the premium. Florida policies typically carry a separate hurricane deductible, often expressed as a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat dollar amount. Understand what you would actually owe out of pocket in a storm before you choose a structure that lowers the premium.
- Make sure the wind mitigation report was actually submitted and the credits applied. Missing credits are one of the most common reasons a quote comes back high on a home that should have priced well.
- Reprice after any roof replacement or opening protection upgrade. If a seller replaces the roof, or the home gets impact windows or shutters, that is a reason to requote rather than assume the old number stands.
- If the number still does not work, we change the house rather than the plan. Insurability is part of what we shop for, and I would rather steer you toward homes that insure well than watch a deal fail at underwriting.
Insurance questions from real transactions
Let us price the insurance before you fall in love with the house
Book a 15-minute call or send me an address. I will tell you what to check on the roof, what documentation to ask the seller for, and how to get real quotes early so the insurance number is part of your plan instead of a surprise at underwriting.