Charlestown Homeowners Insurance
Your home is your castle. Protect the investment you have made in it with the right insurance policy.
Jeff Green has held a variety of sales and management roles at life insurance companies, Wall street firms, and distribution organizations over his 40-year career. He was previously Finra 7,24,66 registered and held life insurance licenses in multiple states. He is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
Approximately 8,000 people call Charlestown, IN, home. This growing city offers its residents an abundance of new housing, numerous events in Greenway Park, and, of course, the awe-inspiring Christmas displays and activities that have earned this town its reputation as Southern Indiana’s Christmas City.
If you own a house in this community-centric city, you can protect the investment you have made in it with a solid homeowners insurance policy. Local independent agents can help you find the best and most affordable policy. Find an insurance agent near you to get started.
How Much Does Homeowners Insurance Cost in Charlestown, IN?
Overall, homeowners insurance rates in Indiana are lower than the national average. This is great news for area homeowners who are looking for affordable home coverage.
- National average yearly premium: $1,211
- Indiana average yearly premium: $1,000
Of course, your quoted costs are likely to vary from the average listed above because home insurance rates are based on several factors such as:
- The age, size, and value, of your house
- The type of house you are covering (e.g., single-family detached, mobile home, townhouse, rental property, vacation home, etc.)
- The number of stories your house has and whether it has a basement
- The crime rate and weather risks where your house is located
- Your claims history and credit score
- The size of your deductible
Typically, if you bundle your home insurance with other coverage such as car insurance or life insurance, your insurance company will offer each of your policies at discounted rates. Independent insurance agents can ensure that you are receiving any discounts you may qualify for.
Charlestown Homeowners Insurance Covers Your Property
Homeowners insurance is designed to cover the cost to rebuild, repair, or replace your property if it is damaged by a covered event.
Common catastrophic event stats in Indiana:
- Number of federally declared disasters in Indiana: 51
- Most common causes of disasters in the state: severe storms, floods, and snow
- Average number of tornadoes per year in Indiana: 22
- Homeowners insurance claims paid out in IN in 2019: $1 billion
- 1 in 15 insured homes has a claim each year.
Damaging hazards you are most likely to face as a homeowner in Charlestown include accidental fires, windstorms, electrical storms, tornadoes, hail, heavy snows, ice accumulation, and freezing temperatures. Fortunately, these risks are all covered by most standard homeowners insurance policies.
You will want to be sure that your coverage limits for structural (dwelling insurance) and personal property (contents insurance) are high enough to allow you to fully rebuild, repair, or replace property if your home is severely damaged by a catastrophic event like a fire or tornado.
A Word about Flood Insurance in Charlestown, IN
Homeowners insurance does not cover against floods. If your house is in a FEMA-designated flood zone, you will be required by your mortgage company to carry flood insurance until your loan is paid in full. Otherwise, flood insurance is optional.
Residents near the Ohio River, Jenny Lind Run, and Pleasant Run are most at risk, but flash flooding can occur just about anywhere in this city. According to FEMA, just one inch of rainwater in your home can result in up to $25,000 in damages. A flood insurance policy may therefore be a good investment.
Local independent insurance agents can help you evaluate your flood risk. If you believe that flood insurance is a good idea, your agent can help you secure an affordable policy through the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program).
What Is Loss of Use Insurance?
The risk of tornado activity in Charlestown is 74% higher than the national average. Major disasters like tornadoes and structure fires have the potential to cause serious damage to your house.
If damages from a covered event render your home uninhabitable, loss of use insurance can help. This coverage is included as a standard part of your home insurance policy.
Loss of use insurance is designed to pay for your meals and accommodations while your house is being repaired following a covered event. Talk to a local independent agent to learn more about how this coverage can help you.
Why Do Homeowners in Charlestown Need Liability Insurance?
On occasion, accidents and errors in judgement can lead to extremely expensive lawsuits. That is why homeowners insurance also provides policyholders with a significant amount of personal liability coverage.
Homeowners liability insurance is designed to absorb expenses like court costs, legal defense fees, settlements, judgements, and damages if you or someone in your household is unintentionally responsible for injuries, financial losses, or property damage to others.
Examples of situations where this liability coverage can help include:
- A friend slips on an icy walkway while approaching your house for a visit.
- Your dog gets loose and bites a delivery person. (The Insurance Information Institute states that dog bites account for approximately one-third of all homeowners liability insurance claims!)
- A dead tree in your yard falls onto your neighbor’s house.
- Someone accuses you of libel or slander.
Most homeowners insurance policies offer between $100,000 and $300,000 in personal liability coverage. If you would like to have more liability coverage than your home insurance company can provide, your insurance agent can also help you secure an affordable umbrella insurance policy.
Homeowners Insurance Covers against Property Crimes in Charlestown
The burglary rate in Indiana is slightly higher than the national average. However, in Charlestown, the risk is lower.
- Number of burglaries per 1,000 homes in the US: 3.76
- Number of burglaries per 1,000 homes in Indiana: 3.78
- Number of burglaries per 1,000 homes in Charlestown: 2.67
Things weren’t always this way. As recently as 2011, the burglary rate in this city was a staggering 13.9%. Fortunately, property crimes have dropped significantly since then, but it is still a good idea to remain vigilant and safeguard your property.
Home security systems are among the most effective theft-deterrents, particularly the kinds that include surveillance cameras and can make automatic calls to authorities if an alarm is triggered. That is why many insurance companies offer discounts to policyholders who have these systems installed in their homes.
Of course, nothing is 100% foolproof against a determined burglar, so it’s good to know that if your property is stolen or if your house is damaged by vandals, your homeowners insurance can provide you with compensation. An independent agent can help you be certain that all of your most valuable possessions are suitably covered.
Why Work with an Independent Insurance Agent in Charlestown, IN?
Independent insurance agents in the Charlestown area are available to help you find the best and most affordable homeowners insurance policy. These experienced agents can answer your insurance-related questions and can help you be certain that your property is suitably covered at a competitive price.
Contact an insurance agent with an office near you to learn more. You will soon discover how easy it can be to review customized homeowners insurance quotes from a variety of highly rated providers.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Charlestown-Indiana.html
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/charlestowncityindiana,US/PST045219
https://www.fema.gov/data-visualization/disaster-declarations-states-and-counties