Oklahoma home insurance
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Protect your significant investment with Oklahoma home insurance
Many Oklahoma homeowners can feel overwhelmed by the process of locating the best home insurance package. Finding the right policy requires understanding the unique characteristics of Oklahoma, the many insurance options available and the factors that can influence your premiums. When you have access to the necessary information, you should feel confident in your ability to identify the right policy for your specific needs.
The need for Oklahoma home insurance
Oklahoma's population has been growing steadily over the last decade, currently sitting at over 4,020,000. This equates to a lot of homeowners with over 1,700,000 housing units spread across the state's 68,595 square miles. The state sits squarely in the midwestern area known as Tornado Alley, with severe weather frequently affecting millions of residents and their houses.
Oklahoma's geography contributes to its tendency toward severe storms, with topography that includes mountain peaks, valleys, plains and plateaus. The amount of rainfall in the state is highly seasonal and varies greatly from east to west, with an average of 17 inches in the western panhandle and 56 inches in the southeast. The state is known for high winds, which create its own damage as well as cause the spread of wildfires. Oklahoma had 513 wildfires exceeding 1,000 acres over the last 35 years, burning 4.2 million acres.
The state of Oklahoma has averaged 68 tornado occurrences per year over the last decade, which places the state third in the nation behind Kansas with 91 and Texas with 151. In addition to the social and emotional tolls brought on by these storms, the dollar value of physical damage is significant. In 2013, a tornado that hit the Newcastle/South Oklahoma City area cost approximately $2 billion.
State requirements for Oklahoma home insurance
The state of Oklahoma does not have a legal requirement for homeowners to carry property insurance. However, if you have a mortgage your lending institution will likely require it. After the loan is paid off, you can decide if you want to continue the insurance coverage. Most homeowners do not have the financial wherewithal to rebuild a damaged home without insurance.
A well-designed insurance policy protects your home and its contents from a variety of perils and provides you with financial security in the event of an unforeseen disaster. With climate changes continuing to spur increasingly severe weather, it is wise to find an Oklahoma home insurance policy that can protect against damaging tornadoes as well as other perils like theft and vandalism.
A comparison of Oklahoma home insurance quotes can help you to find the best insurance package to fit your budget and meet your needs. VIU by HUB provides the best tools for comparing coverages and rates to help you find the optimal policy at a price you can afford.
Homeowners insurance options
A basic Oklahoma homeowners insurance policy protects your home and property from many different risks. Insurance packages are customizable to fit your budget and your unique requirements. VIU by HUB advisors will help you design a policy that protects your interests in the event of a fire, storms, theft and other possible hazards. Oklahoma home insurance policies cover these core areas.
Personal Liability
Personal Liability insurance is considered a necessity for most homeowners. With coverage for an array of issues, this coverage will pay for damages for injuries that take place on your property or damage that you cause to someone else's property. This coverage may also apply to legal fees, medical bills and repair costs.
Property Damage
This type of coverage is one of the cornerstones of homeowner policies, offering protection from incidents such as fire and extreme weather. VIU by HUB can help you to find Oklahoma home insurance policies with the most appropriate Property Damage coverage.
Personal Belongings
If your home is damaged or destroyed by fire, severe weather or another covered peril, this coverage pays the cost to repair or replace your furniture, clothing and appliances. Valuable items that may have limited coverage in a homeowners policy like antiques, artwork and jewelry may require special coverage in order to have these items properly insured.
Additional options
As you customize your policy, there are add-on options to consider that will take care of your unique needs. While homeowners policies protect the main living structure on your property, additional detached structures like fences and sheds must be protected by additional coverage called Other Structures. The average homeowners policy does not cover damages from flooding but Flood Insurance policies are available through the National Flood Insurance Program.
Average price of Oklahoma home insurance
The price to buy a house in Oklahoma is relatively low compared with the rest of the country, but the cost to insure and Oklahoma home is among the highest in the nation. It is a good idea to compare costs from VIU by HUB.
Factors that impact home insurance in Oklahoma
Insurance premiums are impacted by factors that fall into five basic categories:
• Insurance coverage options, which increase the cost of the overall policy.
• Home Replacement Cost, which factors in the age of the home, building materials, construction type, features and square footage.
• Policyholder attributes like marital status and credit history.
• Risk factors that can increase a premium, including pets deemed dangerous, an aging roof, location of the home, having a swimming pool, fireplace or wood-burning stove, proximity to water sources and proximity to a fire station.
• Claims history of the property, including claims filed in the area and homeowners claims you have filed as a policyholder.
This information is intended for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.