Home insurance quotes — protect your biggest investment

How much does home insurance cost in 2026?

Your premium depends on your home’s rebuild cost, age, and construction, your location’s weather and wildfire risk, your roof’s condition, your claims history, and the coverage and deductible you choose. Most homeowners pay $100–$250 a month; older, larger, higher-value, and catastrophe-prone homes cost more. The figures below are illustrative averages, not quotes.

💡 Tip: A typical single-family home might run around $160 a month. Bundling with auto, raising your deductible, and updating an old roof can all lower it — and make sure you’re insured for what it costs to rebuild, not your home’s market price, which includes land you don’t need to insure.

A plain-English guide to homeowners insurance

What is homeowners insurance?

Homeowners insurance is a package policy that protects your home and your finances after a covered event. It pays to repair or rebuild your house, replace your belongings, cover you if someone is injured on your property, and put you up somewhere while your home is being fixed. It isn’t required by law, but if you have a mortgage your lender will require it — and for most people, their home is the largest thing they’ll ever insure.

What does it actually cover?

• ✓Dwelling — the structure of your home and its built-in systems.
• ✓Other structures — detached garages, sheds, and fences.
• ✓Personal property — your furniture, electronics, and belongings.
• ✓Liability — injuries to others and damage you cause, including dog bites.
• ✓Loss of use — living expenses while your home is uninhabitable.

Insure to rebuild cost, not market value

This is the mistake that leaves homeowners underinsured. Your dwelling coverage should reflect what it costs to rebuild your home, not what it would sell for. Market value includes your land, location, and the housing market — none of which you need to rebuild after a fire. In some areas rebuild cost is higher than market value; in others it’s lower. Getting this number right is the single most important part of a homeowners policy, and an agent can help you set it.

What’s not covered?

Two big exclusions catch people off guard: floods and earthquakes are never covered by a standard policy — each needs its own coverage. Standard policies also exclude normal wear and tear, maintenance, and neglect, and they cap payouts on high-value items like jewelry and art unless you schedule them separately. Sewer and drain backup often needs an endorsement too. Knowing these gaps up front is how you avoid a denied claim later.

Replacement cost vs. actual cash value

For your belongings, how you’re paid matters. Replacement cost pays what it takes to buy new equivalents today; actual cash value pays replacement cost minus depreciation, so a five-year-old TV returns far less than a new one. Replacement-cost coverage costs a little more but pays much more at claim time — usually worth it for the contents you’d actually need to replace.

Is it required?

No law requires homeowners insurance, but mortgage lenders require it as a condition of your loan, and they’ll keep requiring proof every year. If you own your home outright, coverage is technically optional — but going without it means a fire or storm could wipe out your largest asset with nothing to fall back on, which is why nearly every homeowner carries it.

Bundling home and auto

If there’s one easy win in personal insurance, it’s this: bundling your home and auto policies with the same carrier is often the biggest single discount available, frequently cutting both premiums at once. It also means one insurer, one renewal, and one place to call. When you compare here, it’s worth quoting them together to see the combined savings.

How is the price determined?

Carriers weigh your home’s rebuild cost, age, and construction, your roof’s condition, your location’s catastrophe exposure, your claims history, your credit where allowed, and the coverage limits and deductible you choose. Two insurers can rate the same house very differently, so comparing carriers is the simplest way to avoid overpaying for the same protection.

How Dean Insurance helps

We’re an independent marketplace, so we shop multiple carriers instead of selling one company’s products. You answer a few questions once; we match you with the carriers and licensed agents best suited to your home, your area, and your budget — and help you set the right rebuild cost and add-ons. The agents and carriers you connect with are licensed and authorized to sell in your state — they handle the advice, the policy, and your proof of insurance. Using Dean Insurance is free; we’re paid by our partners only when you choose a policy, and your information is never sold to unrelated third parties. See our Privacy Policy for details.