Living in The Natural State can be bliss. With mountains, plains, valleys and rivers surrounding you, it’s easy to love Arkansas. But it’s not so easy to love paying for home insurance.
Whether you’re on the hunt for low cost home insurance or you’re deciding if Arkansas will be your new home sweet home, here’s everything you need to know about homeowners insurance in Arkansas.
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Arkansas is a state of weather extremes, and that’s important for homeowners in AR to know. Although generally classified as humid subtropical in its climate, Arkansas has four different seasons and the weather can range from mild to extreme thanks to the combination of plains and mountains.
The warm air from the Mexico gulf helps keep the state humid and warm, but the cool, dry air coming in from the Rocky Mountains can often result in destructive storms. The competition of cold and warm air moving through the state can lead to freezing rain, but ice storms and regular snow are also a common occurrence.
The spring can be particularly dangerous for homeowners in Arkansas, with flooding and severe thunderstorms a common occurrence. May to October experience humidity and are extremely muggy, which can also wreak havoc in homes.
And while Arkansas isn’t technically part of Tornado Alley, it still experiences a higher than average rate of tornadoes in the U.S., another danger for homeowners.
Keep reading to find out the home insurance protection that makes sense for Arkansas homeowners.
Understanding your options for home insurance is key to getting the coverage that you need to protect your house. Home insurance comes with three main buckets of coverage that you can add to or reduce to customize your policy.
Here’s what’s automatically included in most home insurance policies:
Each of these has coverage limits as well; for example, you may have $250,000 in dwelling coverage and $100,000 in liability coverage.
Your home insurance policy will tell you if you’re covered for only named perils, or if it’s a more generous policy, it’ll only list the excluded perils.
Commonly included home insurance perils are:
You’ll want to be sure to read your policy to ensure you know what it covers. You’ll typically find that earthquakes, flooding, and sinkholes are excluded, as well as any intentional damage by you, neglect, or wear and tear.
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Of course, there’s more coverage that you can add to your policy to feel even more protected. Some optional add-ons to your home insurance policy (referred to as riders) include:
The list doesn’t end there. Each insurance provider may offer different riders, so you can shop around and customize your home insurance policy to what you actually need.
Owning a home can be a big responsibility, but there’s no law in Arkansas that requires you to have home insurance in order to own a home.
However, if you have a mortgage, your mortgage terms may require you to have home insurance in order to help protect the lender.
Whether you’re looking to buy in Arkansas or you’re shopping around for home insurance, it helps to know what you should expect to pay. The truth is that Arkansas has higher than average home insurance costs, and it’s partly due to the fact that the state experiences weather extremes that lead to more claims.
To put a number on it, the average cost of home insurance in Arkansa is $2,142 per year for $250,000 in dwelling coverage. In comparison, the national average is just $1,312.
While Arkansas does have more expensive rates by default, there are things you can do to lower your rates (more on that next). Of course, your actual quotes will depend on a number of factors like your location, the age of your home, if you have higher risks like a swimming pool or an old wood stove, and more.
Owning and maintaining a home can be costly, but having home insurance shouldn’t make or break your budget. You can find affordable home insurance that gives you the coverage you need by following a few simple tips.
These include:
Affordable home insurance in Arkansas isn’t an urban myth. It’s out there, and you deserve to find it. Start by getting access to free quotes here.
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Ready to find affordable home insurance? It couldn’t be easier. Start by browsing quotes online or by contacting your insurance agent. Knowing what you need will help speed things up, and it helps to have the following info handy:
Including as much information as you can will help you get an accurate quote that you can then compare against other quotes and review your coverage options. Now, all you need to do is choose a policy, sign on the dotted line, and enjoy peace of mind that comes with knowing your biggest investment is well protected.
Let’s get started. Click here for access to free quotes fast, and get ready to save.
Claire Smith Claire is a creative entrepreneur with a variety of marketing and content creation skills, including blog and web copy writing, research, and strategy. She has a Masters in Cultural Studies from Queen's University and is known for thinking laterally about marketing, based on her deep knowledge of people and behavior.
