We are thinking about buying a home in So Cal that is a 4 +2 house on a 10,000 sq ft lot. The house has a pool though, and our concern would be what the cost of insurance would be. The pool is deep, and there is no diving board, and at the present time there is no fence. What do you all think? We have small children, so once we purchase the home, we will put a fence up, but we’re just trying to guesstimate at this point. If anyone has any thoughts, by all means share them! I really appreciate any direction I can get with this. *I would rather not call 50 Insurance agencies to get quotes and have someone selling something I don’t need yet!* Thanks a bunch.
By the way it is an in ground pool…for those that care
Best reply by katb:
I’ve heard that having a pool can almost double your insurance, but with proper safety procedures such as a cover, fence, sign, etc. it won’t be as much. THere are so many other factors that can contribute to the cost of insurance (such as how old the house is, how close it is to a fire station, etc) that you really should just speak to your insurance agent.
Read the original question on Yahoo! site
On average how much more would the cost be for insurance for a house with a pool?
I had a 4BR house with a pool in So Cal. It was some years ago and I simply do not remember how much the insurance was, but it was not very expensive.
The cost of your insurance will depend on the limit of liability. With a pool, I’d spend more on insurance and get at LEAST a million dollar liability (God forbid, a neighbor’s kid falls into your pool…)
I hate to recommend a particular insurance company, but from personal experience, Mercury Ins. has the best rates and they are OK with service (I presently have Mercury Insurance on three properties and two cars.)
Oh-oh, you made “mdk” angry (see his answer below.) Now you might need an Umbrella Insurance, in case he’ll take you to court for not giving him all the info. 🙂
Quit screwing around with on-line quotes.
Get a REAL agent. You get a good one you have to make ONE call.
By the way, is the pool in-ground or above ground. You didn tell us the most important piece of information.Or were we supposed to use our imagination??
Honestly, it’s impossible to answer your question. First, you really need someone familiar with California rates (at least you did list a general location, which is more than most do when the post here!) — rates vary wildly from state to state (for instance, WV is typically double and sometimes triple the VA rates.)
But aside from that, there’s a LOT more to an insurance rate than the size of the lot, the # of bedrooms, and the fact that the house has a pool. You really haven’t listed ANYTHING that the company is going to ask with the exception of the fact that a pool exists and there’s no fence.
Is the home located inside the city limits, or in a rural area? How far is it to the local fire dept? Is it a volunteer dept, or a full-time one? Are there hydrants within 1,000 feet?
When was it built? How many square feet? Brick, frame, other? What type of heating source does it have? Are there any supplemental heating sources (like fireplaces, etc)? Have there been any prior claims in the property (during the last 5 years)?
And I’m just getting started. The fact is, I need at least 15 pieces of information in order to even give a conditional quote (and about 63 to give a final quote.)
Seriously — you need to make some calls to the local agents. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up with incorrect info because your rates can vary wildly depending on any one of those factors.