Vacant Homes in Montpelier

In addition to taking every precaution to make sure that there isn’t a freeze up, there’s something else to look into if your home is going to be vacant for any extended period of time—insurance.

Homeowners’ policies do their underwriting (I suppose that’s what it is…)based on the notion that someone’s actually going to be living in the house.  Someone will know if the heat shuts off, or if there’s a fire, or if the roof leaks, etc.  And, presumably, that someone will take care of the problem before it gets bigger.

But, if you have a home for sale in Montpelier or Barre (or anywhere, really), and if it’s vacant, you should talk to your insurance company about a vacant house policy.  It’s not going to be cheap, and it’s not going to be a very comprehensive policy—premiums may double, and coverage will probably be reduced.  But say you don’t have the coverage and something happens.  The insurance company’s going to come out, see the house was empty, and may refuse to pay the claim.  Yikes.

Me?  I like insurance.  I like having good insurance, and I don’t mind (that much) paying a little more for it.  A few hundred dollars in premiums could go a long way, if something happens.

No, I don’t have any connection to any insurance company, and no one’s paying me for this (although I’m open to offers…)

Be Smart.  Remember Ray.