I will look for that article, thanks arbisi. I appreciate it. As far as State Farm being a "great company" ... well, I can't share your opinion because as you know they are dropping homeowners left and right. Maybe they are great at making profits. As of Aug. 15, they decided to dump all homeowners within 5 miles of the coast. Previously they had dumped homeowners within 1 mile of the coast. Sorry, but that's just appalling. I will not give my business to State Farm or Allstate or Liberty Mutual or any company that decides to run and hide rather than work with the people of Florida. My mom immediately canceled her auto and umbrella policies with Liberty Mutual, picking up another company right away, and felt a bit better. Good luck with your situation. I honestly think that Citizens is better than some. I don't think Florida Peninsula is taking any more applicants and by 2008, Citizens is required to be "actuarily sound," which means rates should have some basis in actual risk, not just a number thrown out randomly, which is what happens a lot. Good luck!! Keep us posted.

Since this is what I do on a daily basis I will tell you it is always best to give your agent as much information as possible, it's the only way we can help you protect yourself and your belongings. Your agent should not make any changes your not in agreement to. Now having said that, the reason the roof question comes up and will continue to come up is because insurance companies are looking to reduce thier risk. Depending on where you live and I can only speak of the midwest area because that's where I live and sell, our biggest risk is wind and hail damage to roofs. Most of the big companies in this area are going to actual cash value on the roofs. What does that mean to you? Instead of replacing your roof minus your deductible they will instead take the age of the roof, subtract the depreciation and your deductible and pay the difference. In this year the magic number seems to be 16 - 17 years of age on the roof. Thats were the actual cash value will kick in with a percentage paid out, every year older and that percentage will continue to decrease. This is why an annual review as a consumer is very important, you want to make sure you have replacement. This is also an opportunity for your agent to endorse or re-write the policy to actual cash value, look like he's saving you money and unless it is discussed and agreed to, you might not be the wiser until a claim. As far as your personal belongings, that's very difficult for anyone to put a price on, think about your summer clothing that's all put away now, the Christmas decorations that are now being brought out, all those tools in the garage and how about the shed in the back. Then there is the basement if you have one, the attic if you don't. Instead of worrying about that number, your agent will give you an option for a percentage of your dwelling coverage. That number in this area is usually about 70%, for many that's not realistic. As for the "flood insurance in the basement" you have some sort of water sewer back up coverage, not flood insurance. By all means if you have had an issue with it, keep that coverage. If your insurance company suffers alot of those type of claims, they may increase the cost of that coverage or possibly reduce the amount of coverage. You need to be aware of that. Your deductible, way too low. If you have collision coverage on your auto I'll bet your homeowner's deductible is the same amount. You need to consider a $1,000 deductible. If you put in a claim for anything less you will pay more than that in the next few years. Your agent will be looking to do a replacement cost estimator with you to help you determine your coverage's. If you've replaced your furnace or central air conditioning make sure to let your agent know that. If you have a security system, let him know that as well. Be aware, if after your interview he suggest that he rewrite the policy they may order an inspection. An inspector will walk the outside of the property looking for things that affect the companies risk. Brush growing too close to the side of the home affecting the siding, soffits and roofs. Tree that over hang the roof or brush that sits on the roof and siding. Tripping hazards, splits in sidewalks or cement/asphalt driveways. Decks, rotten boards, low or missing rails. Chipped paint is also a big one. The roof, are there any missing shingles or curled shingles. The list can go on and if you don't pass the inspection depending on your state you will be given 45 days to repair the problems or the policy may be terminated. Then you could be up a creek especially if at the time the agent writes the new policy, he terminated the old policy. I hope this helps, I know it's alot of information but like I said, this is what I do.

Thanks for all of the very helpful replies. You've given me much to consider. I'm quickly learning that in shopping around, you aren't necessarily comparing apples to apples, and you really have to know what level of insurance you desire and you need to know what all of the "add-ons" that they often package together actually are. I find this all incredibly dull and tedious, but also recognize that it is of the utmost importance. We have been with Farmers for many years, working with the same agent (not broker; I see pros and cons of using a broker). I'm old-school enough to place value on the relationship that has been established with this agent's office. It's just really nice to be able to call his office and have his long-time assistant know exactly who I am (and I know her). After looking at a few other quotes, it appears that we will likely just stay where we are. We have excellent coverage with a company we trust, so while the premiums have risen, I do understand that there are outlying factors that are not within our control affecting these costs. We will still discuss possible ways of lowering our premium with our agent, but I have a feeling it will just mean taking away certain coverages, and I know we won't want to go there.

And just in case someone want to know how this is done for example... here: Damage in the family room .. wet half wall, connecting soffit , ceiling, exterior wall, and the water leaked into a fireplace and on other room side another part of ceiling, tornado damaged door, baseboards: The adjuster pays: R13 in the attic instead of R38, pays for a bogus 2" paint grade baseboards $1.40lf, exterior wall drywall, install carpet - lowest grade, OSB 4'x4'; re-nail interior door (as exterior door fix) What the adjuster did not pay: R38 insulation, 20'x14' ceilings, 3"-1/4 baseboards clear maple stain grade - $3.50/lf, stain the baseboards, new trim around the window and staining, the insulation behind the wet exterior drywall, paint the drywall [what bag pays for unpainted walls], remove/install/replace drapes next to the windows, half wall + soffit drywall and paint, repairs to the flooded fireplace, the carper removal [not just install], 20'x14' subfloors, and remove and replace exterior door + paint the exterior door + trim. Is that 20 cents on the dollar or 10 cents on the dollar? Best insurance - LibertyMutual.