South Carolina homeowners insurance quotes
South Carolina is another one of those states with several different types of terrain and different risks to match.
Hurricanes, flooding, dangerous snowstorms, tornadoes – all these things happen in South Carolina, and the right homeowners protection is incredibly important.
As a homeowner in Palmetto State, you need to touch base and be acquainted with home insurance, the primary source of protection for homeowners and their families.
Become familiar with the intricacies that include coverage and trustworthy homeowners insurance companies in South Carolina with this guide!
At Insurance Geek, we supply South Carolina homeowners insurance quotes as painlessly as possible for our customers, no matter the South Carolina ZIP code.
Filling out our quote form down below is the only thing that you’ll need to do, and let us do the rest.
But before we get into that, let’s cover all the necessary information that you must know and all of the factors that might affect your homeowners policy in South Carolina.
South Carolina Home Insurance: The Basics
With about 5.15 million people inhabiting the state, South Carolinians can enjoy its magical shores and beaches as well as historically important sites and locations.
South Carolina has an astounding 68.9% homeownership rate, which is above the national average.
In order to obtain more information about home insurance rates and best homeowners insurance, just keep reading.
Like every imaginable corner of the world, South Carolina is prone to natural disasters and nature-caused afflictions, which makes homeowners insurance an absolute must.
In order to fully insure your home, it’s best to select an insurance company that your trust, so Insurance Geek will help you around all of the insurance companies in South Carolina.
Perils in South Carolina
It’s best to know what encompasses a “peril” in the sphere of home insurance companies – practically anything risk-inducing for your home. You should also be aware of how they affect home insurance rates.
You can file claims for perils included in your policy. The expenses will be covered if they occurred due to a covered peril.
This list includes the most common claims based on our experience when it comes to homeowners insurance in South Carolina:
- Tropical storm
- Hurricane
- Drain and Sewer Problems
- Tornadoes
- Lightning
- Hail
- Windstorm
- Fire
- Theft
Naturally, there are more perils that can affect your home and also be covered by your homeowners policy.
It is useful to be acquainted with the ones that occur the most before you dive deeper into insurance companies and home insurance rates in South Carolina.
How are Average Premiums Determined in South Carolina?
Countless factors affect and determine premiums that you could get.
The crime rate, credit score, building materials, and weather are just a few that directly influence insurance rates from state to state. Since every client is a unique composition of varying factors, premiums will differ.
We are going to layout and describe the most important factors that affect the South Carolina home insurance costs
Dwelling Value
First and foremost, it’s important to mention the dwelling value – from the materials used in the construction of your home to the entire cost it would take to replace it to the present condition.
This is the information that aids the insurance company in assessing the home insurance rate and the dwelling coverage portion of your insurance.
Claim History
Another factor that can drive the insurance rate up is a previous claim or multiple previous claims.
This signals that the property is at risk and that there are hazards occurring commonly around the location, or maybe even in your ZIP code area.
Condition of Your House
The condition of your home and your property will tell the insurance company many things that they need to know as they assess the potential hazards or risks.
This factor encompasses build materials, age, as well as the current state of your home.
Car Insurance and Other Bundle Discounts
Insurance companies have more preferable rates in South Carolina if you choose to bundle up!
Mixing and combining your policies will result in favorable discounts.
To score on home insurance discounts and protect your home, the homeowners company of choice will offer the possibility of bundling life and auto insurance together.
If you want to get to know more about bundle discounts, it’s best to speak to licensed agents who collaborate with the insurance company directly.
Credit Score
Insurance companies use a credit score to determine the premiums customers pay for their coverage.
What you need to pay attention to is that bad credit scores reflect a higher risk for insurance companies, and they also determine higher insurance premiums.
So, what you should do is make sure to have a clean financial record and pay loans etc. punctually to get lower premiums!
What Is the Best Option for Homeowners Insurance in South Carolina?
There are different types of homeowners insurance policies. Before choosing one, let us introduce you to the necessary information about them.
What you need to do first is choose between an ALL PERIL policy (known as “All Risks”) or a NAMED peril policy.
While all peril policies are plainly and easily understood when you get acquainted with the terms, we are going to shortly lead you through them.
ALL PERIL Policy
All PERIL policies offer coverage for all perils that are included, except for the ones that are excluded.
Therefore, an ALL PERIL coverage portion can safeguard you from damages done by catastrophic weather conditions.
ALL PERIL policies are also there to make your life significantly easier after a traumatic loss.
Should a certain peril be omitted, that is, it isn’t mentioned, then it isn’t covered.
A NAMED Policy
With the second option, you’ll be able to have a limited set of coverage options that will protect you against NAMED perils, which will be stated on your insurance policy plan.
Those that aren’t stated are also not covered.
Named policies are most commonly bought to cover gaps in the existing insurance policies.
What Kind of Policy Do do You Need in South Carolina?
If you’ve never been to South Carolina, you might not remember the damage from some famous hurricanes of the past 40-50 years, including Diana, Hugo, and other perilous storms.
There can be no doubt there’s a danger when it comes to living in coastal regions. Some of the bad weather spawned from hurricanes such as tornadoes and hail can truly wreak havoc on a homestead.
Hurricanes are just one peril that could be faced by residents of South Carolina.
As noted, PERILS are disasters that could damage your home.
The best way to protect against any of the perils above is to consider an ALL PERIL policy. This is one of the most inclusive ways you can take care of your home via your South Carolina homeowners insurance policy.
Get Home Insurance Quotes Today
Choosing and deciding upon the best insurance and home insurance rate can seem overwhelming and complex.
Insurance Geek is there to help you choose the best South Carolina insurance products.
This page will lead you to fill out a form to get a quote.
It’s a quick and painless experience, and you’ll only have to do it once.
We’ll ask you to provide some basic information, such as your ZIP code and address.
After you do that, we’ll generate real-time quotes from insurance companies for you.
We’ll also gladly talk through your situation with you and do everything we can to get the best quotes and tools to aid you in your specific needs.
Why Us?
There aren’t any tricks or shams involved with the quotes that you’ll get with us.
We work according to the “What you see is what you get” principle because we are closely involved with companies that provide us with real-time information.
With us at Insurance Geek, you get to decide for yourself. This means that there are no commitments stored in the back for you to be surprised with.
We ask you for information that is insurance-required in order to link you to the best possible service for you.
The companies that we trust with homeowners insurance are Nationwide, Safeco and Progressive.
Based on our experience, the deals that they provide are not only affordable, but also available in all states, and they don’t go over the average cost of insurance services.
Plus, they have excellent offers for life and auto insurance.
Can I Get a Discount?
Absolutely!
Your discounts are dependent on your specific situation, so it always makes sense to check with your friendly Insurance Geek who can help you figure out what’s best for you.
One of the options to get discounts is to combine policies (e.g., home + auto insurance).
So much can factor into what your premiums will end up at, so it’s best to speak with an agent you trust.
Check out Our Pricing Tool!
We LOVE our pricing tool for its convenience, flexibility, and ability to get you the homeowners insurance that you’re looking for.
Our app works with carriers to assist in bringing you the best South Carolina homeowners insurance quotes out there. We’re looking forward to showing you how it all works!
Do You Need Homeowners Insurance?
Whether you’re an existing or a new homeowner, you should plan on having insurance.
Firstly, your mortgage lender may require you to have homeowners coverage. But even if that’s not the case, there are many more reasons you need it.
Having homeowners insurance in South Carolina can not just save you a lot of money on unexpected costs but also buy you peace of mind.
Current homeowners may decide to upgrade their existing conditions if their housing needs change, if credit scores change or if there’s a better deal afoot.
Top Cities & Metro Suburbs in South Carolina for Homeowners
The average annual cost of insurance in South Carolina is fluid and varies with locations.
Our customers come from places all around South Carolina:
- Charleston
- Columbia
- North Charleston
- Rock Hill
- Greenville
- Summerville
- Mount Pleasant
- Lexington
Note that average homeowners insurance may be a little cheaper in the suburbs, depending on some of the deciding South Carolina homeowners insurance factors we mention above.
Here are some of the top suburbs in South Carolina to consider if you’re looking to relocate somewhere smaller:
- Five Forks
- Tega City
- Seven Oaks
- Forest Acres
- Irmo
- Simpsonville
- Lake Wylie
- Isle of Palms
- Fort Mill
- Goose Creek
- Clemson
In the whole of South Carolina, we offer home insurance through Nationwide, Safeco, and Progressive at competitive rates.
What Does Home Coverage Include?
Before deciding upon specific home insurance as well as a home insurance company of your preference, it is wise to learn more about the home insurance coverage options.
Homeowners insurance in South Carolina and insurance policies can be complex.
To save you some time, we’ve broken them down for your ease of understanding.
What are the most common coverage types, and how do they work? Let’s see:
Coverage A – Dwelling Amount
Should anything happen to your property, dwelling coverage is there so that you would be able to file a claim that can cover the replacement cost of the physical structure of your home.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hail, and fire cause the most common property damages.
This part of your home insurance policy coverage specifically insures your home against it.
The factors that affect the assessment of dwelling coverage are materials and age. Basically, it boils down to the cost of your home and how much it would take to rebuild it should the need arise.
Coverage B – Separate Structures
The dwelling portion of your insurance doesn’t automatically count in separate structures.
The physically detached structures that do not affect the physical structure of your home but are still on your property – such as fences, mailboxes, gazebos – are expensive to replace once they are damaged.
To have the best homeowners insurance, better include them sooner than later cause, like all structures, they are vulnerable and damage-prone.
Coverage C – Personal Property
Homeowners insurance companies can include a policy to protect and insure your personal possessions, too, not just your home!
Your personal property items are things that aren’t included in the construction of your home.
Be it clothes, appliances, furniture, or precious heirloom, all of these are vulnerable and prone to damage.
Special variants of this policy coverage can be designed in order to protect any valuable art or antique jewelry in your possession as well.
An insurance company may offer different options for this sphere. Our agents and customer service can direct you to their differences.
For example, Nationwide has a “Valuable Plus” deal that can include this option while Safeco is there with their “Valuable Articles Coverage.”
Progressive also allows you to get additional coverage for the most valuable items.
Coverage D – Loss of Use
If your home becomes uninhabitable over a certain period of time, the loss of use insurance coverage portion of your homeowners insurance policy can aid you in these times.
Be it fumigation, repairs, remodeling, or damage done to your property that renders it non-functional for a while, you’ll be able to afford and cover:
- Rental living premises
- Food and restaurant bills
- Laundry expenses
And much more. No matter the ZIP code, your insurance company is there to look out for you.
You’ll be asked to provide proof of your (higher) expenses that naturally occur in these situations, and your insurance provider will assess them.
Coverage E – Personal liability
This type of coverage is there to protect you and your family against accidents that might happen. More precisely, against those accidents that you are found liable for.
Should a situation arise and you injure someone or inadvertently damage someone’s personal belongings, a claim can be filed and processed under this coverage and it will cover the costs of defense.
Coverage F – Medical Payments
This portion of your home coverage includes medical payments, and in nature, it’s similar to the previously mentioned personal liability coverage.
So, should any unfortunate event occur, the medical payments coverage will cover the medical care bills.
What Does a Home Insurance Policy not Include?
Flood Insurance
One of the coverages that are not included in your homeowners insurance is flood insurance, and it is usually issued separately through the National Flood Insurance Program.
Albeit flood insurance isn’t a part of your standard home insurance, your homeowners insurance company will provide you with an option to protect yourself against water damage.
Safeco, Nationwide, and Progressive will defray costs that arise as a result of sewer and drain backups or a Sump Pump failure.
Auto Insurance
Much like flood insurance, car insurance isn’t included in your standard package home insurance provided by insurance companies in South Carolina.
This is something that you want to include as your vehicle is not just one of your most valuable assets but also as exposed to risks as your property may be.
Make sure to consult an agent and include auto insurance, too.
What’s more to love about car insurance is the fact that it is easy to combine into bundles in order to get discounts.
Make sure to capitalize on car insurance to both secure your vehicle and cash on discounts!
Homeowners Insurance in South Carolina: FAQ
Q: What is the average cost of homeowners insurance in South Carolina?
A: The average annual homeowners insurance in South Carolina, according to the Insurance information institute, is about $2,300.
The average cost of South Carolina home insurance is such because coastal states are prone to hurricanes and other natural disasters, so it exceeds the average annual cost. However, with our assistance, home insurance in South Carolina can come at better rates and with great customer service.
Q: Who has the best homeowner insurance?
A: The best homeowners insurance in South Carolina is offered by Nationwide, Safeco, and Progressive.
What sets them apart from other companies that handle home insurance in South Carolina is their exemplary customer service as well as excellent home insurance Rates.
To protect your home and have the best insurance rates in South Carolina, you cannot go wrong with either of the companies!
Final Words
Your lender may require you to have insurance, but you should get it first and foremost because the protection it offers is invaluable.
To score the best home insurance in South Carolina as well as great insurance rates that comply with the budgets of various clients, know that you are in the right place.
Insurance Geek works to secure you the best rates in South Carolina. Give us your ZIP code and watch us do the magic for you with as little hassle as possible!