Personal · Homeowners · Connecticut

Closing in eleven days?
We've got it.

Your lender wants a binder and you're trying to figure out what an HO-3 is. We explain the policy in plain English, shop it across our carriers, and get a binder to your closing attorney before you sign.

Almost immediately

Bound, on most quoted risks

Bundle

Auto + home, one carrier

Plain English

No jargon, no surprises

Get a homeowners quote Or call (203) 755-1228

First home quote

Tell us about the house.

Send your purchase contract and we'll have a binder ready.

You'll talk to a licensed agent

Three questions first-time buyers ask.

Here's what catches most first-time buyers off guard, and how we handle it.

"My lender says I need a binder by Friday. What's a binder?"

It's a one-page document proving coverage starts on closing day. We can bind coverage almost immediately on most risks we've quoted. Your closing attorney gets a copy too, so nobody chases paper at 3pm on closing day.

"The online quote is half what you quoted me. Why?"

Online quotes default to the lender's minimum, which usually under-insures the rebuild cost. We quote at replacement cost based on the actual home, so the policy will rebuild it if it burns.

"Should I bundle my car insurance too?"

Almost always yes. The bundle discount usually saves more than the home policy alone costs to upgrade to a better tier. We can quote your auto alongside your home.

Six lines on the dec page,
in plain English.

A homeowners declaration page packs a lot into one sheet. Here's what each piece does, and what to push back on if a carrier shorts it.

Dwelling Coverage

The amount it would cost to rebuild your home from the ground up. Should match replacement cost, not market value or purchase price. Most people are underinsured on dwelling coverage, so ask us to check it.

Other Structures

Detached garage, fence, shed, pool. Usually 10% of dwelling. Worth checking if you have anything substantial in the yard.

Personal Property

Your stuff. Furniture, electronics, clothing. Usually 50-70% of dwelling. Choose replacement cost over actual cash value. The upgrade costs little and the difference at claim time is huge.

Loss of Use (ALE)

If your home is uninhabitable after a covered loss, this pays for a rental, hotel, restaurant meals beyond what you'd normally spend. Often overlooked, often the difference between a stressful month and a financial crisis.

Personal Liability

If someone gets hurt on your property and sues. Standard limits are $100K. Heritage's advice: carry the highest limit of liability you can afford. A lawsuit can blow through $100K easily.

Medical Payments

No-fault medical coverage for guests injured on your property. Pays small claims without going to liability, keeps the neighbor friendly and the lawyer out of it.

What first-time buyers
ask us first.

If yours isn't here, the phone is faster than a contact form.

Your dwelling coverage should match the cost to rebuild your home, not the price you paid, and not the appraisal. Those numbers include the land, which doesn't burn. We calculate replacement cost from the home's square footage, construction type, and finishes, so the policy will actually rebuild it.

Almost always. The bundling discount is real money, and same-carrier claims are smoother when you have, say, a tree fall on both your roof and your car. We re-shop both at the same time so you see the apples-to-apples bundle savings.

HO-3 is the standard policy form: the dwelling is "open peril" (covers everything except listed exclusions) but personal property is "named peril" (only covers listed causes of loss). HO-5 makes both open peril, which is the broader policy. At minimum you want an all-risk form, that's HO-3. HO-5 is the upgrade where the carrier and the home qualify, and the premium difference is usually small. Either way, read the exclusions so there are no surprises at claim time.

After insuring the home for dwelling and liability, ask about the lesser-known coverages: law and ordinance coverage, sewer back-up, flood insurance, and home-based business coverage, to name a few. Then review the exclusions in the policy, so there are no surprises at claim time.

Review the coverages in the policy with your agent. Ask questions, and get an explanation for anything you don't understand. Ask what the process looks like in the event of a claim, and ask directly about any gaps in your coverage.

Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. If your home is in a high-risk flood zone and your mortgage comes from a federally regulated or federally backed lender, flood insurance is required (42 U.S.C. § 4012a); your lender will tell you. Even outside high-risk zones it's worth considering: nationally, almost a third of flood claims come from outside them (FEMA).

It's what you pay out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in. A higher deductible lowers your premium, and makes sense if you have savings to cover it. Don't pick a deductible you can't actually pay, and remember, separate "wind/hail" deductibles can apply for storm losses.

Closing in eleven days? We've got it.