Home insurance quote comparison checklist

Line up the coverages first: which numbers have to match?

Before comparing a single dollar figure, confirm both quotes use the same Coverage A (dwelling) limit. If one quote insures the home for $350,000 and the other for $320,000, a lower premium on the second quote may simply reflect less coverage, not a better rate. From there, check that Coverage B (other structures), Coverage C (personal property), and Coverage D (loss of use) are set at comparable levels — carriers default these as a percentage of Coverage A, and the percentages can differ between carriers even when the dwelling limit matches. Finally, line up personal liability and medical payments to others: a quote with $100,000 in liability coverage will almost always be cheaper than one with $300,000, and that gap has nothing to do with which carrier is a better value.

Deductibles: are you comparing the same hurricane and AOP figures?

Florida homeowners policies carry two separate deductibles, and both need to match across quotes before price is a fair comparison. The hurricane deductible is usually written as a percentage of Coverage A (commonly 2%, 5%, or 10%) rather than a flat dollar figure, so the same percentage can mean a very different out-of-pocket number if the two quotes use different dwelling limits. The all-other-perils (AOP) deductible applies to non-hurricane claims — fire, theft, water damage, wind outside a named storm — and is typically a flat dollar amount such as $1,000 or $2,500. A quote can look cheaper purely because it was run with a 10% hurricane deductible and a $2,500 AOP deductible instead of a 2% hurricane deductible and a $1,000 AOP deductible. Ask each agent or carrier to confirm both figures in writing, and if needed, ask for a second quote at matching deductibles so the premiums are actually comparable.

Which endorsements are in one quote and missing from the other?

Base homeowners policies vary in what they include by default, and endorsements are where two quotes for the “same” home can diverge the most. Check whether each quote includes a water damage sublimit or a separate water backup/sump overflow endorsement, since non-hurricane water claims are one of the most common causes of loss in Florida and a low sublimit can leave a real gap. Check whether roof coverage is written on a replacement cost (RC) or actual cash value (ACV) roof schedule — many Florida carriers have moved to ACV roof settlements for roofs over a certain age, and this single difference can be worth thousands of dollars in a claim. Also compare ordinance-or-law coverage, which pays the added cost of bringing a damaged home up to current building code, and sinkhole or catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage, which is optional in most of Florida outside a few statutorily required areas. List every endorsement on each quote side by side; a lower price on a quote missing two or three of these is not a lower price for the same protection.

Who is the carrier behind each quote, and what is publicly on record about it?

Once the coverage terms match, look at the carrier itself. Most Florida-domestic homeowners insurers are rated for financial stability by Demotech rather than by the larger national agencies. Demotech’s review methodology is built around the smaller, regional insurers that make up much of the state’s residential property market. Some carriers, particularly larger national ones, carry an AM Best financial strength rating instead. Ask each agent which rating agency rates the carrier and what the current rating is, and independently confirm it on the rating agency’s own site rather than relying on marketing material, since ratings are reviewed periodically and can change. Separately, Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation maintains a company search tool at companysearch.floir.gov confirming a carrier’s licensed status and identifying information, and the NAIC’s Consumer Information Source (content.naic.org) lets you look up a company’s complaint index against the national average for its size. A materially higher-than-average complaint index, or a carrier you can’t find on either resource, is worth asking about before comparing price.

What is excluded, and did anyone point it out?

Every homeowners policy excludes certain causes of loss, and the exclusions list is rarely identical between two quotes even at the same premium. Ask specifically whether mold remediation has a sublimit or is excluded outright, whether screened enclosures or pool cages are covered or excluded (a common gap on Florida homes), and whether personal property is settled at replacement cost or actual cash value, since ACV settlements deduct for depreciation on damaged belongings. If one agent walked you through the exclusions unprompted and the other only sent a declarations page, that difference in disclosure is itself useful information about what to expect if you have to file a claim later. When in doubt, ask for the full policy form (not just the quote summary) for each option and compare the exclusions sections directly.

Price last: what does the difference actually buy?

Once Coverage A–D limits, liability, both deductibles, endorsements, and exclusions are lined up, price becomes a meaningful comparison rather than a guess. If the quotes still differ after matching every term above, the gap usually traces to the carrier’s own underwriting appetite, reinsurance costs, or how it prices the specific ZIP code, roof age, or construction type — not to one insurer being careless and the other efficient. The cheapest quote at mismatched terms is not a better deal; it is usually a smaller policy. The right comparison is the lowest price at the coverage, deductible, and endorsement package you have actually decided you need.