Buying a home is beautiful thing once it’s done and the loan is approved and your moved in, it’s great.

But before all of that it can be a stressful agonizing experience. My name is Charles Powell with the Charles Powell agency and I’m here tell you not to fall in love with that home just yet.

Buying a home is a lot like your first few dates with someone everyone is on the best behavior your showered and shaven it’s the best version you and your date. shopping for home it’s got new paint the doors are working good the water is running right there are no signs of disrepair that you can see on those short visits, and that’s why when you find that one that you love or can afford I implore you get an insurance quote even before your start the process of getting approved, for a few reasons, but I will be talking about the two biggest ones.

The first one and the one your mortgage person and loan processor will care most about is how much is it going to cost? The cost will depend on the square footage the age of the home the last time the roof and plumbing were replaced if it is an older home and most importantly especially in CA, is it in a high fire danger area. If you are it won’t be cheap which I discuss in detail on my following blog about insurance on high fire areas.

The second reason and the one that’s most important for you as the buyer is to find out about the previous history on the house. As an agent/broker when I give quotes the insurance companies not only check to see your claims history, but they will also check the claims history on the house and if the house has two or more claims, then expect to pay a higher then usually premium or to be declined for coverage unless you can prove that the previous damage has been completely fixed and they will want to see documentation.

It can be a bummer but for most of us buying a house is a big deal and it gives you the possible buyer insight into whether you should be moving forward with this purchase before you start picturing where your furniture is going to go.

So, make sure you get a quote early in the process I would suggest getting an inspection especially if it is an older home. Insurance companies have access to databases and information about your home that we can’t see, and nobody wants something like getting home insurance to be the reason why you’re not getting the home of your dreams.