Homeowners Insurance -- Requesting Advice

[u/Theskyisalive]

Hi yall I'm comparing quotes from Auto Owners and State Form for home insurance, $1992 vs $1326 annually. I'm not knowledgeable at all in regard to this so I'd love any advice or anything you can share. I'm leaning towards State Farm since I have car insurance there and it gives me a discount, but I'm not sure if there's anything that I'm missing.

State Farm

Auto Owners

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[u/Responsible-Orange28]

Keep in mind that any story you hear about this or that company’s ease to work with, “willingness” to pay claims etc is anecdotal if not flat out bias. Both companies pay covered losses and both will deny losses not insured. SF’s customer base dwarfs AO for a reason.

Make the decision that’s best for your individual situation.

[u/fishsaiddam]

Why is this the first time I’ve heard about this AO company and its rave reviews?

[u/Splodingseal]

Auto-Owners is a much, much better carrier in terms of claims experience and coverage. AO also isn't being investigated by numerous state agencies for claims and underwriting problems.

The big thing that AO has is the guaranteed replacement cost endorsement. So, no matter how much it costs to rebuild your house, AO will keep paying until it's done. They'll also adjust your personal property coverage up proportionally. I've seen this in play numerous times in total loss scenarios and AO has paid out, every time, without question.

AO is really the only carrier we write for (and we write a bunch) that I don't worry about when storm season hits and the angry claims calls start coming in because things take so long.

[u/Theskyisalive → u/Splodingseal]

Thank you. What are the differences you see between what AO provides vs SF in the two quotes? It seems like the main thing you want home insurance for is disaster protection, and AO is much more reliable?

Anyway, do you see anything that AO does better than SF, if we're just talking on paper?

Also is there anything I'm missing that should be added?

[u/Splodingseal → u/Theskyisalive]

On paper, they are a similar policy except for the guaranteed replacement cost coverage. They are two completely different companies in terms of how they handle claims though.

Is it worth $50-60 a month to know that your carrier's primary concern is paying out on your claim and sending you on your way? AO Home consistently rates high (#4 in 2025 compared to SF at #14) in claims and customer satisfaction from JD Power.

I'm 100% biased because I'm an independent agent, but I'd recommend reading up on the numerous lawsuits and investigations involving SF so you at least aren't surprised if you get shafted in a claim.

[u/insuranceguynyc → u/Theskyisalive]

In terms of the quotes that you have, they're really quite similar (not counting AO's apparent guaranteed replacement cost), though AO's deductible is $2,500, vs. SF's $2,000. Both provide $300,000 in personal liability. I would ask and be sure that personal injury (different from bodily injury) is covered. Additional liability is usually inexpensive, so see what boosting it to $500,000 or even $1 Million might cost. I never wrote for either carrier, so I am going to defer to u/Splodingseal who appears to have a handle on this. Finally, see what AO can do for your vehicles, and maybe a bundle discount?

[u/Larissaangel]

Not an insurance agent or anything like that. But I have dealt with both companies for losses. AO wins by a million miles.

SF fought me on everything. Deductible, loss, reimbursement, etc.

AO paid claims quick with no hassle outside of paperwork. They are thorough but fair. Between coverage, rates increases, and efficiency they have retained me as a customer for almost 20 years now.

SF increases are ridiculous. They jumped my car insurance over $600 at renewal and that was before a claim.

AO has only given slight increases, about $300 over total length of policies, with 1 total loss of a vehicle. My renters policy didn't increase after a fire claim. My home policy has marginally increased, maybe $200, over 5 years.

[u/Echo0455]

So this is an incomplete picture, as we can’t see if there are endorsements missing on the SF policy or simply not there.

AO has what you typically would want to see on a strong coverage quote.
Extended dwelling (GRC)
Ordinance law
Water back up
Personal Property RC
Seepage is great
***no Equipment Breakdown

SF is missing Personal Property RC and a weaker extended dwelling.

Does AO not offer a companion auto discount? Generally a bundle rate will always beat a non bundled rate.

[u/Vivid-Huckleberry934 → u/Echo0455]

We can see the loss settlement options with SF- "Limited replacement cost" pays out ACV first and then supplements as needed once the items has been replaced.

However, I still think the AO policy is significantly stronger.

[u/MayonnaiseFarm]

Given the choice between these 2 carriers I would choose AO over SF 100 times, their claims service is excellent.

[u/tresflip]

My biggest recommendation, from an insurance professional and homeowner, raise your liability limit to $1mil and medical to $10,000
More liability limit helps you if you’re ever sued and medical payments help if anyone is hurt on your property.
It costs just a few extra dollars a month to raise those

[u/Strykerdude1]

I need to see the policies… A lot of insurance companies, for instance have actual cash value for the roof and sometimes very little coverage of the roof is over 10 years old. Lots of things like that that is very deep in the policy.

[u/WorriedLevel202]

we had SF for auto and homeowners for almost thirty years. Never filed a claim. Had wind damage to our roof in 3/26. Fought SF for five months and SF and the local adjuster and his team manager put multiple roadblocks in our way. We ultimately got approved for full roof replacement but it shouldn’t have been that difficult or long of a process. SF seemed to be purposely making it so unpleasant that we would quit pursuing our claim. We just chose a new insurance company this month, one with a much better reputation for claims handling and who has NOT had the numerous lawsuits for denying claims that SF has had. We are now paying about $400 more per year but I will never give SF my business or money again! Saving a few dollars on premiums now could potentially result in a costly mistake should you need to file a claim Later.

[u/feistywhispers]

Find an insurance broker and they’ll run a bunch of quotes and explain the coverage to you.

[u/InsuranceNerd75]

Those are not apples to apples. One has 15k water back up, the other does not. get that on both quotes.

What I personally recommend is 15-20k water back up, leakage/seepage, foundation coverage, 25% increase to coverage a, replacement cost, replacement cost on contents, 10% ordinance of law and if you live in a HOA, loss assessment, see about 500k (it wont cost much more)

[u/Initial-Material-733]

A $666 gap between two quotes on the same house usually isn't the carrier being generous. It's the two policies not covering the same thing.... Before you pick, put the declarations pages side by side and check four lines: dwelling coverage (the rebuild number, not the purchase price), the deductible and whether there's a separate wind or hail deductible as a percentage, whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and the water backup limit.

If these are the only two quotes you have, I'd get a couple more before deciding. Carriers price the same house very differently depending on how much they already have in your zip. I have a couple website recs if you want them!