Home Home insurance Coverage How do I know if I have enough insurance on my house? It’s worth $450,000. How do I know if I have enough insurance on my house? It’s worth $450,000. By Barbara Marquand | Posted on September 12, 2012 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. Forget real estate market value. Insurance value is all about construction costs. In some cases the cost to rebuild might exceed the resale value of your home, especially in a depressed housing market when construction materials and labor costs remain stable as housing prices decline. In other cases, the cost to rebuild your home might be below its market value. The real estate value, after all, includes the land, which isn’t factored into the cost to replace the building. Your insurance agent should be able to provide guidance on the appropriate coverage amount. Many victims of disasters find out too late that their homes were underinsured. Among victims of the 2010 Fourmile Canyon wildfire near Boulder, Colo., 64 percent of homeowners reported being underinsured on their dwelling by an average of $200,000, according to a survey by United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. See When your home’s market value is less than its insurance value. QuickTake Personal liability insurance: What it is and why you need it Is mortgage disability insurance worth it? What’s Other Structures coverage in home insurance? Guide to personal property insurance Alternative heating can cause surprise fires Should gun owners carry more insurance? What's the better security system: Dog or home alarm? What is medical payments coverage on home insurance? Home renovation insurance: Does homeowners insurance cover renovations? When you inherit a house, you don't automatically inherit the home insurance policy Insurance for your drone Insuring your valuables How safe are safes? Children's play dates gone wrong! Home insurance for landscaping and plants See more > In case you missed it What is HO-6 insurance? Average home insurance cost in 2023 What is dwelling coverage and how much do you need? Personal liability insurance: What it is and why you need it Renters insurance quotes: Compare rates Hurricanes and home insurance: 14 key questions answered Replacement cost policies for your home: Getting what you pay for How much do claims increase home insurance rates? Mobile home insurance: What does it cover and how much does it cost? Homeowners insurance basics Home Insurance Advisor The Best Cheap Homeowners Insurance of 2021: Guide How much flood insurance do I need? How to bundle home and auto insurance policies to save money The largest home insurance companies by market share Home Insurance Discounts Guide to dog liability insurance: cost and coverage Do you have an emergency go-bag? Most Americans don’t 1/1 Related Articles What is HO-6 insurance? By Shivani Gite Are landlords responsible for tree damage to your car? By Casey Bond Can my homeowners insurance get canceled because my house is empty? By Nupur Gambhir Does homeowners insurance cover laptop or computer damage? By Mark Vallet Does homeowners insurance cover car damage? By Nupur Gambhir Are drones covered by homeowners insurance? By Geoff Williams