Homeowner's Insurance in Rural Maine - Chesterville

[saxnbees]

Of course one solution would be to keep the current company that you are grandfathered with. It may cost "more" but you are insured rather than uninsured at that point.

I would talk to the locals to the MA house and see what agent they use. not necessarily what insurance company they use, but who is the agent. Deal with that person directly. They know how to navigate the particular insurance issues for that area.

We had troubles with a lender to finance our purchase because it was over some arbitrary number of acres. Had to go to a local small credit union. Also talk to one of those, they will have leads on property insurance companies as well.

Good suggestions. At this point we are leaning towards keeping our current coverage and sucking up the difference in cost. Even at $1800/year, it would take a number of years to make up the difference in cost of improvements they want us to make. We may be getting rid of the house in NJ in the next couple of years so that weighs into the equation. At least we now know that insurance on the house in Maine is a stumbling block.

 

[saxnbees]

If there is a Farm Bureau in the two states, give them a call. We had some big name insurance company when we lived in the city but when we built our country house the premiums went up so we started shopping. The wife's family has always used Farm Bureau so we gave them a call. They provided the same coverage for less. We use them for all insurance now and when we had some car accidents they were awesome to deal with. Excellent customer service.

Later,
Dan

Good suggestion. We will have to check it out.

 

[saxnbees]

If I'm reading your post correctly, your biggest concern is the liability if someone is hurt, not so much the house, right? I know things are different up there but in Texas the land is mostly privately owned and trespassing really isn't allowed, even without fencing. So, we have to own land or lease hunting rights to be able to hunt, trespassing with a firearm is a class A misdemeanor, and all hunting leases require a liability policy be purchased by the lessee. What I'm getting at is that there are liability products available for hunting leases only. Maybe a product like that gives you the coverage you need?

Hunting Lease Liability Insurance - American Hunting Lease Association

Interesting. I never heard of anything like that in Maine. The problem these days is that people will sue for almost any reason even if they were the cause of the accident. So, I'm not sure the issue is limited to hunting. But, we like to be neighbourly and a little of that can go a long way.

 

[STx]

Interesting. I never heard of anything like that in Maine. The problem these days is that people will sue for almost any reason even if they were the cause of the accident. So, I'm not sure the issue is limited to hunting. But, we like to be neighbourly and a little of that can go a long way.

The policies don't just cover when people are hunting, it's generally any outdoor recreational activity. The link I included shows Maine in their covered states, it might be worth checking on.

 

[Diggin It]

In my experience Farm Bureau is one of the highest. I had them years ago for two cars and their rates kept increasing to the point I went elsewhere. I'm now paying about half of what they wanted almost 10 years ago. Currently have SafeCo for the cars and looking at them for homeowners. Don't know if they write policies there though.

 

[EarPlug]

Check with the local banks and their mortgage department. They would know the insurance companies.

 

[ultrarunner]

We also had a problem with the 1860 Redwood Barn so we excluded it from coverage and that made all the difference... still have liability, etc... but should the barn burn or fall down... it is on us.

 

[kenmac]

I would imagine letting someone hunt on your property would be a huge liability most insurance companies wouldn't want.
No way would I let someone hunt on my land. Too much liability there.
My insurance company would most likely cancel my policy if I were to let people hunt my land

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Good suggestions. At this point we are leaning towards keeping our current coverage and sucking up the difference in cost. Even at $1800/year, it would take a number of years to make up the difference in cost of improvements they want us to make. We may be getting rid of the house in NJ in the next couple of years so that weighs into the equation. At least we now know that insurance on the house in Maine is a stumbling block.

It is not clear to me if you are trying to keep both houses with the same insurer? If so, that may also be a limiting factor. Deal with companies with experience in the state and area where located, might help.

I am surprised at your attitude on hunting on your land. Sounds somewhat naive especially to allow it when you are not there and no screening. That is a risk an insurance will not cover except at very high rates and a lot of caveat's. My previous place was 21 Ac of forest. My insurance Co required it to be posted and to not allow anyone on site unaccompanied by me. Option was to establish fee system with screening as a business and insure at business rates. I did the posting as I did not want to mess with the option. Everybody in the area was doing same as I did. Never had anybody ask. Hunters avoided the area even though it is was great B & A, shotgun and muzzle loader hunting. We had deer and bear and upland birds all the time. My SIL lives in west PA and every body there belongs to large acreage hunting clubs (100+Ac).

Ron

 

[Rustyiron]

We have run into a problem and I am wondering if anyone out there has some sage advice to give.


The house in Chesterville.........if someone was injured, etc....... on our property.
We let people hunt on our land so

In Maine, in an effort to support landowners allowing others to enjoy (hunt, ATV's, hiking, swim, fire wood, logging, etc) their land, there is a long standing LAW in Maine that as long as the landowner is not charging a fee for an activity, they are not liable for anything. As far as I know, this law has never failed a landowner. Landowner Liability: Accessing Private Land: Hunting & Trapping: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife