Personal lines · High-value homes
Your home is worth more than your insurance company thinks it is.
Standard carriers use automated valuation tools that are chronically low in high-cost markets. When a significant loss happens, the gap between what you're insured for and what it costs to rebuild is yours to cover.
Request a high-value home reviewWhy standard coverage fails high-value homes
40%+
of high-value homes are insured below their actual replacement cost, according to insurance industry analysis of luxury residential properties.
$0
in additional coverage once you exceed your dwelling limit — regardless of what rebuilding actually costs in your market.
- Automated estimates don't reflect real construction costs. Standard carriers use software to estimate your home's replacement value. These tools are calibrated to average construction markets, not the actual cost of high-quality materials, custom millwork, or specialized craftsmanship in premium markets.
- Market value and replacement cost are different numbers. Your home's market value reflects land, location, and demand. Replacement cost is purely what it costs to rebuild the structure. Insuring at market value often means you're over-insured on the land and under-insured on the building.
- Renovations go unrecorded. A kitchen renovation, a finished basement, an addition — each increases replacement cost. Most homeowners never call their broker afterward. The policy drifts further from reality each year.
- Contents limits are calculated as a percentage. Standard contents coverage is 50–70% of dwelling coverage. For a household with art, jewelry, wine, designer furnishings, or collectibles, a flat percentage is rarely sufficient.
What high-value home carriers offer
Agreed value
No depreciation at claim time
High-value carriers insure your home at an agreed value determined upfront — not the depreciated value at the time of loss. If a total loss happens, you receive the full insured amount.
Guaranteed replacement cost
Covered even if costs exceed the limit
Some high-value carriers guarantee to rebuild your home to its original quality even if construction costs have risen above your stated limit. Standard carriers stop at the limit.
Scheduled property
Full coverage for valuables
Art, jewelry, wine collections, instruments, and designer items can be individually scheduled and insured at appraised value — eliminating the sublimits that cap standard contents coverage.
Cash settlement
Take cash instead of rebuilding
Many high-value policies allow you to take a cash settlement equal to the agreed home value rather than being required to rebuild. Standard policies do not offer this.
Extended liability
Higher underlying limits
High-value carriers provide higher home liability limits as a baseline, creating a stronger foundation under an umbrella policy and reducing the likelihood of a gap.
Water backup
Sewer and drain coverage included
Standard policies typically exclude water backup and sewer overflow, or include it as a low-limit endorsement. High-value carriers include it at meaningful limits by default.
Frequently asked questions
Which carriers write high-value home insurance?
Chubb, PURE (Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange), AIG Private Client, and Cincinnati Financial are the leading high-value home carriers. Each has different strengths — Chubb for breadth of coverage, PURE for a policyholder-owned structure, AIG for ultra-high-net-worth clients. An independent broker can compare options across all of them.
My home is worth $1.2M. Am I definitely underinsured?
Not necessarily, but it depends on what your dwelling limit actually is and how it was calculated. If a standard carrier wrote your policy and used an automated estimate, there's a meaningful chance the replacement cost figure is low. We can compare your insured value against current construction costs in your area.
Does earthquake damage affect high-value homes differently?
Yes. Standard and high-value homeowners policies both exclude earthquake damage by default. High-value carriers offer standalone earthquake endorsements or separate policies with better terms and higher limits than standard options. If you're in a seismically active area, this is a separate conversation.
I have a historic or architecturally significant home. Does that change things?
Significantly. Reproducing period details, original materials, and architectural features in a loss scenario can cost far more than standard construction — and standard carriers' replacement cost estimates don't reflect this. High-value carriers with experience in historic properties handle this correctly.
Find out if your home is insured for what it actually costs to rebuild.
Bring your current declarations page. We'll compare your insured value against current replacement cost in your market.
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