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BartalInsurance

Personal Insurance / Home

Pennsylvania Home Insurance

Scranton's housing stock is old. Plaster, real hardwood, tall ceilings, framing that no builder would spec today. That is exactly why the number on your policy should be what it costs to rebuild the house, not what the house would sell for. Those two figures are often nowhere near each other here.

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What It Covers

The parts of the policy, in plain terms.

  • Dwelling

    The structure itself: walls, roof, and everything attached. This is the figure that should track rebuild cost, and it is the one most likely to be stale on an older policy.

  • Other structures

    The detached garage, the shed, the fence. Usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, which is fine until you build something substantial and nobody updates the policy.

  • Personal property

    Your belongings. Worth checking whether it is written at replacement cost or actual cash value, because the second one depreciates a ten-year-old couch to almost nothing.

  • Loss of use

    Pays your living expenses while the house is uninhabitable after a covered loss. In a bad winter this is the coverage that keeps a fire from also becoming a housing problem.

  • Personal liability

    Covers you if someone is hurt on your property or you damage someone else's. This is the limit an umbrella policy sits on top of.

How it plays out

An ice dam builds on a north-facing roof in February, backs water under the shingles, and it comes through a bedroom ceiling. The repair touches roof, insulation, drywall and floor. Your policy handles it, but only up to a dwelling limit that was set when the house was worth less and lumber cost half as much.

Placed with

  • Nationwide
  • Travelers
  • Utica First
  • Allstate
  • Foremost

Frequently Asked Questions

Home Insurance questions we get.

Should my coverage match what my house would sell for?
No. Insure for replacement cost, which is what it would take to rebuild with today's labor and materials. Market value includes the land and the neighborhood, neither of which burns down. On older Scranton homes the rebuild figure is frequently higher than the sale price, because matching century-old construction and meeting current code is expensive.
Does home insurance cover a flooded basement?
It depends entirely on where the water came from. A burst pipe is typically covered. Water that rises from outside is flood, which needs a separate flood policy. Water that comes up through a floor drain is a sewer backup, which needs its own endorsement. Three different sources, three different answers, which is why this one causes so many denied claims.
I renovated. Do I need to tell you?
Yes, and it is the single most common gap we find. A finished basement, an added bathroom, or a new kitchen all raise what it would cost to rebuild. If the dwelling limit does not move with them, you are underinsured on the part of the house you just spent the most on.
How often should I review my home policy?
Once a year, and immediately after any renovation, roof replacement, or large purchase. Construction costs have moved enough in recent years that a dwelling figure set five years ago is often behind.

What Clients Say

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I just finished buying a house. My previous agent couldn’t find coverage for it. My realtor told me that “Dave always has an answer for her problems.” She couldn’t have been more right.
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  • Renters Insurance

    Your belongings and your liability, even though the building is not yours.

  • Flood Insurance

    Separate coverage for rising water, which no home or renters policy includes.

  • Motorcycle Insurance

    Cruisers, sport bikes, touring and off-road, with custom parts actually accounted for.

  • Boat & Watercraft

    The boat, the motor and the trailer, on the water and on the road.

Let's get you a real number.

Tell us what you're insuring and David will shop it across our carriers. No obligation, and no pressure if your current policy turns out to be the better deal.

Request a quoteCall 570-344-0211

Independent agency / 10 carriers on file