Surveying Crime Rates to Gauge Home Insurance Premiums in Raleigh (NC)
Violent Crime Trends in North Carolina
According to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, there are quite a few different types of home insurance coverage plans for protecting a real estate property, the various other structures within its premises, and the personal valuables inside the buildings. The latter type of coverage plan, Coverage C, protects homeowners from loss of personal property like in instances of theft and burglary. However, this coverage is limited in cases of certain properties that are especially vulnerable to such losses, like for instance, houses in crime-ridden neighborhoods.
Strange but True
In the light of the above information, it is thus evident that homeowners who live in neighborhoods with high property crime rates have to usually spend more for their insurance premiums. Prospective homeowners in Raleigh, NC, will need to keep this fact in mind when house hunting in the city. It helps to know a bit more about the crime statistics in the various neighborhoods.
Crimes
The area in and around Forest Ridge Road and Ronald Drive and that near Ivy Lane and Lyerly Lane are some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. Other unsafe neighborhoods, as per crime statistics, are the area in and around Leighton Ridge Drive and Stroller Ridge Drive, that near Old Wake Forest Road and Poyner Center Lane, and in the vicinity of Melville Road and Sumner Boulevard. These neighborhoods of Raleigh have recorded hundreds of instances of theft, burglary, vandalism, arson, and other property crimes in the recent past. Some of these neighborhoods are located in Northeast Raleigh while Forest Ridge Road and Ronald Drive are in North Hills that is adjacent to the northeast district of the city.
Statistics
When you delve into the numbers for real estate properties in some of these areas, you will be able to form a fair estimate of the insurance expenses you might have to incur if you choose to buy a house here. The average listing price of a house in Northeast Raleigh is close to $150,000. The monthly mortgage amounts on some of these properties run to thousands of dollars. The home insurance premiums are also high here. On the other hand, Umstead region in the western part of Raleigh is an extremely safe neighborhood and average property crime rate here is about 60% less than that in the rest of the city. The average monthly mortgage payment on a house priced at about $170,000 in Umstead is just a little more than $800. The home insurance premium for this house is also less than what is the average for Northeast Raleigh.
Warning Systems
Apart from the crime rate of the neighborhood, the type of house you buy and the safety systems you install will also determine the amount you will have to fork out as an insurance premium. For instance, a house with a wooden frame is more vulnerable to damage from an arson incident than a brick house. So the owner of a wooden-frame house may have to pay more in insurance than the owner of a similarly-featured brick house. The former however, can increase his chances of convincing his insurance carrier to offer him discounts by installing safety systems such as fire alarms. Some other home safety and security features that assure insurers are deadbolt locks and burglar alarms.
Researching into the crime rates of a neighborhood is also critical to ensure that you can have a good night’s sleep and your family remains safe. The lower insurance prices are actually fringe benefits.
It’s important to know the average homeowners insurance premium in Raleigh, NC as well as learning what’s covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy and what’s not. For more information on North Carolina homeowners insurance please download the Homeowners Guide provided by the North Carolina Department of Insurance.