Home insurance in Detroit.

[David L]

I know car insurance is completely outrageous, but what would one expect to pay for house insurance on say a $69,000. property in East English Village or Green Acres?

[belleislerunner]

What materials is the construction of the house? Insurance is based on replacement value so a brick house costs much more to insure than a vinyl sided house. It doesn't relate to the price you're paying.

If it was a typical Green Acres/EEV brick 3 BR/1.5 bath - 1,500 sq ft you should expect around $1,600/year.

[softailrider]

What materials is the construction of the house? Insurance is based on replacement value so a brick house costs much more to insure than a vinyl sided house. It doesn't relate to the price you're paying.

If it was a typical Green Acres/EEV brick 3 BR/1.5 bath - 1,500 sq ft you should expect around $1,600/year.

Depends if you WANT a replacement cost policy. You can get a actual cash value policy for less then an RCV policy would cost. Your credit rating, previous claims and many other factors other then location come into play. Insurance in the city itself is very expensive, it's one huge rip off.

[sumas]

Sorry i was being a bit flip, my car actually lives in Brightmoor, a very depressed part of the city, second car on an AARP policy, via a close friend. No guilt what so ever, still a tad expessive but yes, we keep our money in the city.

We have excellent credit but not sure why?? Haven't borrowed a penny since 1988. Apparently we pay our bills for utilities on time. Sometimes I am clueless. Thought we were off the radar, but appaerently not.

[Jimaz]

...We have excellent credit but not sure why?? Haven't borrowed a penny since 1988....

Well then maybe there's hope for me too. I've always compulsively avoided debt and have worried that I might be unjustly penalized for that sincere commitment to responsibility.

Those usurious "credit score" bastards can go to hell where they know they belong.

[sumas]

Well then maybe there's hope for me too. I've always compulsively avoided debt and have worried that I might be unjustly penalized for that sincere commitment to responsibility.

Those usurious "credit score" bastards can go to hell where they know they belong.

I so agree, some years back, our tax preparer offered to look up our score, we said cool, hope it is zero, it was. We did that little happy dance. So big surprise we have a high rating now. I understand a home mortgage but little else. Don't have that even. My kids didn't take our advice to heart, big debt. Hope they will learn, live with your income.

Annoys me though to think auto insurance can be tied into credit scores.

Compulsive is a great word. We don't owe shit to anyone but boy do they try hard to get us into the "owe the company store" mentality. I like debt free. Wish credit cards were never invented.

Now the health care companys are the huge enemy. Stunned to hear what they want for coverage, paying, but still in sticker shock, fortunately for them, I am still healthy. Affordable care???? Sumas

[David L]

Thank you. This has been most helpful.

[sumas]

My sister pays 157 per month for 89 k in EEV. Beautiful brick home, maybe 1800 sq ft. Green Acres awesome, EEV awsome, great homes, good neighbors. Happy hunting. Car insurance, make sure your car lives elsewhere.

[ThunderTrap]

This is the compensatory alternative to the fact that the houses themselves are so cheap. By comparison, I have a $350,000 house in Montreal...and my home insurance is is about $850/year.

[sumas]

This is the compensatory alternative to the fact that the houses themselves are so cheap. By comparison, I have a $350,000 house in Montreal...and my home insurance is is about $850/year.

Welcome canadian friend, my husband worked for canadian government for many years. Many many Canadian friends. There is so much in common with Ontario and Detroit in particular.

My sweet old home probably isn't worth much, maybe 110k, but insured for 1/2 a million ... garage... 46K no clue about valuation, $189 monthly. Sweet old thing, arts craft home, love it, love my neighborhood. Not selling but in great condition. A home is a bit of a love affair, can't stop investing into improvements. Silly me, I really love my home, ghosts and all!

[canuck]

This is the compensatory alternative to the fact that the houses themselves are so cheap. By comparison, I have a $350,000 house in Montreal...and my home insurance is is about $850/year.

You sound from your posts like an ex-Detroiter living in Montreal. What part of town do you live in TT?

Sounds like the rate scale I have comparative to our house value.

I know that car insurance in my part of town is about 2 or 3 hundreds more than where I used to live in Pointe-Claire. There are neighborhoods like Anjou where the rate is higher because the shopping malls in that part of town are prized by car thief rings. The crime rate is high enough that if you live near there; they make you pay. I think it has to do with the fact they are close to a highway that is near the tunnel to the south shore or the bridge to Laval and is an easy escape route off the island to the chop shops.

[Llama]

Affordable Care = affordable is a sad joke. The [[most popular no doubt, due lowest cost) "Bronze" level covers what? 60%? How is the person who's been stretching to pay that so-called-affordable Bronze premium now supposed to pay the missing 40%?

[sumas]

Affordable Care = affordable is a sad joke. The [[most popular no doubt, due lowest cost) "Bronze" level covers what? 60%? How is the person who's been stretching to pay that so-called-affordable Bronze premium now supposed to pay the missing 40%?

Kind of like that car insurance ad, how do you drive on 3 wheels.

[warsaw7]

I know car insurance is completely outrageous, but what would one expect to pay for house insurance on say a $69,000. property in East English Village or Green Acres?

You didn't just happen to buy a house in EEV did you? Say for the 69,000$ ?

[David L]

You didn't just happen to buy a house in EEV did you? Say for the 69,000$ ?

No but I know the property and it is a very good investment. Now is the time to buy in Detroit's best neighborhoods.

[sumas]

Sorry, I sounded a bit pompous. We give back to community too. We have a fixed income and are diasabled to varied degrees. If I kicked out all needed for insurances it would be more than half our income. If I sound pissed, I am, the only script my husband truly needs to live, isn't covered. Try $650 a month. I kind of like to eat and to fuel bogus insurances ????

Far cry from the thread, homeowner insurance. But frankly insurance, all of it, sucks.

[Llama]

I really wish DPD would plant some bait cars, around Corktown just for starters. Complete with recorded surveillance, please! What if it were possible to make conviction for car theft near-100% certain? Might our rates [[supposedly high due to theft/damage rates and to that unlimited health care factor) finally go down then? Might that be half the battle, at least?

[Gpwrangler]

I really wish DPD would plant some bait cars, around Corktown just for starters. Complete with recorded surveillance, please! What if it were possible to make conviction for car theft near-100% certain? Might our rates [[supposedly high due to theft/damage rates and to that unlimited health care factor) finally go down then? Might that be half the battle, at least?

Collision and comprehensive claims would add up to more than theft. They want $750 to fix a door dent in my sedan. Used to be able to get repairs done for a couple hundred or less.

You can thank insurance for driving up the cost of repairs just like it has health care. If we paid out of pocket costs would be a lot less. Makes my blood boil.

[sumas]

Collision and comprehensive claims would add up to more than theft. They want $750 to fix a door dent in my sedan. Used to be able to get repairs done for a couple hundred or less.

You can thank insurance for driving up the cost of repairs just like it has health care. If we paid out of pocket costs would be a lot less. Makes my blood boil.

Boy do you have that right. I took a consumer law course once when mandatory car insurance was being discussed. I was assigned the anti [[mandatory) insurance dialogue. Wish I had that paper still, I was spot on. Had a lock popped once in GPP, car rifled not stolen. Dealer wanted $350 to replace lock,that was 10 years ago. Said forget it. Deductable $1000. Haven't made a claim in forty years on a car and 25 for a minor home insurance claim. Wish I had that money back for insurance payments.

Detroit has some advantages, like lots of skilled people, out of work. Had a lock popped once again on my car, a retired fireman fixed, for $80 and keyed to the rest of the keys for the car. A drunk hit my car and several others, two summers ago, a laid off bump repair man did an amazing job for $20. My list is pretty good, an electrician, a plumber, a carpenter, wall washers, painters, tree trimmers, light landscapers, snow shovelers, auto repair, home nursing help, seamstresses and even caterers.

[Funaho]

I really wish DPD would plant some bait cars, around Corktown just for starters. Complete with recorded surveillance, please! What if it were possible to make conviction for car theft near-100% certain? Might our rates [[supposedly high due to theft/damage rates and to that unlimited health care factor) finally go down then? Might that be half the battle, at least?

Video only helps if someone's willing to ID the culprits, which in many cases they aren't.

[sumas]

I really wish DPD would plant some bait cars, around Corktown just for starters. Complete with recorded surveillance, please! What if it were possible to make conviction for car theft near-100% certain? Might our rates [[supposedly high due to theft/damage rates and to that unlimited health care factor) finally go down then? Might that be half the battle, at least?

Actually/realistically if police in Detroit responded to car theft calls [[they don't) like they did many many many moons ago more thieves would be thwarted. The thieves know this. Car gets stolen and the carless person has to get to the station, go through metal detectors, show id, made to feel like they are the criminals? The car is long gone by then.

A girlfriend in Creekside watched her car being stolen and police refused to respond though it was a theft in progress.

Thieves, dealers, have police scanners too. Fortunately I have only called the police on very few occaisions. I am a reasonably tolerant person, did call the police once when at 3 AM very vulgar rap music was blaring, I really mean blaring. Made a call, the music stopped short and people fled the party. Police came, everyone gone. Felt a little stupid. More secure channels for police might go along way to reduce crime.

[factoryrat]

Thousands of people who lost their jobs,and had to struggle to put food on the table during the last recession, may have gotten behind on some of their bills. Did they all suddenly become a higher risk?
If they raise your premium for bad credit, what happens when you get in a wreck? Raise your premiums some more of course. Sounds like double jeopardy.

[Hermod]

Auto liability/property damage insurance is mandatory. Comprehensive and collision is optional [[unless you have a loan or are leasing the car). You can go bare or have a high deductible and save money.

Homeowner insurance is optional unless you have a mortgage. You can go bare or have a high deductible to save money.

Health "insurance" is a special case. For the young and healthy, it is insurance against an accident or sudden expensive illness. For the old, unhealthy, or both old and unhealthy, it isn't insurance, just someone to pay the bills so that you don't have to. It is health care and not health insurance. The philosophical question then becomes is it the duty of the government/community to provide healthcare?

Being on Medicare now, my views have changed. I used to be against socialized medicine [[having seen how military medical care was run and the VA still is). I guess I would support Medicare for all to take care of catastrophic illness. I would support using a Value Added Tax [[VAT) to pay for it like most other national systems use. That way, everyone could see the cost and political decisions could be made on the basis of:

Basic Medicare Part A = a% VAT
Government paid Part B = a+b% VAT
Government coverage of Medicare copay and deductible = a+b+c% VAT
Government coverage of prescription drugs = a+b+c+d% VAT
Government coverage of dental = a+b+c+d+e% VAT

Everything is fee for service with no "managed care". We do not need HMOs or 1993 Hillarycare.

[Gpwrangler]

Auto liability/property damage insurance is mandatory. Comprehensive and collision is optional [[unless you have a loan or are leasing the car). You can go bare or have a high deductible and save money.

Homeowner insurance is optional unless you have a mortgage. You can go bare or have a high deductible to save money.

Health "insurance" is a special case. For the young and healthy, it is insurance against an accident or sudden expensive illness. For the old, unhealthy, or both old and unhealthy, it isn't insurance, just someone to pay the bills so that you don't have to. It is health care and not health insurance. The philosophical question then becomes is it the duty of the government/community to provide healthcare?

Being on Medicare now, my views have changed. I used to be against socialized medicine [[having seen how military medical care was run and the VA still is). I guess I would support Medicare for all to take care of catastrophic illness. I would support using a Value Added Tax [[VAT) to pay for it like most other national systems use. That way, everyone could see the cost and political decisions could be made on the basis of:

Basic Medicare Part A = a% VAT
Government paid Part B = a+b% VAT
Government coverage of Medicare copay and deductible = a+b+c% VAT
Government coverage of prescription drugs = a+b+c+d% VAT
Government coverage of dental = a+b+c+d+e% VAT

Everything is fee for service with no "managed care". We do not need HMOs or 1993 Hillarycare.

Auto insurance is a rip off. It's mandatory but you have to buy additional coverage against someone without insurance. How stupid do they think I am? Should be optional and should cover the insured whether or not the other guy has it. Yours should cover you and mine should cover me.

Total bullshit

[Jimaz]

I forget where this story came up recently but I remembered the term "price optimization" so I Googled that and found: Auto insurers may be guilty of price optimization, regulators say

A New York regulator has raised concerns that car and property insurers may be engaging in illegal pricing practices and overcharging consumers who they deem less likely to consult multiple sources and compare rates....

The original story said that insurers don't like customers to know about this practice because of its controversial ethics. It's basically about charging different customers different rates for the same insurance.

Here's another story from last month: Insurance commissioner bans ‘price optimization’ in California.