American Family Homeowners Insurance Review: Still Offering a Personal Touch
Review
Updated
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This homeowners insurance is a good fit for: Homeowners looking for real-life support from a dedicated agent who understands their situation and can be on hand in the event of a catastrophe.
It is impossible to overstate the value of a comprehensive homeowners insurance policy. Whether you're in the middle of buying a home or shopping around to make sure you have the best coverage on an existing home, landing the right policy protects your finances following a catastrophe. Here, we dive in to American Family insurance to learn what the company has to offer homeowners.
It's fair to say that doing business online is convenient. Still, there's nothing like having a dedicated agent who knows you to be there if your house catches on fire or the roof is blown off during a storm.
American Family agents are pros when it comes to helping you pick and choose the right coverage. While your policy may not look anything like your neighbor's, that's a good thing. That means that you end up covering the things that are important to you.
American Family consistently receives high marks for customer service, likely a result of their highly personalized service.
The insurer is currently only available in these states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. That makes it a bit tougher to stay with American Family if you move to another state.
As mentioned, customers need an agent to make any meaningful changes to their policies. For those who grew up in the age of the internet, this may be a tough pill to swallow.
When looking for homeowners insurance available in all 50 states: Allstate, a company that's been around since 1931, serves every state in the union. Still, American Family typically offers lower rates, especially if you bundle your insurance policies.
For homeowners looking for highly specialized coverage: Chubb homeowners insurance offers some unconventional policy perks, like extended replacement cost coverage. The company also receives high claims satisfaction ratings.
Using a standardized scenario, we compared rates among insurance carriers nationwide. Overall, American Family remains competitive.
| Annual Premium | Standardized scenario 1 |
|---|---|
| $1,710 | American Family |
| $1,832 | State Farm |
| $1,627 | USAA |
| $1,628 | Chubb |
| $1,804 | Allstate |
Shopping for the lowest insurance premium means looking for an insurance company with plentiful homeowners insurance discounts available. Here are some of the discounts offered by American Family:
One nice thing about American Family is the way a homeowner can protect their financial interests from several angles. Here's a sampling of coverage options:
Covers damage to the structure of the home from perils like windstorms, lightning, hail, fire, theft, and vandalism.
Covers detached structures on the property, including garages, gazebos, fences, sheds, and swimming pools.
As the name suggests, personal belongings coverage protects personal property in both the home and outbuildings.
If a home becomes uninhabitable due to a covered peril, this coverage helps cover hotel and food expenses.
If someone is injured on your property, liability protection can protect you from liability claims and lawsuits, up to your policy limit.
It's possible to truly customize a policy by including extra coverage, such as equipment breakdown, sump pump and water backup, hidden water damage, matching siding protection, and credit theft protection.
While you will need to work with a licensed agent to finalize the application process, you can get a quote online by supplying:
As mentioned, American Family scores well in the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey. When surveyed, customers tend to be honest about their feelings toward a company, a fact that makes American Family's ratings more impressive.
American Family homeowners insurance is best for customers who:
But homeowners may want to consider Allstate if American Family is not available in their state, or Chubb homeowners insurance if they want highly specialized coverage, including extended replacement cost coverage, and they value a high company claims satisfaction score.
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