Landscaping is only insured for certain damages: Fire, vehicle, lightning

ALMOST all have this. ...ask...

Country. Fort Bend county. Closest fire station 3 miles. It was 12 miles when I first moved here.

I'll share my insurance experience.

My mortgaged house was struck by lightening. Big fire. Large loss claim. Belongings not destroyed were taken away to be "restored" and stored until I moved back in to my house. So, I stayed in a hotel for a month before moving in to a rental. Almost (about?) six months went by and nothing was being done to my house... because insurance filed suit against the manufacturer of the radiant barrier. Nothing could be done - had to wait for fire investigators, from both parties, to do their thing and people to come and "evaluate" the scene. About 1.5 years after the fire I got to move again.

Insurance doesn't pay mortgages. And not all policies include a rental. Point is, depending on your coverage you need to be prepared for a lot of bills. Also, are you ready to buy/rent more furniture for the time you're in the rental? If you don't have the rental coverage I bet you insurance is not covering the furniture (other than in terms of contents replacement but I assure you this is not the time to be furniture shopping if you even have the money to do it, furniture won't be on your mind until you go to sit down and land on the floor). Not all families could swing paying both the mortgage and rent and buying/renting furniture, etc. And then when construction starts and utilities are turned back on you'll pay, not insurance, even though you don't live there. You can ask your utilities for waivers but they don't have to give them.

Then there's contents. Not all policies include full replacement; those that don't use depreciation. Oh, and Oxner, it's good that you have pictures but, at least in my case, they aren't necessary. They are more a benefit to you. And, as Hudbone explained, you aren't simply cut a check for the what your contents are insured for. Item X was destroyed and you want the money for it? Itemize it on your loss sheet and show a receipt that you purchased the replacement otherwise you get nothing for it. Anyway, once your contents are restored they may need/you may want them to be stored. I opted for storage.

I was very fortunate to have appropriate coverage. I didn't have to pay for the hotel, the rental house and furniture, contents restoration and storage. I also got waivers for utilities. And not that it matters in this thread but I also got money from the law suit. My insurance was very easy to work with in regards to contents replacement. Having been through this I believe one can never come out the other side 100% whole but I feel I got about as close as one can get. And, the biggest takeaway: add up all of the premiums I have paid since the fire and what I will pay in the future for as long as I'm in a home with insurance and that's a small price to pay if you have just a single claim like I did. It's not worth skimping.

Why not just take the settlement, sell the house, and move on?

I'll share my insurance experience.

My mortgaged house was struck by lightening. Big fire. Large loss claim. Belongings not destroyed were taken away to be "restored" and stored until I moved back in to my house. So, I stayed in a hotel for a month before moving in to a rental. Almost (about?) six months went by and nothing was being done to my house... because insurance filed suit against the manufacturer of the radiant barrier. Nothing could be done - had to wait for fire investigators, from both parties, to do their thing and people to come and "evaluate" the scene. About 1.5 years after the fire I got to move again.

Insurance doesn't pay mortgages. And not all policies include a rental. Point is, depending on your coverage you need to be prepared for a lot of bills. Also, are you ready to buy/rent more furniture for the time you're in the rental? If you don't have the rental coverage I bet you insurance is not covering the furniture (other than in terms of contents replacement but I assure you this is not the time to be furniture shopping if you even have the money to do it, furniture won't be on your mind until you go to sit down and land on the floor). Not all families could swing paying both the mortgage and rent and buying/renting furniture, etc. And then when construction starts and utilities are turned back on you'll pay, not insurance, even though you don't live there. You can ask your utilities for waivers but they don't have to give them.

Then there's contents. Not all policies include full replacement; those that don't use depreciation. Oh, and Oxner, it's good that you have pictures but, at least in my case, they aren't necessary. They are more a benefit to you. And, as Hudbone explained, you aren't simply cut a check for the what your contents are insured for. Item X was destroyed and you want the money for it? Itemize it on your loss sheet and show a receipt that you purchased the replacement otherwise you get nothing for it. Anyway, once your contents are restored they may need/you may want them to be stored. I opted for storage.

I was very fortunate to have appropriate coverage. I didn't have to pay for the hotel, the rental house and furniture, contents restoration and storage. I also got waivers for utilities. And not that it matters in this thread but I also got money from the law suit. My insurance was very easy to work with in regards to contents replacement. Having been through this I believe one can never come out the other side 100% whole but I feel I got about as close as one can get. And, the biggest takeaway: add up all of the premiums I have paid since the fire and what I will pay in the future for as long as I'm in a home with insurance and that's a small price to pay if you have just a single claim like I did. It's not worth skimping.

Signs you may not live in the country:

1) HOA

Your turn.

2) You have a wooden or wrought iron fence in your backyard.

Signs you may not live in the country:

1) HOA

Your turn.

Signs you may not live in the country:

1) HOA

Your turn.

2) you have a homeowners insurance policy and not a Farm and Ranch policy

Teeth

3) You're worried about (or you should be) a 'gator eating your neighbor's kids close to your "dock".