Taking homeowners insurance pictures of a house is something that can really help your insurance agent out!  Watch this video, or read through these quick steps to learn more about homeowners insurance pictures!

Take 4 pictures of your house at the 4 corners.  Make sure to include all of the house, or as much of the house as possible.  Next, take pictures of the inside of the home; the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.  Send them to your insurance agent and you’re done!

Why do you need pictures of the house?

There’s a couple of reasons why:

1. If you haven’t received a quote yet and are asked for pictures, it’s because the insurance agent needs to see the quality and conditions of the house.  From a picture, I can see what kind roof you have, what kind of shingles, the exterior material of the house, etc.  I can also see if there are giant aging house crushing trees waiting to fall on the house.  All of that affects the premium and/or the acceptance of the house.  Usually the agent needs to see pictures of at least the outside of the home in order to get enough information for a homeowners quote.
2. If you’re accepting insurance then the insurance provider needs pictures for records.  If your house burns down or gets blown over, the insurance company wants it to be replaced with the same quality.

Why do you need pictures INSIDE the house?

The homeowners insurance pictures of the inside of your house shows what kind of quality your house is.  For instance, if I as an agent see a house with 100% wood floors, then I’ll figure that your house may be around $110 per square foot.  It shows the value of the inside of the house.  It also shows the kinds of contents that you have that are insured.

homeowners insurance pictures in the past…

In the past, before the internet, agents had to go out to houses and take pictures before they could even provide a quote!  Today, that can still happen, but realtor listing sites like Zillow and Trulia sometimes provide pictures of houses when they’re for sale.  With Google Maps, I can view public roads as if I’m walking down them myself and at least view the outside of most houses.  Of course, there’s always that country house down a dirt road that’s impossible to find on-line.  But by providing pictures for your agent, you are helping with time and gas money!

Thanks for your help!