What raises home insurance prices

Insurers price a house from dozens of details. Most of them you can't change quickly, but a few you can, and knowing their size tells you where to spend effort. The figures below come from quote surveys that change one detail of a sample home at a time, so each shows the effect of that factor alone.

The factors, ranked by size

Sources: the state spread is the dearest state over the cheapest in the NAIC Homeowners Report, data for 2023; the deductible row comes from Insurify's averages updated November 1, 2026; the other rows from NerdWallet's sample-profile rates updated May 6, 2026, whose table calls the newest build a 2025 house while its method note says 2024. Both survey pages are linked from our sources, and the dollar figures behind these percentages are on the page about national averages.

Credit-based insurance scores

In most states insurers may use a score built from your credit report to predict claims. It's not the same as a lending credit score, but it draws on the same report: payment history, outstanding debt, length of history. The NAIC notes that some states add restrictions or prohibit certain uses altogether (NAIC, credit-based insurance scores, updated March 19, 2026). If your state allows it, paying bills on time and keeping card balances low will, over time, help the home insurance price too. If a life event such as a divorce, a serious illness or a job loss damaged your credit, ask the insurer whether it offers a reconsideration; some states require one.

Claims: yours and the house's

Insurers share claims through databases, and a claim follows both you and the property. A buyer can inherit a house's water-damage history. Before buying, ask the seller for a claims history report on the property. Small claims close to the deductible cost more in later premiums than they pay out, which is one reason a higher deductible can make sense.

The roof

No national survey isolates roof age the way it isolates claims, but the roof often decides whether an insurer will write the policy at all, and on what terms:

• Some insurers settle older roofs at actual cash value, which subtracts depreciation from a claim.
• Florida has its own statute on roof age and inspections; the roof and four-point page sets it out.
• Impact-rated shingles, a hip roof shape and strong roof-to-wall connections earn wind discounts in Florida; see the wind mitigation page.

Smaller factors

• Distance to a fire station and hydrant. Most insurers use a public protection class; a rural home far from a staffed station pays more.
• Construction type. Masonry and frame houses are rated differently for fire and wind.
• Dogs, pools and trampolines. They raise liability risk; some insurers exclude them or ask for higher liability limits.
• Bundling. Buying auto and home from one insurer usually earns a discount.
• Security and water sensors. Monitored alarms and automatic water shut-off valves earn credits with many insurers.

Worked example: two neighbors, one street

Two identical $350,000 houses in Georgia. The state's 2023 average is $1,828; the estimator's step to today's prices and the coverage step give about $2,100 for each.

• Neighbor one: good credit, no claims, $1,000 deductible → $2,100.
• Neighbor two: poor credit-based score and one recent water claim → $2,100 × 1.72 × 1.10 = about $3,970.

Same house, almost double the price. That's why a friend's premium tells you little about your own. The estimator takes the claim in every mode and the credit score in More factors.