New Year, New Value: How to Audit Your Home Insurance for Proper Coverage

January is the month of fresh starts and financial resolutions. After the whirlwind of holiday spending and the acquisition of new, high-value possessions, the most critical financial audit you can perform is a thorough review of your Home Insurance policy. If you haven’t reviewed your coverage in the last year, you are almost certainly underinsured due to persistent inflation in construction costs and the simple fact that you own more valuable property now than you did last January.

Don’t treat your insurance policy as a dusty binder on a shelf. Use the motivation of the New Year to ensure your dwelling protection and contents coverage reflect the actual value of your life today.

1. The Inflation Gap: Replacement Cost Audit

The single biggest mistake homeowners make is failing to increase their Dwelling Coverage limit annually. Construction costs (materials and labor) often rise faster than the general inflation rate. The dwelling limit on your policy is the maximum amount your insurer will pay to rebuild your home.

If your policy limit is based on 2023 or 2024 costs, and you experience a catastrophic loss in 2026, the gap between your coverage limit and the actual cost to rebuild could be tens of thousands of dollars, forcing you to pay the difference out-of-pocket.

January Action Item: Call your agent and ask them to run a current Replacement Cost Estimate (RCE). This estimate uses current local labor rates and material costs. Adjust your dwelling coverage (and the associated personal property limit, which is a percentage of the dwelling limit) immediately. This small premium increase is far less painful than a huge deficit after a total loss.

2. Scheduling Your Holiday Haul

The contents of your home likely received a significant upgrade during the holidays. Standard personal property coverage is excellent for general items, but it often has sub-limits for specific high-value items, typically:

If you received an expensive piece of jewelry, a fine art print, or high-end electronics that exceed these sub-limits, they are not fully covered against theft.

January Action Item: Use your new receipts and appraisals to purchase a Scheduled Personal Property Endorsement (often called a ‘floater’). This provides blanket coverage for the item’s full appraised value, often covers more perils (like accidental loss), and is typically subject to a zero deductible. Don’t let a new engagement ring or a high-end camera sit exposed to theft risk in 2026.

3. Budgeting via Deductibles

January is when we finalize our budgets. While raising your deductible saves money on premiums, it requires careful financial planning.

• High Deductible Strategy: If you have an ample emergency fund ($3,000 to $5,000 readily available), raising your deductible from, say, $500 to $2,500 can significantly lower your monthly premium, helping your 2026 savings goals. You become the insurer for the small stuff.
• Low Deductible Strategy: If your emergency fund is depleted after the holidays, a lower deductible is a safer bet, ensuring you can afford the out-of-pocket costs if a winter loss occurs.

Use this January to reconcile your current financial reality with your insurance settings. A smarter policy audit is the foundational step toward a financially secure New Year.