Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

Can you share how much you pay for home insurance and if you had a problem getting it! We orginally wanted no part of houses near water due to floods etc. But now i am starting to wonder if I should reconsider and broaden our new home search. Thanks.

We are not "boaters" so I just figured it was more trouble than it was worth. Do you love /hate living near the water? Please share!! TIA

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

I just looked on my mortgage website and it was $995 back in January. I'm assuming that is for the year.

We don't live on the water but are pretty close to the canals in Amity Harbor, and reside a couple blocks below Montauk Hwy.

My only complaint is that we HAD to have a house with a basement, and now totally regret that decision because it always floods in major storm whether. Basically, except for laundry and some random storage on shelves and my cats litter boxes, we don't use the basement now as a result.

DH has started the process to water proof it, from the outside, and is regrading our backyard, and we haven't had heavy rain this year so it's been okay. He also wants to put in one of those draining systems. Still wouldn't get a basement near the water again though ;).

We didn't have any problems getting insurance (State Farm) but this also is not considered a flood zone, either.

(Yet)..........

Also, in terms of living ON the water, we are not boaters and having a child now, I'd be a lunatic with nerves being on a canal. My sister's boyfriend has a summer house on the Jersey Shore on a canal and I was a wreck visiting when DS was younger.....we ended the visit early.

One of the major perks of our house is we have a huge, big backyard. You don't get that on a canal, generally.

Since I'm a homebody, in the summer and nice weather I enjoy spending as much time as possible in my yard.

Message edited 7/18/2012 8:04:56 PM.

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

I think the insurance issue is not so much being in a flood zone (the flood insurance cost is one thing, and I think it may be in the range of like $1100 a year), but the homeowners' insurance.

Many companies will no longer cover homes located south of Merrick Rd., regardless of whether or not they are in a flood zone. For example, my parents live 5 blocks south of Merrick Rd. in Seaford, and they were dropped by State Farm a few years ago because of the location. And if a company will cover you, they often charge you A LOT for things like "wind coverage."

The best thing to do, if you have a house in mind, is call around and find out whether a company will insure the home and if so, get an estimate of how much it will cost.

You may also want to look at this website, it's a good resource:

http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/

Message edited 7/19/2012 8:32:06 AM.

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

I am on a canal. My homeowner's insurance is with State Farm. When I closed on the house in 2007, they required flood insurance (which was about $800 or $900 at the time); however, the zoning for flood was rezoned sometime in, I think 2009, and I am no longer required to carry it. Go figure, since I am on a canal, but I am on a higher elevation and my backyard is about 50' from the water.

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

We're south of Merrick about 1 block from the canal. We have Liberty Mutual, they've insured this house for many years, my ILs used them before we bought the house.

We were required to also change our auto insurance to them in order not to be dropped a few years ago.

Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

We are about a 800 feet from the Bay and had a very hard time getting insurance. Even with a broker, we had to split into 2 policies - no one company would take on the entire liability. We have one policy that covers the structure and 1 policy that covers the contents. Together those policies are about $1,800 for the year.

We also have flood insurance, although not required, but for $400 a year, it's good peace of mind.

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

I live in South Merrick in a waterview house. I had State Farm for three years and after the last storm, they dropped everyone. I used to pay $1100 with $260K coverage. Once they dropped me and everyone that lived near the water, I found another agency (MerriMack) through Gerrato Insurance Agency and now I pay $900 a year with a lot more coverage than State Farm. As for Flood Insurance, it all depends on which zone the house is located in. I used to be in the preferred X Zone and didn't need flood insurance. Then the flood maps changed and I paid $2100 a year but I filed a claim with FEMA and now for two years, I am only paying $400/year for flood insurance. I don't have a basement so we never had a flood problem but I have seen many houses in Merrick that were flooded during harsh rain storms.

Re: Those who live South of Merrick on the water or close to it

My homeowners insurance is through the AARP Hartford. We also have our cars insured through them (got a discount so that was great!). Maybe you could speak to them to them and find out about their [auto and home insurance rates? Good luck.

Message edited 11/12/2013 1:53:52 AM.