Missouri coverage that feels like home

Most increases have little to do with you and a lot to do with the weather and the cost of rebuilding. Missouri gets its share of hail, high wind and tornadoes, and the labor and materials needed to repair roofs and rebuild homes cost more than they used to. Those pressures push premiums up even for homeowners who have never filed a claim.

What you can control: your deductibles, bundling your home with your cars, and making sure your dwelling limit matches what your home would actually cost to rebuild. Call us before you renew. We'll walk through the policy line by line, and if Farmers isn't the best fit anymore, we can check other companies too.

Some homeowners policies carry a separate wind/hail deductible. Instead of a flat dollar amount, it may be a percentage of your dwelling coverage. The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance gives this example: a 2% deductible on a home insured for $100,000 means the first $2,000 of a wind or hail claim is yours.

Not every policy has one, and terms vary by company. Your roof's age and material can also affect how a roof claim is paid. We'll show you where yours sits and what it would cost to change it.

Usually not on its own. Standard homeowners policies usually exclude water that backs up through drains or overflows from a failed sump pump unless you add a water backup endorsement. If your basement is finished, it's one of the most useful add-ons there is.

Water backup is different from flood. Backup coverage is for water coming up through your drains or sump. Flood insurance is for surface water rising from outside, like the Meramec over its banks. We'll check whether your policy has backup coverage, and how much.

It's worth a serious look. A standard homeowners policy does not cover flood. The Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers reached record levels in December 2015 and again in May 2017, and flash flooding doesn't stop at flood-zone lines.

Flood is a separate policy, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which generally has a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts. If your home is in a high-risk flood zone and you have a mortgage, your lender will require it. Learn more on our flood insurance page.

Usually not. Earthquake coverage is bought separately, and the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance notes deductibles of 10 to 20 percent are common. Most standard policies also exclude earth movement, which is how sinkhole damage is often treated.

Missouri has thousands of identified sinkholes, and the New Madrid Seismic Zone in southeast Missouri is a real risk. We'll explain what your policy says, what an endorsement would add, and what it costs, then you decide.

Rarely. Missouri requires 25/50/25 liability limits: $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. Missouri is an at-fault state, so if you cause a serious crash on I-44, medical bills and today's vehicle prices can outrun those limits fast, and you could owe the rest.

We'll explain what each limit does in plain English and show you what higher limits cost. Then you pick.

Yes. Missouri requires uninsured motorist coverage on auto policies, at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. It protects you and your passengers when a driver with no insurance hits you.

Underinsured motorist coverage, for drivers who have some insurance but not enough, is optional in Missouri. It's often inexpensive, and it's one of the coverages we always walk through.

Start with a conversation. Bundle your cars with your home, condo or renters policy, raise your deductible if you have savings to cover it, drop collision on a car that isn't worth much anymore, and make sure every discount you may qualify for is applied, including occupation discounts for many professions.

If Farmers isn't the most competitive fit for your household, we can quote other companies through Kraft Lake. What doesn't work is quietly cutting your liability limits. That may save a few dollars a month and exposes everything you own.

A common rule of thumb is 10 to 12 times your annual income, but the better math is specific to you: what's left on the mortgage, what it would cost to raise and educate your kids, any debts that wouldn't disappear, and how many years your family would need income if you weren't here.

Term life is often more affordable than people expect. Try the life tab in our rate estimator to ballpark it, then sit down with us and we'll explain term and permanent options side by side.

No. We're a Farmers agency first, and that includes Farmers family companies like Foremost and Bristol West. When those aren't the right fit, we can quote outside companies such as Progressive and Liberty Mutual through Kraft Lake Insurance Agency, a Farmers-owned agency that works only with non-Farmers companies.

Which companies can quote depends on your situation, but you get one local office and one team either way.

Farmers may offer discounts for many professions, including educators, nurses and physicians, firefighters, law enforcement, military, engineers, scientists, accountants, architects, lawyers and judges, librarians, veterinarians, pilots and dentists.

Eligibility and amounts vary by policy and situation, so tell us what you do and we'll check what applies.