Homeowners insurance in San Jacinto, CA

An old town with new neighborhoods around it

San Jacinto incorporated in 1888, a few years before Riverside County even existed. The Estudillo Mansion downtown dates from that era, and some of the houses on the older blocks aren't far behind. Then you drive a few minutes out and it's newer tracts built in the last twenty years. Those two kinds of houses need very different policies.

I'm Javier Calvo, with Calvo Insurance Agency in Murrieta. Before and alongside insurance I've spent more than 25 years in business and construction, which helps when the question is what it would really cost to put an old house back together.

Older homes and the cost of building to today's code

If an older San Jacinto home burns or is badly damaged, the city will make you rebuild to current building code. That can mean new wiring, new plumbing and structural work the original house never had. A lot of homeowners policies only pay a limited amount for that, under what's called ordinance or law coverage. On an older house I'd look at raising it.

Carriers will also ask about the roof, the electrical panel and the plumbing. Updates you've made can help the price, so it's worth digging up the dates and receipts before we talk.

The San Jacinto fault

The San Jacinto fault zone runs through this valley, and geologists count it among the most active faults in Southern California. Homeowners insurance doesn't cover earthquake damage, so this is a separate policy, usually through the California Earthquake Authority, with a deductible of 5% to 25% of the dwelling limit.

One thing worth checking on older houses: the CEA offers premium discounts for homes that have been seismically retrofitted, meaning bolted to the foundation and braced. If your house was built before modern codes and hasn't been retrofitted, that's a project that can lower the earthquake premium and make the house safer.

Living near the San Jacinto River

The San Jacinto River runs along the edge of town, and parts of the valley floor sit in mapped flood zones. Flooding is excluded from every standard homeowners policy. If you're on low ground near the river, check your address on FEMA's flood map and think about a flood policy before the rainy season, since most take about 30 days to start.

Wildfire and the FAIR Plan

Homes up against the foothills on the east side carry more fire risk, and some insurers have stopped writing new homeowners policies in parts of California. Calvo Insurance Agency is a Farmers agency, so I'll check Farmers first. If they can't write your home, the California FAIR Plan covers fire, and a separate policy fills in theft, water damage and liability.

Next steps

Neighbors in Hemet deal with a lot of the same issues; I cover those on the Hemet homeowners insurance page. The general rundown of what a policy includes is in my homeowners insurance guide, and you can usually save by putting your home and auto insurance together.

Give me a call at (951) 383-3000. I'll look over your current policy for free, in Spanish or English, and point out anything I'd change for an older home or a new one.