Belize Real Estate  Links  
Real Estate Information

Searching for CLUEs: What Homebuyers & Sellers Need to Know About Homeowners Insurance


Homebuyers and sellers should be aware about issues involving homeowners insurance and the C.L.U.E. database. C.L.U.E. stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and is a collection of homeowners insurance claim history enabling insurance companies to access five years worth of prior claim information to evaluate risks. The database is maintained by Choice Point Inc., a private Georgia firm, and contains over 40 million claims records on houses in all 50 states. Over 90 percent of insurers providing homeowners coverage provide data to the CLUE system.

In the same way that having a bad credit record affects your ability to finance a home, negative information in the CLUE database can affect whether a purchaser can get a homeowners insurance policy and at what cost. Many homebuyers are facing the grim reality of the decreasing availability and affordability of homeowners insurance. When a homeowner applies for insurance on a property, the insurance company will usually check the CLUE database to see what claims or reports of damage are on file about the property, and may charge higher premiums or possibly decline to offer insurance coverage. Without homeowners insurance it is nearly impossible to obtain a mortgage loan and in most instances a sale will fall through. Sellers of properties who never made an insurance claim but only lived in the house for a short period of time may be unaware of potential problems because of claims made by the prior owner. Another problem arises with "zero-dollar" claims which refers to things that did not result in a loss for the insurer being listed as a claim in the CLUE database, such as a homeowner calling the insurance company about possibly filing a claim, even if the claim is never filed.

The National Association of Realtors® believes that home sellers, buyers, and Realtors® need more education about CLUE. Homeowners and sellers may obtain the CLUE report on their property from www.choicetrust.com for $12.95. It is important that sellers review this report carefully to correct any inaccuracies which may inhibit a new owner from obtaining homeowners coverage. For buyers, it is critical to find out the claims history of a property before purchase by requesting a copy of the CLUE report from the seller in a contingency clause in the contract. Getting a C.L.U.E. report as soon as possible during a real estate transaction will help ensure that buyers and sellers do not receive unpleasant surprises at the last moment causing unneeded stress and delays and possibly causing a sale to collapse.

Brian Block is a Realtor with Re/Max Allegiance in Alexandria, Virginia. He is also a real estate attorney. He can be contacted at 703-626-0715. If you or anyone you know has real estate questions or is looking to buy or sell real estate in the Northern Virginia and Metropolitan D.C. area, contact Brian Block. For more information and to start your home search, visit his website at http://www.brianblock.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Fed judge blocks changes in Neb. real estate rules
BusinessWeek
A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of new rules governing Nebraska's real estate industry. US District Judge Joseph ...
Industry of the Month: Real Estate ProfessionalsFoster Folly News
Calif. broker sues over new Neb. real estate rulesKMPH Fox 26

all 77 news articles »



Dark Passages: Real Estate noir
Los Angeles Times
That means, like a lot of dwellers of the five boroughs, I spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about real estate, whether griping about ...

and more »


Kansas City Star

SEC says Wylys used money to buy art and Aspen real estate, make charitable ...
Washington Post (blog)
The Wylys spent nearly $100 million of the proceeds from their offshore stock sales to purchase real estate in the United States . ...
Wylys charged in fraud caseAspen Daily News

all 619 news articles »


Home sellers are unhappy with real-estate firms
MarketWatch
More sellers are dissatisfied with their real-estate companies these days, griping mostly about the marketing of their home and some of the other services ...
Homebuyers More Satisfied, But Sellers Less SoKiplinger.com

all 4 news articles »


iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate Index Fund In Review: Shares Trading 19.70 ...
Comtex Smartrend
iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate Index Fund (NYSE:IYR) is currently trading 19.70% above its May 6th low of $43.16. Investors are looking to ...
Chinese Real Estate: How to Enjoy the Year-End RallyInvesting Daily

all 27 news articles »



Neuberger Berman Real Estate Securities Income Fund Announces Monthly Distribution
MarketWatch (press release)
NEW YORK, Jul 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Neuberger Berman Real Estate Securities Income Fund Inc. (CONSOLIDATED:NRO) has announced a distribution ...

and more »


MiamiHerald.com

UF study: BP oil spill adds to uncertainty about Florida's real estate market
University of Florida
The BP oil spill threatens to swamp a shaky Florida real estate industry that had been bottoming out because of repeated economic blows, ...
Real Estate WoesUniversity of Florida
Gulf Coast Homes to Take Lesser HitHousing Predictor

all 28 news articles »


Real estate broker speaks on Norfolk explosion
WHDH-TV
A condominium unit explosion in Norfolk was a close call for the real estate broker who had sold that unit, as she was on the property when it exploded on ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map | Colorado Log Homes | Homes for Sale in Denver Metro
© 2006