Home · Updated September 2026
Homeowners premiums across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have risen for reasons that have little to do with any individual household: repeated severe storm seasons, higher construction and labor costs, and the rising cost of reinsurance that carriers buy to protect themselves.
There is also a mechanical reason. Most policies automatically increase the dwelling limit each year to track construction costs. More coverage costs more, and that shows up without anything changing at your house.
A claim, a roof aging past a threshold, or a change in your area's storm history can each add to it. But the base increase usually is not about you.
Premium alone tells you almost nothing. Two policies within a couple hundred dollars can differ enormously at claim time. Compare these lines side by side:
Dwelling limit and whether extended replacement cost is included, and at what percentage. Roof settlement — replacement cost, actual cash value or a schedule. All-peril deductible and, separately, the wind and hail deductible converted into actual dollars. Water and sewer backup and its limit. Contents at replacement cost or actual cash value. Ordinance or law percentage. Liability limit. And whether service line and equipment breakdown coverage are included.
We do this on a single worksheet for every homeowner we quote — the home insurance coverage checkup. The cheapest policy wins some of the time. When it does not, you can see exactly what you would be giving up.
It can. Claims history follows the property and the policyholder, and carriers price for it. Frequency matters more than the size of any single claim, and several claims in a few years can affect not just price but whether carriers will offer coverage at all.
That does not mean never file. It means thinking about small claims differently: a loss barely above your deductible may cost more in future premium than it returns today. Call us before filing if you are unsure — we can talk through it without a claim being opened.
Carriers can non-renew a policy at the end of its term for reasons including claims history, roof condition, property condition or a change in their appetite for your area. Rules on notice and on mid-term cancellation are set by state law and are more restrictive than most people assume.
If you receive a non-renewal notice, call us immediately rather than at the end of the notice period. Options narrow as the expiration date approaches, and a lapse in coverage makes the next placement harder and more expensive.
Older roofs, knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, older electrical panels of certain types, a history of claims, vacancy, rural locations far from a fire hydrant or station, and certain dog breeds can each narrow your options. Several together can make a house genuinely difficult to place.
Those homes are placeable, usually through carriers who specialize in them, sometimes with an inspection or specific repairs as a condition. Being an independent agency is what makes that possible: we can take one submission to several markets rather than accepting the first decline.
We can consider many homes that do not fit the simplest preferred-market profile: older homes, rental properties, manufactured homes, rural properties, and homes with certain prior claims or underwriting issues. Availability depends on the property and our markets.
If your current company will not insure the home, call before assuming nobody will. We will find out whether one of our markets can help.
Usually a combination of regional storm losses, higher rebuilding costs, reinsurance costs, and the automatic annual increase in your dwelling limit that tracks construction inflation. A claim or an aging roof can add to it, but the base increase is usually market-wide.
It can, and frequency matters more than size. A small claim barely above the deductible may cost more in future premium than it pays today. Call us before filing if you are weighing it.
Carriers can non-renew at the end of a term for reasons including claims history and property condition. Mid-term cancellation is more restricted. If you get a notice, call immediately — options narrow as the date approaches.
Common reasons are roof age, wiring or panel type, claims history, vacancy or distance from fire protection. Most of these homes are placeable through specialty carriers, sometimes conditioned on an inspection or repairs.
Only after checking what differs. Roof settlement, wind and hail deductible, water backup and contents basis can vary hugely between two similarly priced policies. That is what the coverage checkup worksheet is for.
Questions about your own situation? Call 417.623.8300 or send us your current policy. We are licensed in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Questions about your own policy? Send it over and we will go through it with you.