Selling Your Home? How to Handle Home Insurance at Each Stage of the Process

When you’re ready to sell your house, home insurance is likely one of the last things on your mind—but it shouldn’t be.

Your local Bearingstar Insurance Consultant is an invaluable resource who can help you:

• Evaluate your changing coverage needs
• Cover your belongings no matter where you’re living
• Transition your home insurance coverage at the right time

Whether you’re listing your current home, searching for your new one, or packing to move, here’s what you should be doing with your home insurance along the way.

Managing Your Home Insurance at Each Stage of the Selling Process

Stage I: Selling Your House

When preparing to put your house up for sale, you should contact your local Bearingstar Consultant to discuss your upcoming plans. Together, we will review:

• Where you’re moving to
• How your coverage works during open houses, showings, moving, and every stage in between
• What your coverage needs are going forward
• What the home insurance transition process looks like
• When it’s appropriate to cancel your current policy

The earlier you inform us of your plans, the sooner we can begin coordinating coverage for your new home, condo, or apartment. While you focus on selling your home and packing for the big move, we’ll handle the insurance details so your transition is as smooth as possible.

Once your home is officially sold, we can:

• Notify your insurance company
• Update your address
• Confirm the appropriate date for your current coverage to end
• Help you receive the proper refund

Stage II: Buying Your New Home

When you switch homes, updating your home insurance is not as simple as changing your address. You typically need to purchase a new policy.

If you are staying in or moving to Massachusetts or Connecticut, your Bearingstar Consultant will collect information about your new home, such as its age, construction type, and square footage. This helps us calculate its replacement cost value and determine how much coverage you need. We will then request home insurance quotes from the multiple insurance companies we work with to find you a new policy that fits your specific needs and budget.

During this process, we will also consider:

• Bundling and other savings opportunities: As we explore options with our different insurance companies, we will look into the various discounts and cost savings available, such as bundling your new home insurance policy with your auto insurance.
• Changing coverage needs: Each home is unique, so you may need different types of coverage than before. For example, if your new property has a finished basement, adding a Water Backup Endorsement to help protect against sump pump overflows may be appropriate. Or, if you have a new pool, you may want to purchase an umbrella insurance policy for extra liability protection.

Stage III: Moving Out

Before loading your belongings into a moving van, it’s important to work with your Bearingstar Consultant to ensure that all your belongings will be properly covered during transit.

If you hire professional movers, your homeowners policy will not typically pay for any damages that arise while your personal property is in their care, such as a broken TV or a missing laptop. While moving companies are liable for the value of any item they transport, the available protection options are often limited or expensive.

Most home insurance companies offer these endorsements to help extend coverage:

• Special Personal Property Coverage: This can help cover most of your belongings if they are broken, lost, or stolen during your move.
• Scheduled Personal Property Coverage: If you have jewelry, china, vases, fine art, or other high-value collectibles, then this allows you to specifically list them on your policy at their appraised values and with optional Breakage Coverage.

Your Bearingstar Consultant can help you add the coverage you need while you’re moving. Taking photos and videos and keeping records of serial numbers will make it easier if you need to file a claim.

What Happens When You’re Juggling Two Homes?

As of March 2026, a home spends a median period of 41 days on the market. This means you could find yourself insuring two homes at once if you find your next dream home before you find the right buyer for your current one.

Coverage can get a bit complicated once you leave your old home and move into your new one. For insurance purposes, a home is generally considered vacant when all your personal possessions are moved out and some of or all the utilities are turned off.

Although each insurance company has its own rules, most will do one of the following after your home has been vacant for more than a month or two:

• Limit or exclude coverage for any claims that arise
• Cancel your policy
• Add a special endorsement to your policy
• Require you to purchase separate vacant home insurance

Contact your Bearingstar Consultant to find out which special insurance requirements apply to your situation.

Bearingstar Insurance Wants to Be Part of the Team Selling Your Home

We understand how much work it takes to put your house up for sale, pack up all your belongings, and find a new place that feels like home. By adding us to the team that is selling your home, you’ll work with a local insurance professional who answers your questions, listens to your concerns, and coordinates your insurance coverage every step of the way.

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