Farmers, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Allstate - they all insure old homes.

This may be outdated info but when we bought our slum lord special, Chubb would only write a fire policy until we moved in, & then we converted it to homeowners.

Do you have to tell them how much work it needs?

They come look at it, and prolly photograph it. As soon as I bought my fixer upper, they appeared. LOL. But, I didn't have a problem at all getting insurance. The only stipulation was I put in a hand-rail on the back porch, because it had more than three steps to it. They did ask me all sorts of questions as to the entrance box, fire alarms, wiring. That didn't stop me from getting insurance, but it can affect the rates. As you make improvements, and let them know what you've done, the costs go down.

Pick up a phone book and let your fingers do the walking. Some companies won't insure farms, some won't insure vacation homes. They all have their guidelines and not necessarily the same ones.

Whatever you do, however, don't fudge answers. Be truthful. If you try to make it look better than it is, and you need to make claims, they may not cover it, and it could be considered fraudulent.

I bought a ruin a few months ago and had to get a builder's risk policy. The good thing is that the builder's risk cost less than a regular homeowner's policy. I had to get separate policies for flood and liability.

Before the insurance company would write the policy, I was required to submit estimates for repair from a licensed contractor and a report from a structural engineer certifying that the house was structurally sound. The insurance agency provided me with the name of the engineer (he charged $100.00). They also reminded me not to mention structural issues in the estimate (such as shoring, leveling, foundation work, etc.)