What Martha’s Vineyard Homeowners Should Review in a Coastal Insurance Policy
Owning a home on Martha’s Vineyard is special—and it often comes with insurance questions that are a little different from those for an off-island home.
Whether your home is near the water, used year-round, enjoyed seasonally, recently renovated, or part of a larger family property, it is worth taking time to make sure your insurance still reflects the home and lifestyle you have today.
Here are a few areas we encourage homeowners to revisit from time to time.
1. Does your coverage reflect the home as it is today?
A home’s market value and the cost to rebuild it are not always the same thing. On Martha’s Vineyard, rebuilding costs can be influenced by custom finishes, architectural details, specialized materials, contractor availability, transportation, and local construction costs.
If you have renovated, added a bedroom or guest space, built an outbuilding, installed a pool, added a dock, or made other improvements, those changes are worth discussing.
A few helpful questions:
Have you completed renovations or improvements since your last review?
Does your home have custom materials or distinctive features that may affect rebuilding costs?
Has the way you use the property changed?
2. Do you understand your deductibles?
A deductible is the amount you may be responsible for before insurance responds to a covered loss. For coastal homes, it is especially important to understand whether your policy includes separate wind, hurricane, named-storm, or other deductibles.
Some deductibles are a set dollar amount. Others may be calculated as a percentage of the home’s insured value. Knowing how yours works ahead of time can help avoid surprises later.
Questions worth asking:
What deductibles are listed on my policy?
Are there separate deductibles for wind, hurricanes, or named storms?
If a deductible is percentage-based, how is it calculated?
3. Have you talked about flood insurance?
Flood coverage is commonly a separate conversation from homeowners insurance. Flood insurance may be available through the National Flood Insurance Program or private-market options, depending on the home and other factors.
You do not have to live directly on the shoreline for flood to be worth discussing. Drainage, elevation, nearby ponds or wetlands, road access, and changes around the property can all be relevant.
Questions worth asking:
Have I reviewed flood-insurance options for this home?
Have changes around my property raised new questions?
Do I understand what my current policies do—and do not—address?
4. Has the way you use the home changed?
Home insurance should keep pace with life. A home that was once a full-time residence may become seasonal. A seasonal home may be rented occasionally. A renovation may be underway. Family members may begin using the property differently.
It is always easier to discuss a change before it becomes urgent.
Examples include:
Renting the home, including short-term rentals
Leaving the property unoccupied for an extended period
Starting construction or a major renovation
Adding a pool, dock, boat, guest house, or other structure
Adding a caretaker, household employee, driver, vehicle, or watercraft
5. Are your belongings and liability needs up to date?
A good review is not only about the house. Jewelry, artwork, collections, wine, watercraft, electronics, and other valuable belongings may deserve a closer look.
It can also be helpful to revisit liability protection as your assets, homes, vehicles, household members, pets, watercraft, or recreational activities change. Depending on your circumstances, an umbrella policy may be worth discussing as part of a broader personal insurance plan.
6. Set aside time for an annual review
Most homeowners do not need to think about insurance every day. But an annual check-in—especially before storm season, a renovation, a purchase, a rental arrangement, or a period away from the Island—can be a helpful way to make sure nothing important has changed.
A review may include:
Confirming how the home is used
Discussing renovations or additions
Reviewing limits and deductibles
Talking through flood questions
Updating contact and emergency information
Discussing changes in vehicles, valuables, boats, or household members
We’re here to help
Sterling Insurance Group serves homeowners across Martha’s Vineyard and coastal Massachusetts. We are happy to talk through the details of your home, answer questions about your current policies, and help you prepare for a thoughtful insurance review.
To learn more, visit our Martha’s Vineyard home insurance page or request a quote for a full-time owner-occupied home.
Insurance coverage is subject to policy terms, conditions, exclusions, limits, deductibles, underwriting requirements, carrier availability, and applicable law.