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See how flood, fire, wind and the cost of insurance move what a home is worth, so you can price, offer or lend with the number a buyer's lender will weigh.
Who this is for: Home Sellers pricing a listing, and the agents and lenders advising on one, and Home Buyers sense-checking an offer. Where: a property's CoverGuard Record. Sellers find it in Cost & coverage; buyers behind See risk-adjusted value; agents and lenders in the Risk-adjusted value tile at the top. Time: ~2 min.
New to Records? Read Reading a CoverGuard Record first.
Why this matters
Two homes with the same market value are not worth the same if one is far harder or costlier to insure. The risk-adjusted value puts that difference in dollars, so a surprise at the insurance step doesn't become a surprise at closing.
How to read it
Selling your home:
- Open your Record and find Cost & coverage. As a seller, the value leads.
- Read Value once risk is priced in: the risk-adjusted figure, and how far it sits above or below the unadjusted market estimate.
- Read the note beneath it. The figure assumes a buyer can insure the home on ordinary terms. Where cover is constrained, a buyer's lender may ask for proof of it before closing, which is how an insurance problem becomes a price problem.
Buying a home:
- Open the Record and find What this home could mean for you. Beneath the cost figure, select See risk-adjusted value.
- Read the figure and how far it sits above or below market. It is a modeled estimate, not an appraisal — use it to sense-check your offer, never in place of an appraisal or your lender's valuation.
- Select the figure to open the details window described below.
Agents and lenders:
- Find the Risk-adjusted value tile beside Cost to insure. It shows the figure, its grade, and how far it sits above or below market.
- Select the tile. A details window opens with the market and assessed value next to the risk-adjusted figure.
- Read what moves the value beneath it: each adjustment, and the confidence behind the whole read.
What it means
The figure starts from the home's market value and applies four kinds of adjustment:
| Adjustment | What it reflects |
|---|---|
| Physical hazard | The home's own exposure to flood, fire, wind and other perils, beyond what is normal for any home |
| Insurability | How hard cover is to find. When a home is effectively uninsurable, this discount can grow large |
| Excess insurance cost | Insurance that costs more than usual, counted over a typical period of ownership |
| Quality premium | A small upside for a low-risk home in a market where plenty of insurers write |
It is a modeled estimate, built from risk data and market signals. It is decision support, not an appraisal, and it does not replace one.
Tips
- Selling? This is the number that sets your asking price. Pair it with your Record's top three fixes to see which repairs would help most.
- Below market? Ask the Advisor what is driving the gap, and what a buyer is likely to ask about it.
- Mind the confidence. A low-confidence figure is a starting point for a conversation, not a final answer.
Troubleshooting / Common questions
- "I see a locked slot instead of a figure." The risk-adjusted value is part of the full Record. See Buying a single Record or
/pricing. - "The figure is higher than market." That can be right. A low-risk home that is easy to insure can carry a small premium.
Do this next
- Home Seller guide: turn the number into a listing plan
- Reading a CoverGuard Record: the rest of the Record
- Sharing a pre-listing disclosure