On 3/25/2010 10:25 PM, Joe from Kokomo wrote:
Beam Me Up Scotty wrote:

I've only had insurance on one house, my first house that I stupidly got
a loan to purchase.... I never made that mistake again. I didn't need
insurance on a house "I" lived in, I am a very careful person, but if
you're an idiot.... you may want it.

Well, IMHO you are very lucky, very naive or both.

As the old saying goes: "Stuff happens".

A defective appliance (with a counterfeit UL seal), a good appliance
that legitimately fails, lightning. Or like my neighbor across the
street -- they were not at home, they had baked goods on a plastic
cutting board on the stove, the dog jumped up to try and get the food,

I'm not like your neighbor.....

accidentally turned on the stove and caused severe fire damage to the
home. Furthermore, had the fire been worse than it was and had it been
windy, the flames could have jumped to the house of an innocent neighbor
next door -- who would hopefully have insurance.

Why I buy my houses with different criteria than you or your neighbor.


There are literally a million -unforeseen- things that could happen that

And yet I have never had a fire of any kind in my houses in over 35
years of ownership....


are beyond -your- control. You can be the most careful person in the
world, but that won't stop a runaway car from smashing into your house

Don't buy at the end of a street.

nor will it keep lightning from striking. I don't know what state you

Lived in several, never had lightening hit my house, it's NOT the
tallest structure around.

live in, but how about tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, heavy snow that

Been there, I bought at the top of a hill, in an area where tornadoes
typically went around. 15 years there, never had a tornado near the house.

collapses your roof? You do not have to be an "idiot" to need insurance.

I built the Barn and the roof was 2x6 truss.... the house was built
well enough with enough pitch.

Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. You would be an idiot to think
that you -don't- need insurance, either that or be a heck of a gambler.

I don't gamble, it's not very entertaining, I never bet on sports or any
game of chance.... well unless I am really really bored.


I never had a fire or any other disaster that was able to destroy the
homes I bought.

All that proves is that you were very lucky. For your sake, I hope your
luck continues. But I STILL think you are being incredibly naive and are
taking a big gamble.

I was in an earth quake.... I was renting and happy not to own anything
in that area. I have minimal belongings so losing my "stuff" is not an
issue.


**** happens, but it usually happens to people that haven't learned
anything.