Gwyneth Shick's insurance career spans 20 years as a producer, agency owner, and the immediate past 5 years with Orion180 as Territory Manager of South Carolina and Georgia.
The average U.S. home is now 44 years old. For independent agents, this isn’t just a data point—it’s a daily operational hurdle. As the national housing stock grays, securing a policy for these risks in a tightening market has become increasingly difficult.
Some home insurance carriers retreat from older builds, citing concerns over aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance. This leaves agents in a difficult position: trying to provide coverage for sturdy, well-maintained homes that simply don't fit into a rigid, modern box.
At Orion180, we believe that a home’s age shouldn’t be a barrier to protection. Our HO3 product is designed to be a strategic tool for agents, offering a broad appetite for properties from modern builds to older homes.
The Reality of the Maintenance Tax
According to recent data from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, we are in the midst of a record-breaking aging trend for American homes. This aging process comes with a steep price tag. Homeowners today aren't just buying a property; they are buying a maintenance schedule.
The cost of maintaining these homes is outpacing general inflation:
- Structural repairs have climbed 14.1% in real terms over the last two years.
- Plumbing costs have surged by 23.6%.
- Essential replacements, like HVAC and windows, now account for nearly half of all home improvement spending.
When homeowners are hit with rising maintenance costs, property taxes, and HOA dues, a high insurance premium can be the breaking point. Agents need a way to provide actionable solutions that offer real protection without pricing the client out of their home.
Solving the Roof Problem
Perhaps the most common dealbreaker for older homes is the roof. At Orion180, we offer adaptable roof coverage. Instead of an automatic declination based on age, our policies align the coverage with the actual condition and age of outdated roofs. This allows them to keep the coverage active and the home protected.
Smart Solutions for Aging Plumbing
Old pipes shouldn't mean a lost commission. Instead of a flat decline, Orion180 adapts. The water damage coverage may be limited, or damage caused by older plumbing systems might not be covered. This keeps the risk placeable and your quote moving forward.
Crucially, we’ve also created a path to full coverage. When your client installs AWTOS—our proprietary Auto Water Turn-Off System—we remove the water damage sublimit and any plumbing system restrictions. AWTOS availability is expanding through our footprint, and we even offer the AWTOS valve (market value $499) to policyholders at no cost.
By leveraging this smart home technology, you can offer your clients comprehensive protection while significantly reducing the risk of a catastrophic claim. It’s a win-win that helps you bind older risks with confidence.
The Power of Modularity
The core of Orion180 HO3 product is its modularity. We understand that every placement is different. Sometimes, a homeowner needs full, comprehensive protection; other times, an agent needs to strip a policy down to the essentials to meet a specific budget or lender requirement.
To help you place harder-to-insure risks, our HO3 allows for flexibility on specific coverages that may be driving premiums too high:
- Other Structures – Coverage B (can be excluded)
- Personal Property – Coverage C (wide range of coverage options)
- Loss of Use – Coverage D (can be excluded)
- Personal Liability – Coverage E (can be excluded)
- Medical Payments – Coverage F (is excluded when Coverage E is excluded)
By offering these exclusions, you can tailor a policy that focuses strictly on the dwelling itself, ensuring the client remains compliant with their mortgage while significantly reducing the premium burden.
Partnering for the Future
The U.S. housing market is only going to get older, and the cost of repairs is likely to stay high. In this environment, agents need a partner that provides a toolkit for the real world. Orion180’s HO3 is that toolkit. It allows you to say yes to the 1920s classic, the 1950s ranch, and the client who needs a flexible, budget-conscious solution. Stop turning away hard-to-place risks. Log into the MY180 portal and quote H03 today.
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