Florida and Texas homes are cooling. Insurance is part of why.

Fortune, drawing on Redfin, Zillow, Realtor.com, and ResiClub data, reports that the Sunbelt housing markets that boomed during the pandemic have turned. Miami, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin now sit among the most lopsided buyer's markets in the country, and Austin metro prices are reportedly down about 27.8% from their 2022 peak. Ohio metros are heading the other way. Among the costs the piece blames in Florida: homeowners premiums averaging roughly $8,300 a year, plus climbing HOA fees and special assessments since the post-Surfside inspection laws took effect. In Texas it points to property taxes and to insurance priced for hail, tornado, and hurricane risk.

Carrying cost is now part of the price of a house, and buyers have started treating it that way. If you are shopping, get a real quote on the exact address before you make an offer, because two similar-looking homes can sit thousands apart on roof age, wind mitigation features, distance to the water, and flood zone. If you already own and your home's market value has slipped, do not trim your dwelling limit to match it. Coverage A is what rebuilding costs at today's labor and material prices, and that number moves independently of what the house would sell for. Cutting it to chase a lower premium is how a covered loss turns into an out-of-pocket one.

An independent agent can quote a home before you buy it, rerun your replacement-cost estimate if you already own, and re-shop the policy across carriers.