with Madison Williams, My Carolinas Insurance
Wind and hail insurance North Carolina buyers assume is included in their homeowners policy very often isn’t — and finding that out during due diligence is a bad week. Coastal coverage here is frequently three separate things wearing one trench coat, and the wind piece is the one that surprises people most. In Episode 003, Madison Williams of My Carolinas Insurance untangles it in plain English.
Hey friend — I’m Tabetha (Tabi) Klein, a REALTOR® in Wilmington, North Carolina, working across New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties.
Watch or listen: YouTube · Spotify · @theILMrealtor
In this episode
‘I have homeowners insurance’ and ‘I’m covered for a hurricane’ are two different sentences, and you need to know which one is true for the house you’re buying.
Tabi Klein, host
Why wind and hail insurance in North Carolina is often separate
Inland, wind damage is usually just part of your homeowners policy and nobody thinks about it. Closer to the coast, carriers often carve wind and hail out — either excluding it entirely or writing it as its own policy — because hurricane exposure is a fundamentally different kind of risk to price.
So a coastal homeowner can end up holding three things: a homeowners policy, a separate wind and hail policy, and a separate flood policy. The N.C. Department of Insurance explains how windstorm and hail coverage works and names the state’s Coastal Property Insurance Pool, which many people know as the Beach Plan — the market of last resort when the standard market won’t write wind on a property.
The practical upshot: “I have homeowners insurance” and “I’m covered for a hurricane” are two different sentences, and you need to know which one is true for the house you’re buying.
The named storm deductible is the number that matters
If you remember one thing from this episode, make it this one.
Most people think of a deductible as a flat dollar amount. On wind and hail policies, the deductible for a named storm is commonly a percentage of your dwelling coverage instead. That’s a completely different kind of number.
Run it yourself. Take your dwelling coverage amount, take the percentage on your declarations page, and multiply. The result is what you would need to have available before the policy pays anything after a named storm. For a lot of people that figure is several times larger than the flat deductible they had in mind, and it is the single most common unpleasant surprise I see.
It’s not a reason to panic. It’s a reason to know the number, and to keep that much accessible.
Wind is not flood, and your policy knows the difference
Here’s the distinction that decides claims: broadly speaking, water that comes in from above or sideways — through a roof the wind opened up — is a wind claim. Water that rises from the ground up is a flood claim. Same storm, same house, two different policies, sometimes two different adjusters.
This is exactly why people end up with a gap. They bought one and assumed it covered both. Flood is its own whole subject and I’ve written it up separately — start with flood zones in Wilmington and what to check before you buy.
What drives your coastal premium
- Distance to the water. Not the county, not the ZIP — the actual distance. Two homes a few minutes apart can price very differently.
- Roof age and material. Probably the single biggest lever on a coastal quote. An older roof can affect pricing, the settlement basis, or whether a carrier will write it at all.
- Construction and elevation. How the house is built and how high it sits.
- Claims history. Both yours and the property’s. Ask for the property’s loss history during due diligence.
- Replacement cost vs. actual cash value. This decides whether a settlement accounts for depreciation. It matters enormously on an older roof and it’s worth reading carefully.
The wind and hail insurance North Carolina checklist to run before you offer
Madison’s whole philosophy is that these conversations should happen before a loss, not after — and I’d add, before you’re emotionally committed to a house.
- Get a quote before your due diligence period ends, not after. Insurability can change the whole deal.
- Ask directly: is wind and hail included, excluded, or written separately on this property?
- Get the named storm deductible as a dollar figure, not a percentage.
- Ask the roof’s age and what that does to pricing and to the settlement basis.
- Ask whether the standard market will write it, or whether this is a Beach Plan situation.
- Ask about the property’s prior claims.
- Ask whether it’s replacement cost or actual cash value, and confirm in writing.
Quick glossary
Named storm: a storm the National Hurricane Center has named — often the trigger for a different, higher deductible.
Percentage deductible: a deductible calculated as a percentage of dwelling coverage rather than a flat amount.
Dwelling coverage: the amount to rebuild the structure — not what you paid for the house.
Exclusion: something the policy does not cover, in writing.
Replacement cost: pays to replace with comparable new materials.
Actual cash value: pays replacement cost minus depreciation.
Beach Plan: the state’s Coastal Property Insurance Pool, available when the standard market declines to write wind coverage.
Common questions about coastal coverage
Is wind and hail insurance North Carolina homeowners carry required by law?
No law requires it, but if you have a mortgage your lender will require property coverage — and near the coast, whether wind is inside that policy or written separately depends on the property and the carrier. Ask specifically.
What is a named storm deductible?
It is the deductible that applies when a named storm causes the damage, and it is commonly a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount. Get it quoted as a dollar figure.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?
Generally no. Flood is almost always its own separate policy. Wind-driven water through a damaged roof and rising water from the ground are treated very differently.
About our guest: Madison Williams (My Carolinas Insurance)
Madison Williams is an Account Executive with My Carolinas Insurance with about ten years in the industry. She works on homeowners coverage for primary, secondary, and rental properties, wind, flood, and coastal risk, new construction and higher-value custom homes, and first-time homebuyer education — and she coordinates regularly with agents, lenders, and closing attorneys, which is why she’s so good at spotting a problem before it becomes one. She got her start in insurance while attending UNCW, working part-time at a local agency. Her stated priority is education over selling the cheapest possible rate, which is exactly why I wanted her on. Also, she’s a dog mom to a dachshund named Jett who reportedly runs the household.
Website: mycarolinasinsurance.com
Buying near the water? Let’s price it properly.
If you’re looking at a coastal property and want the real monthly number — insurance, wind, flood, taxes, HOA, all of it — call or text me at 910-983-8963 and I’ll help you build it out before you write an offer. Related listening: Episode 006 on what homeowners insurance does with golf carts and boats. And if a second home or rental is the plan, here’s how primary, second home and investment differ at the beach.
Want the numbers? See what homeowners insurance costs in Wilmington in 2026 and how to size up hurricane risk before you buy.
Tabetha Klein, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage | 910-983-8963 | makingilmhome.com | @theILMrealtor
This episode is for general education and local insight, not insurance advice. Coverage, deductibles, exclusions and availability vary by carrier, policy and property — always confirm the specifics with a licensed insurance professional and read your own declarations page. Guest appearances are editorial and are not paid endorsements. Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.