So, you have to relocate. Or the new house you’re building is finished. But you haven’t sold your current house.
   And now it’s sitting empty. Is that a big deal?
   “Your house still needs protection,” said John Frounfelter, an Allstate insurance agent in Rock Hill. “If the house is empty, you need a ‘vacant home policy’ to cover it.” A house is considered vacant after 30 to 60 days, Frounfelter said.
    When you purchase a vacant home policy, it’s “pretty bare bones,” Frounfelter said. It will cover the home’s structure, and damage from fire, wind, hail and hurricanes. But like regular homeowner policies, it excludes earthquake and flood damage.
   “You also can get protection for burglary and vandalism at an extra cost,” Frounfelter said.
   The bad news? The cost of a vacant home policy can be double, sometimes triple, of a standard homeowners policy.
   “Your standard policy can run $500 to $1,000 a year, depending on the house,” Frounfelter said. “But a vacant home policy is generally $1,500 to $2,500.”
   Many companies do give discounts for security systems, deadbolt locks and smoke detectors.
   Do you really need the coverage? Extreme, but still possible, scenarios include squatters moving in, an unnoticed fire or flooding, vandals wrecking the place. If someone were living in the house, each scenario could be avoided or dealt with.
   You may have to do some legwork to find a policy.
   “Not every company offers this,” Frounfelter said. “I’d say it was about 50/50. Allstate doesn’t cover vacant houses, but we have a brokerage partnership with a company that will.”
    It may not be your home any more, but it’s still your house and your responsibility. Think hard before deciding to leave your investment unprotected.