About Dwelling Compass

Dwelling Compass is a reference site about dwelling coverage — the "Coverage A" line on a homeowners insurance policy — and the coverages that sit alongside it. It exists because that one line of the policy generates an outsized share of confusion: what it covers, what it doesn't, why the number isn't your home's market value, and what happens when a house sits vacant.

The site is written for homeowners, home buyers, and anyone who has inherited or is managing a house and wants to understand the paperwork before talking to a professional. The guides explain terminology and how standard policies are commonly structured; the comparison table on the home page shows how the six standard homeowners coverages fit together.

An honest note about what this site is and isn't: these pages are reviewed reference material, written from general, durable knowledge of how standard policy forms work, with links to federal and standards-body sources where they apply. They are not professional advice, and they are not a substitute for reading your own policy or talking with a licensed insurance agent, who can see your actual policy language and your actual house. When a page here raises a question about your situation, that's the person to take it to.