Coastal Closings
Navigating Insurance and Climate Challenges in MA & NHCoastal listings are hot, but insurance and climate risks are heating up too. Here’s what buyers and sellers should know before they close.
Whether you’re dreaming of a Cape Cod cottage or a Portsmouth harbor-view condo, one thing’s clear: coastal real estate is more desirable—and more complicated—than ever. Thanks to rising sea levels, increased storm activity, and skyrocketing homeowners insurance premiums, closing on a coastal property in Massachusetts or New Hampshire now comes with more fine print than a cable contract.
In recent years, insurers have pulled out of high-risk zones or raised premiums sharply. A 2025 Boston Globe analysis reports that some policies have jumped over 30% year-over-year in flood-prone areas (source). Many buyers don’t realize their lender may require additional flood insurance—and those costs can torpedo loan approvals late in the game.
Sellers, take note: updated flood disclosures are a must. And buyers? Pull flood zone data early. Work closely with your real estate attorney to ensure your insurance contingencies and inspection timelines match the new market risks. Climate change might be inevitable, but a last-minute deal collapse doesn’t have to be.
Works Cited
“Climate Risk and Resiliency in the Insurance Sector.” Mass.gov, www.mass.gov/info-details/climate-risk-and-resiliency-in-the-insurance-sector. Accessed 19 May 2025. Mass.gov
“Massachusetts Division of Insurance Joins International Sustainable Insurance Forum.” Mass.gov, 10 May 2022, www.mass.gov/news/massachusetts-division-of-insurance-joins-international-sustainable-insurance-forum. Accessed 19 May 2025. Mass.gov
“The Homeowners Insurance Crisis Has Come to Mass.” The Boston Globe, 27 Jan. 2025, www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/27/newsletters/starting-point-homeowners-insurance-climate-change/. Accessed 19 May 2025. BostonGlobe.com
“Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance Nonrenewal Rate Is High.” Boston Business Journal, 27 Mar. 2025, www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2025/03/27/climate-change-home-insurance.html. Accessed 19 May 2025. The Business Journals
“Climate—and a Cautionary Tale of Three New Hampshire Commissioners.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 2023, blog.ucs.org/roger-stephenson/climate-and-a-cautionary-tale-of-three-new-hampshire-commissioners/. Accessed 19 May 2025. The Equation
“Resource Library.” New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup, www.nhcaw.org/explore/resource-library/. Accessed 19 May 2025.therpc.org+2nhcaw.org+2Extension | University of New Hampshire+2
“StoryMap Highlights Climate Adaptation Responses of Coastal New Hampshire Residents.” NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, 2023, coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/storymap-highlights-adaptation-responses-of-coastal-new-hampshire-residents/. Accessed 19 May 2025. NCCOS
“NHARPC Corner: Rising Seas: Impacting More Than Just the Ebb and Flow of Tides.” New Hampshire Municipal Association, Mar.–Apr. 2018, www.nhmunicipal.org/town-city-magazine/marchapril-2018/nharpc-corner-rising-seas-impacting-more-just-ebb-and-flow-tides. Accessed 19 May 2025. New Hampshire Municipal Association
“Hampton, New Hampshire – Managing the Retreat from Rising Seas.” Georgetown Climate Center, 2020, www.georgetownclimate.org/files/MRT/GCC_20_Hampton-3web.pdf. Accessed 19 May 2025. Georgetown Climate Center
“Crashing Coastal Property Values and the Economic Fallout of Climate Change.” Office of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, www.whitehouse.senate.gov/op-eds/crashing-coastal-property-values-and-the-economic-fallout-of-climate-change/. Accessed 19 May 2025. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
“Climate Change and Insurance in the United States.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_and_insurance_in_the_United_States. Accessed 19 May 2025. Wikipedia
“Massachusetts Division of Insurance Annual Home Insurance Report for Calendar Year 2023.” Mass.gov, www.mass.gov/doc/the-2023-massachusetts-market-for-home-insurance/download. Accessed 19 May 2025.
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