Offering a different perspective on the subject is Selective Insurance spokeswoman Cynthia Heismeyer. "While a damage claim made by a previous owner won't cause your homeowners premiums to be higher, the claim may be an underwriting factor that causes an insurer to not accept the risk," says Heismeyer, assistant vice president of corporate communications at Selective Insurance, in Branchville, N.J.

Elaborating on her point, Heismeyer offers an example. "While a claim such as off-premises theft would follow the person and not be a consideration during underwriting of a new homeowner policy," Heismeyer adds, "a claim for water damage might indicate a recurrent issue that would need to be considered during the underwriting process."

Your home's loss history is available. The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange has a data base containing homeowners insurance claims history. "Your homeowner insurer may request a CLUE report on a given piece of property," explains Chubb spokesman Mark Schussel. "A bad report can hurt a seller's chances of getting the asking price, and could make homeowners insurance more difficult to obtain for the buyer."