Don't count on it!  Approximately 40% of all homes listed for sale in the Valley of the Sun (Greater Phoenix) MLS are currently vacant!   This is very troubling since most sellers think that their home is covered by the home insurance policy that they had in place when they were living there. 

All insurance property policies have a requirement that the dwelling they are insuring not be vacant for any greater than 30, 60, or 90 days at any time (depending on the policy) during the policy term.  If it is vacant longer than whatever number of days are specified, and becomes damaged during those later days, in many instances the insurance company will deny the claim because you failed to comply with the insuring requirements.

Sometimes you can get a “Vacancy Permit” which basically extends very basic coverages for your property for an additional short period of time to allow you time to either move back into the property yourself or find a renter.

So to be on the safe side we recommend that you call your insurance agent immediately and talk with them regarding your policy.

Hope this helps some of you sellers out there.