OC Today-Dispaatch AUGUST 30, 2024
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PRICELESS
AGH looks at possible partnership The hospital’s board of trustees issues a statement that says it is exploring the possibility of aligning itself with or joining another healthcare provider as it considers options for the future. Page 95
PHOTO COURTESY MIKE DETWILER PHOTOGRAPHY
FANTASTICO Members of the Italian Air Force’s Frecce Tricolori (tri-color arrows) streak across the sky at last weekend’s OC Air Show. The performance team won kudos from the audience for its aerial artistry and precision maneuvers. See pages 104-105 for more pictures.
Sentence reduced for OC arsonist
After serving 39 years of a life sentence for setting a fire that claimed the life of an Ocean City With some homes there decades old but priced high because of location, in- firefighter, David Chris surance companies are refusing coverage. That can make buying and selling Ball will be released. difficult, and leaves some residents wondering what to do next. Page 3 Page 21
Montego Bay insurers bailing out
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AUGUST 30, 2024
OC Today-Dispatch
8.30 Joe Esham 1pm-4pm 8.31 RyMac 1pm-4pm 9.1
Jason Lee 1pm-4pm Naked Nation 6pm-9pm
9.3
Wes Davis 1pm-4pm
9.4
Jess Arms 1pm-4pm
9.5
Kasey Briggs 1-4pm
MON.-THURS. 3-6PM
AUGUST 30, 2024
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OC Today-Dispatch
‘People are in a panic’ over unexpected insurance loss Property sales impacted by companies not insuring some manufactured homes By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (Aug. 30, 2024) Resort area residents are struggling to find answers after learning that their insurance carriers are dropping policies on their manufactured homes. When Ocean City resident Jaime Strickland and her husband decided to sell their Montego Bay property earlier this summer, they were shocked to discover their buyer could not secure the homeowners insurance required by the mortgage company. After further investigation, she learned insurance companies are choosing not to offer, or to continue, policies on decades-old manufactured homes. “People are in a panic,” she said. “A lot of homes here are older than 35 years.” With two children preparing to attend college, Strickland is worried about how this change could affect the sale of her property, which her family had purchased as a vacation home. She is now holding out for a buyer who is willing to pay cash and self-insure. “Who’s going to do that?” she asked. While Strickland said she has yet to be dropped by her insurance carrier, others in the Montego Bay community – including Strickland’s 97-year-old neighbor – are not so fortunate. Realtor Mike Grimes of Montego Bay Realty said the lack of insurance coverage for manufactured homes 20 years of age or older has been a problem for more than a year. He said the
manufactured homes affected by the change account for more than half of the 1,523 properties that make up the Montego Bay community. “To the best of my knowledge, there’s no insurance carriers at the moment that will hand out homeowners insurance policies for single-wide, double-wide or buildovers, which is a single-wide that’s been added onto,” he said. “So, because of this current situation, anybody buying those types of homes have to buy in cash because lenders require a homeowners insurance policy.” Grimes said he has witnessed manufactured homes in the community go under contract, just to return to the market days later because a buyer couldn’t secure homeowners insurance. Realtor Scott Holdren of Larry Holdren Real Estate, said he also has had real estate transactions in the Montego Bay community fall through. “I’ve lost four sales back there this year because of this insurance thing,” he said. “It sucks.” But the problems don’t stop at Montego Bay, according to Avery Hall Insurance Agency’s Tom Bole, who said property owners at Assateague Pointe and White Horse Park are also struggling to secure homeowners insurance. He said some insurance carriers have opted not to cover coastal areas, while others have opted not to cover the entirety of Worcester County. “This is focused on manufactured homes over 20 years old,” he said. “We’re not having that challenge with condos or manufactured homes under 20 years old, or site-built homes. We have lots of markets for those products.” Bole said that while liability insurSee HOME Page 6
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