Just as consumers want to keep up with their credit reports, homeowners may want to keep with their CLUE report. The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, maintained by Choice Point, Inc. of Atlanta, is an information database used by 90% of insurance providers to audit the claims history of policy holders and the homes they insure.

This is important, because a candidate homebuyer attempting to purchase a home with relatively recent past claims may be compelled to pay a higher premium for hazard insurance ... or be denied coverage completely. As part of the escrow process, the candidate homebuyer should know as soon as possible if any insurance claims have been made.

The seller should provide the buyer with C.A.R. Form SSD, "Supplemental Statutory and Contractual Disclosures." This form requests the seller to disclose to the buyer any hazard insurance claims that have been made in the previous five years.

Regardless of what has been disclosed on the SSD, any insurance company will most likely access the CLUE database to investigate for themselves before offering coverage. The result of this investigation may or may not be the first opportunity for a buyer to discover difficulties in insuring the home.

A savvy seller can use the CLUE report to get a competitive edge over other sellers if the home is revealed to be claim-free. Homeowners may also want to check their home's report when seeking to switch insurance providers to be sure the report doesn't include inaccurate information.

Homeowners can get their home's CLUE report by visiting www.choicetrust.com. Various report formats and delivery methods are available for purchase starting at $9.