Home Insurance (out of state investing)

[Rob Bianco]

Background: I'm about to close on 2 duplex's and 1 single family in Kansas City, MO. The average cost per home is $175,000. I live in NYC and I'm having a Property Manager oversee everything. I've been looking for quotes on insurance. The properties are all brick, built in the late 70's/early 80's, and are in A-Grade neighborhoods. My lawyer has suggested each property be held within its own separate LLC to minimize risk to me in case of lawsuit for whatever reason (i.e. trip & fall etc..)

The current owner, who lives in the area (but not in these properties), is paying respectively  $1,000/year per home. Everything is in his name. 

I was just quoted from an insurance broker $4,500-$4,800 a year per property because I'm out of state, putting everything into an LLC, and he's insuring each home for 1 million dollars. I can't help but feel like that quote is outrageous, but he claims it is reasonable. That would be more than 4x's what the current owner is paying. I have a hard time believing just because I'm out of state and putting it into an LLC that the price would skyrocket like that.

Does anyone have any experience, advice, or help they can lend?