Owning a home is a huge undertaking. It involves a big investment and a lot of responsibility. It is imperative that you protect your investment by obtaining homeowner’s insurance. This will help reimburse you in case your house sustains damage, you are a victim of theft, or someone visiting your property sustains an injury.
When you are looking into homeowners insurance there are things that you can do to help with the costs of your premium. One of the things that you can choose to do is to make your deductible higher. It will lower your premium but you should keep in mind that smaller things such as a broken window may have to be paid out of pocket by you.
To get a reduction on your homeowner’s insurance premiums, try purchasing a quality alarm system. It will really reduce the chance of your home being robbed. The insurer will see your home as being far less risky to insure and will lower your policy price. Send proof that the house is secure to the insurers.
You can save thousands of dollars and years of payments by making your mortgage payment on a bi-weekly basis, instead of monthly. Ask your mortgage holder about setting you up on this payment program. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, you will end up making an additional couple of payments without breaking the bank or your budget.
If you have any spare money in a savings account, use it to pay off your mortgage. When you own your home outright your annual home insurance premiums can drop dramatically as insurance companies tend to assume that home-owner’s are more likely to take care of and secure their property.
Install smoke alarms in your home. It will not only help to protect your family in the case of a fire but it will also get you about a ten percent discount on your home insurance policy. Many newer homes already have them installed but if they are not, it is an affordable thing to add to your home.
Install a security system in your home that is monitored by a central monitoring station, and you will save about five percent on your home insurance. You will likely have to provide proof to your home insurance company to get the discount, but that is as easy as sending them a copy of your monitoring bill.
You can lower your annual premium by 5% or more with the simple installation of a monitored security alarm. Whether it is connected directly to your local police station or the security company, this type of alarm saves property and people and will also save you a lot of money. Look for promotions from the major alarm system companies or call them directly to possibly negotiate a good deal.
Insurance Rates
When you are adding on to your home, be aware of how the design elements can affect your insurance rates. You may find that the use of durable building materials (e.g. concrete, metal) will reduce your insurance premiums in many parts of the nation. This is because these types of materials are less prone to damage from disasters and degradation over time. For this reason, your insurance rates may be lower.
Keep a record somewhere outside the home, like a safe deposit box, of the belongings you have in case something happens. You can take pictures or video of your possessions. You should do this in case something happens to your home and you need your items replaced by the insurance company.
Choose a higher deductible rather than a lower one. Claims shouldn’t be filed on small problems, so this is a great way to save you money on your insurance premiums. They can be reduced by up to 25% just by making a small change such as choosing a higher deductible.
If you have working smoke alarms in your home, you could lower the cost of your homeowner’s insurance. You can save 10% of the price you pay each month just by taking this simple step. Not only could installing smoke alarms save you money, they can also help to save your life.
Be aware that filing numerous homeowners insurance claims can raise your rates or cause non-renewal. If the amount of damage to your home exceeds your deductible by less than a couple hundred dollars, it is better to pay the expense out of pocket than take the hit on your premium or lose your coverage for filing too many frivolous claims.
Before doing a search for homeowner’s insurance, write down a list of five of the most important factors you will be looking for. If you are in a high crime area, you need comprehensive theft coverage. If your area is prone to tornadoes or floods, that is something you need coverage for as well.
Make sure you are aware of the personal property portion of your homeowner’s insurance policy. Some of them reimburse you only for damages happened at home, but some of them even pay when the damage happened somewhere else. Know exactly what is covered by your insurance and what may be covered by other insurance policies, such as car insurance.
No homeowner should forgo purchasing homeowner’s insurance. Once the deductible is met, homeowner’s insurance protects the policy holder from damage that the house may sustain from fire and other accidents, pays for loss from theft, and pays for medical treatment of any visitor who is injured on the property. This makes homeowner’s insurance invaluable to all homeowners.