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18 Ways To Save Money On Your Homeowners
Insurance
Call an agent today and review all 18 ways to
save money on your Homeowners insurance or any Property insurance. There
is a good chance that you may be missing some important discounts that
you are entitled to. An agent can help you get the lowest possible premium.
1).
Age of Home
– If you have a newer home, you may be eligible to pay
lower premiums. Also, if you have recently renovated your home and updated your
heater, plumbing, wiring and roof, your insurer may now consider your homes age
to be only as old as the most recent update on your home. Call your agent for
the details.
2).
Blanket Endorsement for Jewelry
– Insuring jewelry can be expensive if you list each
item individually on your policy. Consider a blanket endorsement on your policy
that will cover many items of jewelry up to a specified limit on the policy.
Often there will be a specific limit per piece of jewelry in addition to the
total amount covered. For example, the policy may insure all jewelry in the home
up to $10,000 but no more than $2500 for any one piece of jewelry. Contact your
agent for more details.
3).
Claim-Free
– To be eligible for this discount you must be claim
free for a period of time. Usually 3 or 5 years.
4).
Credit
– Your credit plays a
major role in determining what your final policy premium will be. Many insurers can
no longer give you an accurate quote for a policy until they actually check
it out. Insurers used to look at things like your loss or claims history and a
few other factors to determine your rate. However, in recent years, insurers have
added your credit as a major tool in evaluating what your final premium will
be. Generally with these companies, a good insurance score (or good credit
score) means a more favorable rate. This practice has gone on in the banking
industry for as long as most folks can remember. The philosophy is that a group of risks with
good credit in the same area will have fewer losses than a similar group in
the same area with bad credit. In today’s insurance marketplace, good credit
can mean lower policy premiums.
5).
Dead Bolt Lock
– Do all exterior doors in your home have a dead
bolt lock? If yes, you may qualify for this
discount.
6).
Dwelling Coverage Amount
– Review the dwelling coverage amount
on your homeowners’ policy. You could be over-insured. Many insurers base this amount
of coverage on the purchase price of the home. If the home is completely
destroyed and must be replaced, the land will still be there and the insurer will
be rebuilding from the ground up. The land value is often a big part of
the purchase price of a home. Also, obtain the exterior square footage of your
home, and call your agent to have he or she assess the correct replacement cost
of your home. The insurer often obtains the square footage from you and if it is
not accurate, your home could be over insured or even worse,
underinsured. You want it to be just right. You bear the ultimate
responsibility for insuring your home to the proper amount. The dwelling coverage amount is the single
most important area of your policy to review with your agent. Call
today.
7).
Employee Discount
– If you are an employee of your insurer or of a
company that has a special program with your insurer, you may qualify for a
discount or a discounted rating plan.
8).
Fire Extinguisher
– Homes equipped with fire extinguishers afford the
homeowner a great tool to help put out a small fire before the whole house burns
down. If you have one, you may be eligible for a
discount.
9).
Have Your Policy Re-Written
–
Many insurance companies periodically develop different rating plans and premiums for the same policies.
If your policy was re-written with the exact same coverage in the new plan,
your rate would likely be different in this newer rating plan. You could pay more or
less in the new rating plan. Also, most companies will charge an extra premium
for a claim and will continue to charge you until the end of the policy term.
This could mean that you could pay significantly more than necessary if you had
your policy re-written after the loss is over 3 to 5 years old. Often, there may
be some disadvantages to having your policy re-written so check with your
agent.
10).
Increase Your Deductible
– Many
policies carry a standard $500 deductible , but you can
request a higher deductible such as $750, $1000 or higher and often save a
substantial amount of money. By agreeing to be responsible for a bigger
part of the total amount of the claim, the insurer will reward you with
a lower premium.
For many, this is one of the best ways to save money over time. Call
your agent for all of your options.
11).
Jewelry
in Vault
– If you insure jewelry
on your policy and store it in a vault or safe deposit box when not in use, you
may be eligible for a significantly lower premium on those items listed on your
policy.
12).
Multiple Policies With the Same
Company
- Many insurers will
give you a multi-policy discount if you have more than one line of insurance
with them. Consider purchasing your auto, home and life insurance from the same
insurer. This will generally also put you in a more favorable position with the
company from claims to underwriting.
13).
Previous Insurer
– Many insurers will give you a discount if you are
currently insured with specific insurer and switch to a new insurer. Some
insurers do this to try to induce clients to move their
company.
14).
Rate Territory
- Most insurers develop rating
territories or areas to help determine what premiums to charge you. You would expect to
pay more if you live in a big city than if you live outside the city is an example of
this. Check with your agent to make sure that you are being properly rated for
the territory that you live in. Often, many rating territories have more than
one zip code and even though your policy shows the correct zip code, you could
be rated in the wrong county and paying the wrong premium! Call your agent today
to explore this often over-looked option.
15).
Retired
Discount
– If you are a certain
age (usually 55 or 65 years old & up) and are retired, many insurers will
give you a discount on your policy. Don’t miss out on this one if you qualify,
it can be a big one and you must call your agent to get credit for the
discount.
16).
Roof
Type
– Depending on what type of
roof you have, you may qualify for different types of policies from the insurer.
For example, if you have a flat roof on your home you may not qualify for the
same type of policy as you would if the roof was pitched or an "A" shaped roof.
Your roofing material could also be considered as
well.
17).
Security System
– If you purchase a security system for your home,
almost every insurer will give you a discount. If your home alarm system
is capable of notifying the police and/or the fire department directly
should either be triggered, you will generally get a bigger discount for
having both. Having either will generally give you a discount as well.
18).
Smoke
Detector
– Homes equipped with
smoke detectors save lives and almost all insurance companies will give you a
discount if you have them.
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