When it comes to home insurance, if you’re like most homeowners, you purchase it without worrying about discounts and knowing specific details about their policy. These 12 tips will help you keep most of your hard-earned money in your pocket while paying for home insurance.
1. Don’t Limit Yourself
Finding home insurance isn’t hard, but find the right insurance is frustrating. You may have an insurance company you fancy over other companies, but make sure you’re looking at the facts. You’d much rather be able to pay your bills than stay with an insurance company because you’re fond of them for whatever reason. You want reliable service and the ability to save money.
2. Use Your Discounts
If you’re looking for a get rich quick scheme, it won’t be buying home insurance, but you can save some of your coins by qualifying for different discounts. Many insurance companies offer discounts according to your age, location, and other specific factors. Before you make your initial payment to start insurance coverage, make sure you receive all applicable discounts. Don’t rely on the company to tell you when you’ve qualified for a discount. Read the fine print.
3. Insure the Right Thing
You may not worry about the cost of rebuilding your home because the insurance covers the total value of it, but you should. If you live in an area where the cost of living is high, such as Florida, you should consider getting insurance coverage for the cost to rebuild your home. What happens if another hurricane like Andrew or Irma comes through and destroys your entire home? You should be paying to rebuild your home instead of paying insurance for the land your home sits on.
4. Increase Your Deductible
Increasing your deductible is a quick way to drop the numbers on your home insurance premium. Your insurance deductible is the amount of money you pay before your insurance starts to cover things. The more money you pay out-of-pocket, the less risk your insurance company has to assume, which is excellent in the eyes of the company, of course, because you assume most of the risk. Getting a lower home insurance premium by raising your deductible means you’ll pay the majority of the costs in case of an emergency, so start a rainy day fund.
5. Combine Your Policies
Having more than one type of insurance policy with one company qualifies you for a multiple-policy discount and is more convenient. Everything you need is in one place, and your mailbox isn’t piled up will bills from tons of insurance providers.
6. Disaster-Proof Your Home
Your home may be lovely from the inside out, but is it disaster-proof? Florida is a prime location for hurricanes and floods. It’s a good idea to prep your home to withstand a lot of the destruction. Disaster-proofing your home could decrease your insurance premium and prevent you from having to make an expensive insurance claim due to the aftermath of a strong storm.
7. Invest in Home Security
Each state has its upscale and crime-ridden towns and neighborhoods. Regardless of where you call home, you should invest in a security system. Make sure your home has every security feature you can think of, including alarms, wireless cameras, additional locks, and other products and items that make your home less likely to experience theft of any kind.
8. Build and Maintain Your Credit Score
Almost everything revolves around your credit, including home insurance. If you have less than perfect or average credit like most of the world, your insurance rates will be more expensive than a policyholder with a better credit score because insurance companies see you as a high-risk.
9. Inquire about Long-Term Discounts
All great things come to an end. Sticking with the same insurance company for years is great until other insurance companies with better service and less expensive premiums emerge. In any event, staying with the same company has its perks, such as the loyalty discount. The longer you stay with the company, the more of a discount they offer.
10. Consider Private Insurance
Florida is one of the areas that are susceptible to flooding and other destruction included in mother nature’s fury. You may have been told government insurance is your only option, but that’s not always the case. Check around for local home insurance companies and see if they can offer you a more suitable, less expensive home insurance policy.
11. Purchase a Less Expensive Home
A less expensive home doesn’t necessarily have to be a fixer-upper. The saying, “you get what you pay for” is true. The more valuable your home is, the more it costs to insure.
12. Compare Neighborhood Insurance Rates
Location is important. Take a look at the neighborhood. All neighborhoods are not created equal when home insurance is involved. Crime and other factors, such as how far your home is from a fire hydrant, are considered before you receive a final home insurance quote. If you want to get more bang for your buck, live in a middle-class neighborhood that has low crime and is close to an emergency fire station and fire hydrant.
When you need home insurance, home insurance in Florida, affordable home insurance, there are a variety of companies that can help. Use the above tips to help you find a reliable insurance company with reasonable premiums.
