Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tips For More Affordable Alabama Homeowner Insurance Rates

By Chimezirim Odimba

Are you really interested in bringing down your Alabama home owner insurance costs by saving on your premium dollars? Then you've come to the the article you need. I'll give you several time-tested recommendations that will make the difference. And this will be without reducing the level of coverage you enjoy. Here are the tips|they are...

It pays to purchase more than one policy from the same insurance carrier as this will bring huge savings. Insurers give discounts (multi-policy discounts) for policyholders who purchase more one policy from them. Although you'll receive discounts for buying multiple policies from the same insurance company, you may make more by buying each of your policy from different insurers.

You lower your Alabama homeowners' insurance rate by enforcing measures that will make your house more disaster-proof. The following are also needful after taking measures against fire and burglary depending on area...

a. If you reside in an area that is so susceptible to wind damage, you'll make considerable savings by fitting storm shutters.

b. Using a heavier roofing material will make your home more insurance friendly thereby making you save more on your Alabama homeowners' insurance rates if you reside in a windy area.

c. Retrofitting your home as a defence against earthquakes.

d. For those who have trees on their properties, you will save yourself in your Alabama homeowner's insurance premium if you ensure that you cut off every dead or dry branch because these can easily cause injuries or damages that will lead to liability claims.

e. It is also advisable that you do not have trees to your building. A tree can aid burglars and their branches can also fall off and destroy part of your house. Moreover, having these over your roof could greatly lower its lifespan depending on the material involved.

Ask your Alabama homeowner's insurance agent for other things you should do if you intend to reduce your home's risk.

It's also important to check if the discount you will receive justifies the cost of applying the advice. Implementing these tips will help you reduce your Alabama home owner insurance rates.

Do not insure your home along with the land it is standing on as this is more expensive but very unnecessary. A good number of folks spend much more than they should on their Alabama homeowner's insurance on account of this mistake. You have made same mistake if you insured your home for the price you bought it without checking the cost of the land it's standing on and deducting it.

If you made such a mistake, you need to review your Alabama home owner's insurance coverage and go through it again with your agent. Deduct the land's value and you'll realize that you will need far less coverage.

Your rate will be cheaper and you'll still have enough coverage if you do this right. Because insurance is for valuables that can be lost or damaged, insuring the land which can neither get lost or damaged isn't a smart move.

You pay less if you take measures to improve the quality and strength of your roof. This applies more to you if you reside in the East. If you want to know how to reinforce your roof and get discounts for doing so, ask your agent.

Maintaining a government homeowner's insurance policy could be making you spend a lot more on home insurance than you would otherwise. It used to be quite difficult to get insurance providers if you live in some high crime areas or places that were affected by certain natural disasters. The only remedy for such people then was to go to a government agency that offered government homeowner's insurance. However, at present there are a number of private insurance companies who also offer coverage for such places.

Many may still have little or no other way of getting home insurance coverage apart from a government homeowner's insurance. However, this is not always true as you may obtain better coverage at a cheaper price from some private insurers.

You can realize savings of hundreds of dollars on your home insurance policy by getting insurance quotes from insurance quotes sites. The best strategy is to visit at least five sites and ensuring that you provide the same (correct) details. I recommend that you visit not less than five quotes sites because it will ensure you do not miss out better quotes not given by the other sites. This gives you a broader basis for doing better comparisons thus increasing your chances of better quotes.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Home Insurance -- Huge Savings For These Difficult Times

By Chimezirim Odimba

Do you want to pay less? Then you need to take the time to understand the things you'd have to do to reach your goal. I've provided enough suggestions to help the greater majority make savings of more than 50% on insurance...

Installing advanced security and fire systems that are monitored 24/7 is a smart move. You get huge discounts apart from the fact that you'll feel safer that your home is being monitored by trusted professionals. This can bring down your premium by more than 25% depending on your insurer.

Install smoke and fire detectors. You will get cheaper rates especially if you have installed enough for your size and type of house. And, remember to change their batteries as often as required.

The reason for this discount is that such detectors make it much easier for fires to be stopped before they can cause any damage. Do NOT forget that anything that lowers the chances of a fire in your home reduces your premium.

Ensure you have fire extinguishers in your house at very strategic points or close to all fire sources. If you don't have any other place, ensure that your kitchen has one. And make sure it is such that is proper for the kitchen in question.

Have them within easy reach and ensure they are in good working condition. This may seem negligible but you'll pay more if you don't keep them in your home.

It pays to purchase more than a policy from the same insurance company as this will bring considerable savings. This is called a multi-policy discount and is given by all insurers. However, you might be better served by obtaining your policies from different insurance companies.

A group home insurance policy will cost you less. You can check with associations you belong to because they may have group discounts for home insurance.

Though, before you apply this option, compare the rates you will get through such an association with what you'll pay with another insurance company. For several reasons you might be better off NOT buying from a particular group's insurer. Doing extensive shopping will help you get the best rates.

If you are retired, you can enjoy more affordable premiums with a retiree discount. Ask your agent if they give such a discount.

Insurance carriers who give this discount know that burglars rarely go to houses where they know someone is always around. Folks who are often around are as well in a better position to notice and put off fires before they can do any harm.

Have you being with your home insurer for up to three years? Then ask for a loyalty discount. Most carriers will give discounts once you keep your policy with them for three years and above. Nevertheless, do NOT remain with an insurer only for this reason. Make sure you have a good price to value.

If it is about paying less, you'll likely still be able to pay lower than you're paying at any point in time. Do extensive shopping and you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. Obtain quotes from any good home insurer you know you have never obtained a quote from and as well routinely obtain and compare home insurance quotes from up to five quotes sites about twice yearly.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Homeowner Insurance -- Huge Savings For These Tough Times

By Chimezirim Odimba

Would you like to pay less? If answered "Yes" you must do all within your power to uncover as many ways as there are to cheaper rates. Following are proven ideas that will help you bring down your rate by as much as 50% if you use them right...

Some security and fire systems are monitored 24/7. Apart from the peace of mind you'll have in knowing your house is under constant surveillance by competent personnel, you'll get lower home insurance premiums. This can reduce your premium by more than 25% depending on your insurer.

Install smoke and fire detectors. If you place them in all the relevant areas of your building you'll enjoy a discount.

Detectors mean fires are easily spotted and put out before much damage is done. Don't forget that whatever lowers the likelihood of a fire in your home lowers your premium.

Endeavour to place fire extinguishers at strategic points in your home. For example, your kitchen must have a standard and functioning fire extinguisher. It's important that the fire extinguisher be adequate for the area it is meant to protect.

Ensure they are within easy reach and ensure they are working properly. This will help reduce your home insurance rates.

It pays to purchase more than a policy from the same insurance carrier as this will attract considerable savings. Insurers offer discounts (multi-policy discounts) for policyholders who purchase more one policy from them. But you might make more savings with different insurers than you'll get from a multi-policy discount.

You will pay lower home insurance rates if you obtain group home insurance. You should already know if your employer gives such. It is as well good to verify from associations you belong to if they have any group discount from any insurance carrier.

However, before you use this option, compare the rates you'll receive from such an association with what you will spend with another insurance company. This is because you might end up finding an insurance company that is ready to take less than you will even obtain with your association's discount. So it actually does pay to do extensive comparison shopping if you want the most affordable rates.

You can get lower premiums if you are retired. Since not every company offers this discount, find out from your agent before you put pen to paper.

The rationale for this discount is the fact that someone being almost always at home makes a home a better risk. In addition, Fires will be easily noticed and put off if somebody is always at home.

You should obtain a good discount if you've stayed with your insurance provider for 3 years and above. However, I don't expect that you stay with an insurer for that long simply because you are looking to qualify for a loyalty discount.

Believe it or not, you will likely get an insurance carrier that gives a more affordable home owners insurance or home renters insurance premium than what you are presently paying. Do extensive shopping and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Obtain quotes from any good home insurer you know you've never got one from and as well routinely obtain and compare home insurance quotes from up to five quotes sites about twice every year.

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

8 Very Easy Tips For Lowering Your Homeowners Insurance Costs

By William Hazelhurst

No one likes paying for home insurance but unfortunately it is a necessary evil for most of us. However, this does not mean you have to pay through the nose for it though and so here are 8 very easy tips to lower the cost of your homeowners insurance.

1. Shop around. By comparing prices from a number of insurance companies you will almost certainly be able to lower your premium payments by a substantial amount. This could seem to be obvious, but research suggests that a surprisingly large proportion of people either simply renew their existing plan or ask for just one or two quotes. Many insurance web sites automatically compare dozens of plans for you thereby making this one of the simplest ways to reduce your home insurance bill.

2. Purchase your insurance online. If you purchase your plan online you will often get a discount of up to 20% on normal prices as there are lower administration costs involved and the savings can be passed on to you.

3. Combine your contents and buildings plans. Many insurance companies will allow you a discount when you take out both types of home insurance with them and this normally works out less expensive than buying the two plans from different companies.

4. Pay upfront. Although the majority of insurance companies let you pay your premiums in monthly installments many of them will charge interest for this. Accordingly, if you can afford to pay a full year's premium in advance, this will prove cheaper in the long run.

5. Do not put in claims for small amounts. Making many small claims will frequently increase your insurance costs because your insurer might view you as a higher risk and increase your premiums. You will also lose any no claims discount that your policy accrued. Of course, you are entitled to claim for anything your plan covers but ask yourself whether making a small claim is worth the hassle and any consequent future increase in costs.

6. Consider arranging for a high voluntary excess on your plan. Insurance policies feature something which is known as an 'excess' and this basically means that the plan will not pay out on claims under a certain value. in some cases if you opt to increase your excess your premiums will be reduced.

7. Increase the security on your home. Raising your home security with better door locks, window locks, lighting, and alarm systems will normally result in reduced premiums.

8. lower your level of cover. Many plans include benefits that you may not need like cover for personal items when you are traveling or 'free' legal advice. Study your policy and see which sections of it you really need.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Cheaper Home Owners Insurance Rates In Arizona -- How To Attract Huge Discounts

By Chimezirim Odimba

There are a number of ways to more affordable but adequate coverage. But at the same time, some options folks adopt in order to reduce cost usually result in less than sufficient coverage. I do NOT naturally support such ways because they rubbish the main purpose of a Arizona homeowners insurance policy in the first place. Bearing this in mind, I'll only show you tips that will also have you adequately covered despite saving you much. Here they are...

1.You will pay more or less depending on your credit history. The poorer your credit rating, the higher the premiums you will pay. What your credit rating reveals is how you have handled your bills and it speaks badly about you if it is a poor one. An insurance company takes this to mean that you are not financially very responsible and will likely default in paying your rates. If you are considered a likely defaulter, it makes you a bigger risk and attracts much higher premiums than otherwise.

Therefore, it is a wise decision to pay all your bills promptly. Apart from the other benefits in doing so, it will help you get lower Arizona home owner insurance rates in Arizona.

2.You may be spending much more if you have a government homeowner's insurance policy. Certain areas used to have great difficulty in getting home insurance coverage. Most people in those regions had just one choice: Government homeowner's insurance sold by a government agency. The story is just different now as private insurers have started to cover such regions.

It's true that government homeowner's insurance may still be your best option depending on where you reside. But if your area is now catered for by some private insurance providers you could save a lot more by buying from them.

3.Having a smoker in your household will increase your premium substantially. And statistics have it that over 23,000 residential fire every year are as a result of smoking. Do all within your power to ensure no one smokes in your home and you'll get more affordable premiums. If you quit smoking successfully for up to 13 months, tell your agent and demand for a well-deserved discount. If your insurance company refuses to lower your premiums after you've stopped, look for another insurer.

4.Install shatter-proof windows and you will enjoy more affordable rates. You'll receive huge discounts by replacing your windows to these if you live in a place where hail storms and high winds are prevalent. Always remember to brief your agent whenever you take a step like this. I advice that you discuss this with your agent even before you start the replacement as he or she might make inputs that will result in more savings.

5.There are things that may be excluded from home insurance policy. Do you know them? Those are things that the policy does not provide coverage for.

Therefore, before you settle for a cheap rate make sure the policy does not exclude something that might compromise you down the line. No matter how cheap a policy is, it isn't worth much if it does NOT give you the right level of coverage. Before buying ensure you understand what isn't covered to avoid unpleasant suprises.

6. You can save more by visiting a minimum of 5 Arizona homeowner insurance quotes sites. That way, you'll be able to get the lowest quotes possible as five sites will give not less than 25 quotes altogether.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tips For Cheap Florida Home Owner Insurance Quotes

By Chimezirim Odimba

Even though you can save by reducing your coverage, it is not recommended if it puts you at risk. But there's a better suggestion: Apply the correct tips and do certain things right and you'll get considerable discounts Let's look deeper into this...

Fixing special security and fire systems that are monitored 24/7 is a good move. You will obtain considerable discounts apart from the fact that you'll feel more secure that your house is being monitored by trusted professionals. Even though the savings this will get you will differ from one insurance company to another, you can expect to lower your Florida homeowner insurance premium by as high as 25%.

The more claims you make the bigger the risk linked with giving you insurance. Avoid filing claims for every little thing as that will make your home a higher risk. This will compel you to attract far higher premiums.

You're, therefore, advised to NOT file claims for very little things that will not actually cost you a lot if you take care of them personally. This will help keep your rate affordable.

Motion-sensitive lighting reduces your home's risk of burglary and, as a result, makes it easier for you to get cheaper Florida homeowner insurance rates. Burglars naturally don't like to operate in any environment they could be easily noticed or caught. Your rate will be reduced you'd have lowered your home's risk of burglary with such lighting.

A higher Deductible will give you cheaper rates.

A deductible is the amount an insured must pay before their insurer becomes bound by law to fulfill the terms of their policy. In the case of homeowners insurance policies, your deductibles will usually start from $250. You'll easily save up to twelve percent on your rates if you raise your deductible from this base amount ($250) to $500. Raising it more to $1000 may result in 24% discount. What you'll as discount for each deductible amount will differ depending on your insurer..

Do you have a fire extinguisher or fire extinguishers in your house (depending on the number of fire sources you have in your house)? If you do NOT have any other place, make sure your kitchen has one. You must also make sure it's adequate for your type and size of kitchen.

And, don't forget that you must make them very easily accessible. This will help reduce your Florida homeowner insurance rates.

Finally: The most vital key to massive savings in home insurance is comparison shopping -- That's if you do it right. You can get quotes that will have a difference that exceeds $1,000. You could easily save so much by just going with the lowest quote. That should apply if you're just after the lowest price. Howbeit, if you want the best price/value then you'd have to check the details of the cheapest quotes. Different insurers may have adjustments for similar policies. It's a good idea to ask the agent what's part of the deal and what's not.

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