Thursday, November 5, 2009

Affordable Homeowners' Insurance -- Reduce Your Costs Without Risk


There are tips you must understand and apply if you're truly keen on getting huge discounts on your home owners insurance policy. I'll share a good number of them in this article...

1. A group policy will cost you less. You should be aware if your employer gives such. Some associations have also negotiated discounts for their members with home insurance carriers so ask if yours has such.

However, before you use this option, compare the premiums you'll get through such an association with what you'll pay with another insurer. For a good number of reasons you might be better off NOT buying from a particular association's insurer. There is stiff competition in the home insurance niche and you can take advantage of this to get cheaper premiums if you take your time to do extensive shopping and comparisons.

Insurance Quotes

2. If you're retired, you can pay more affordable rates with a retiree discount. Ask your agent if your insurance provider offers such a discount.

The rationale behind this discount is that folks who are more often at home are less likely to be burglarized. The risk of fire destruction is also reduced with folks who are often at home since they will likely spot them quickly.

3. You should get a good discount if you've being with your insurance provider for 3 years or more. Most companies will give discounts once you maintain your policy with them for three years and above. However, I do NOT expect that you stay with an insurer for that long simply because you're waiting to qualify for a loyalty discount.

I can almost stick my neck out that you can get rates that are considerably less than what you're paying now. The secret is doing very extensive shopping. I suggest that you get quotes from insurers you have never received quotes from time to time.

4. Make sure you don't make the mistake of not subtracting the land's value from your home's cost while applying for an homeowners' insurance policy. People who ignorantly do this pay for more insurance than would do them any good. You have made same mistake if you insured your home for the price you purchased it without checking the cost of the land it is built on and subtracting it.

If you made this mistake quickly call your agent and re-evaluate your home insurance policy. Deduct the land's value and you'll realize that you will need far less coverage.

Your rate will be less and you'll still have adequate coverage if you do this right. Since insurance is for valuables that can't afford to lose, insuring the land which can neither be lost or damaged isn't right.

5. You will pay cheaper premiums if you choose to pay your rates yearly and not every month. An insurer is compelled to send you 12 notices for monthly payments as against one for annual payments. This costs them more.

If you add to the fact that each check you give is considered a transaction by their bankers, you will see that they still pay extra on transaction charges for each check you pay in. They pay transaction charges twelve times instead of once a year for monthly payments. And, if you really come to think of it, these additional overheads are ultimately built into your rates.

Therefore choose yearly payments instead if you want to make savings this way. What you will save could be as high as 8.5% of your total monthly premiumss over the course of just a year.

Insurance Quotes

6. You'll spend more or less depending on your credit history. The poorer your credit rating, the higher the premiums you will pay. What your credit rating shows is how you have handled your bills and it speaks badly about you if it is a poor one. This is a pattern that most insurance carriers believe will play out again in the way you pay up your premiums. This makes you a bigger risk and therefore justifies a higher rate.

It will, therefore, be a good step to do something about making your credit rating better. You will draw cheaper rates if you do.

7. As you take these other steps to reduce your home premium, here's something you can do to receive lower rates today. Visit good insurance quotes sites and get quotes. Visit at least five of such sites for the best results. It's free, quick and easy. Make sure you give your correct details as you complete the questionnaires on each site. Thereafter, simply choose the insurance company that gives you the best price/value from the quotes return.
Get Cheap Home Insurance Quotes And Save Much Now!
Get Quick Free NO-Obligation Quotes Now And Save!

No comments:

Post a Comment