Low cost homeowners insurance
Just because not many people view insurance as a great necessity, it doesn't mean that you reach a basically faulty conclusion that you don't need home insurance. Remember, your home is one of your most valuable assets, and it has considerable economic value too, even if you are not the emotional type therefore less inclined to place a very high premium on its sentimental value. It is not the brightest idea to leave such a valuable asset to the mercies of fire, earthquakes, floods, crooks thieves. Your home also has a great deal of equity inherent in it, which you can use profitably to your advantage should situation so demands.
Given this scenario, as a homeowner, it makes lots of sense for you to get your home insured. But then, these days, when the cost of just about everything is going up, and most of the times you are paying through your nose for even the basic necessities, you certainly don't want to invest a huge sum of money in your home insurance policy. Very logical thinking, so now we have a clear cut objective in front of us. We want home insurance, but we want low cost homeowner?s insurance. And we want to gain all the info that will help us in getting a low cost homeowner?s insurance. That is precisely what we will proceed to do right now.
Getting the first question right-what exactly you want?
This is a matter of common knowledge that there is hardly any scarcity of companies offering home insurance. But you also must be having an idea that the cost of homeowner?s insurance will necessarily vary according to the variations in the coverage provided by the policy. So the very first issue needing resolution is-what, according to YOU, is the ideal level of coverage for YOU? This coverage should also cover valuables associated with your home. Thus, be very sure about your own risk tolerance. For once you are sure about this aspect, others steps logically follow. Based on the type of cover you require the amount of premium you are ready to pay for getting your home insured, you may choose:-
Basic Homeowner Insurance Policy: Under this policy, your house is protected against damages that depreciate its value, and you will also get theft protection.
Comprehensive Homeowners insurance policy: As the name itself suggests, pretty comprehensive in scope. Not just protection from damages causing depreciation, you also get protection against fire damage, water damage, vandalism theft, and personal liability.
Special Homeowners insurance policy: Cometh special needs cometh special policy. If you are living in an area which is, unfortunately, accident prone or say, your house is already more than 50 years old, you are advised to go for such a specialized policy. Keep in mind, however, that such a policy will be more expensive than other homeowner?s insurance policies.
OK, so you have decided what type of coverage you think is best suited for your needs, but that not the end of the matter. In fact, it is just the beginning, because our objective is to get low cost homeowners insurance. What are the tips to be kept in mind to achieve this objective? Well, here goes.
Shop around for low cost homeowners? insurance quotes from at least 3-5 insurance companies. This will give you a fair idea of how much you will have to pay to get the type of coverage you desire. A very happy development in recent years is that you don't have to travel from the office of one insurance company to another to get insurance quotes from them. Simply log on to the websites of these insurance companies, where all it will take are a few minutes to get an insurance quote by filling up an online quote form. Getting quotes from different companies in such a way makes it very easy to compare different offerings. Filling the online quote form is no big hassle. You are usually asked some personal information and details about the house, its occupants, and locality etc. occupants details also play a part in deciding the quotes. For example, with smoking accidents causing around 23,000 residential fires in the US, a non-smokers house may get you a lower premium. Similarly, senior citizens may be offered discounted insurance quotes.
However, a word of caution is necessary here.
This scouting around doesn?t mean that the lowest quote is necessarily the best that you should invariably go for that policy. Please check out the reputation the financial standing of the insurance company also. You don't want a scenario where you purchased the lowest cost policy but then had a horrible time dealing with the company. Also make sure that lowest online quote will really translate into lowest cost insurance once you have purchased it. Many homeowners looking for low cost homeowners insurance have found to their dismay that many companies offset low premiums with high deductibles. So better understand the fine print before making a decision.
Few more tips to keep the insurance cost low.
Most insurance companies sell both home auto insurance. If you are also thinking of getting your car insured, consider whether taking both home auto insurance from the same company fits your needs. If it does, but both from the same company, so as to get some discount.
The value of certain properties will change over time, so keep reviewing your homeowner?s insurance policy from time to time, and if you find that value of certain items have gone down; discuss with your insurance provider whether you still need to pay a higher rate for them.
Investing in home improvements is usually a good idea, as it will lower the cost of insurance. If your house has storm windows, shatter proof glass reliable security system, your insurance cost should be lower.
Most of the times, its good to leave the land on which your house is located out of the insurance policy, because the land is not likely to be damaged to the same degree as that of your house.
Thus, since a high-value asset i.e. your home is involved, it is better to have it insured. It is just a matter of choosing smartly to get low cost homeowners insurance. All the best.