Home Insurance Comparison

Home insurance comparison is very important to carry out when you are looking at any insurance company to determine which one is the best for you.  Doing your homework will enable you to purchase insurance policies that contain everything you determine is necessary to protect you and your family’s biggest investment. 

The purchase of a home will be one of the largest financial commitments you make.  It is for this major reason that Home insurance comparison should be done by every homeowner, before and after the purchase of a family home.  When you are comparing Home insurance, there are many things you can do to make sure you get the lowest costs possible.

Update the Security

When conducting a Home insurance comparison with many different companies, there are many that will reward a homeowner with lower premiums just for making some changes.  One of those changes is to make sure that all security features are updated in the new home.  When you purchase a home that someone else has resided in, you don’t know if there is anyone in their family or one of their friends that still maintains a key.  Don’t be surprised.  Take care to change all of the locks on your doors and maybe the windows so that your new place is secured and only accessible by you and your family members.  At this time, you can also install deadbolt locks for extra security and install additional outdoor lighting that will light pathways to make them safer and to illuminate areas of your property that are potential hiding spots for robbers. 

Another security measure to undertake is to install a good home security system, especially if you have purchased a home that has previously been broken into or there have been break-ins occurring in the local area.  Motion detectors in outdoor lights can also help deter criminals, and many insurance companies offer extra discounts for taking these types of precautions.  Home insurance comparison will tell you which ones offer the best discounts. 

Negotiate - Once you have obtained several quotes, whether online or by telephone or email correspondence, make sure that you jot down all of the information to compare one with the other.  A way to get an even better price is to make a local call to an insurance agent, tell him or her type of coverage you want and the lowest price quoted to you.  As times are tough, you may find that the agent will do what they can to match that low price.  You will, of course, prove your facts and figures to the agent but if you keep your notes of where the quote originated from, that should not be a problem.  Home insurance comparison is a necessary part of obtaining insurance coverage, if you want to save money and make sure you are meeting your coverage needs.

Increasing Rates - Another reason to make Home insurance comparisons is the fact that insurance rates keep going higher most of the time.  Every year, whether you personally pay for your insurance or it is part of your escrow and rolled into your monthly payment, your carrier will probably send you a notice that your premium will rise.  Many times homeowners become frustrated, especially when they read that many insurance carriers are bringing in enormous profits each year.  However, you must be willing to put in the time it will take to look at different carriers to determine if staying with your current insurance company is the right move for you. 

If you decide to jump ship from your current carrier and purchase insurance through someone else, take time to research your options carefully.  Take notes, and be sure of what you need and the amount you are willing to pay.  Then, armed with these facts, talk with your current carrier and let him know that you are carrying out a Home insurance comparison study and only want to save some money.  Let him know the rates you have received from other companies and ask if they can keep your policy in effect without raising the premiums.  If not, then you can change to a different company. 

Reasonable Expectations - Insurance companies understand that many individuals may choose to leave in favor of saving money with a different carrier.  Sometimes that decision is made only on the money savings and other times the reputation of the carrier may be such that the homeowner desires to change.  Home insurance comparisons can lead not only to more coverage at a lesser price but also perhaps new coverage for items a previous carrier does not offer.  Do your research to get the best rates and policy coverage for your home.  Many people expect to change auto insurance carriers but some of us do not understand it is perfectly fine to change homeowner insurance carriers if you have other needs.