Owning a home is a huge undertaking. It involves a big investment and a lot of responsibility. It is imperative that you protect your investment by obtaining homeowner’s insurance. This will help reimburse you in case your house sustains damage, you are a victim of theft, or someone visiting your property sustains an injury.
Don’t think about buying insurance for your home; just buy it. Without homeowner’s insurance, you are completely without recourse in the case of fire, natural disaster, or theft. If you still have mortgage to pay, homeowner’s insurance is probably not an option, but actually required by the loan.
Be aware of what your home insurance actually covers. A regular home insurance policy doesn’t cover things such as flood damage. This type of insurance needs to be purchased separately through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Another thing to consider is earthquake damage. If this is something that you may experience, you will have to buy specialized coverage from a private home insurance company. Luckily, both of these types of coverage are relatively inexpensive.
To save money on your homeowners insurance talk to your agent and see if the company provides discounts for installing additional smoke detectors. Many older homes lack them in areas that are considered standard places to install today and many insurance companies will provide a discount as an incentive for you to add more.
Make sure you notify the company about fire or security alarms you have installed. Having a central security system that reports remotely to an off-site security service in case of burglary or fire can lower your monthly premiums by as much as five percent a month.
Flood Insurance
You may think you don’t live close enough to a body of water to have to worry about flood insurance…but think again. Before you decide you don’t need it, assess the flood risk for your geographical area. You will be surprised at the unexpected parts of the country which have experienced floods in the past year or two, and if you live in or near on of these areas, flood insurance may be right for you. FEMA.gov is one site that provides information on flood risks for all parts of the U.S.
Pay off the mortgage on your home to save money on your insurance premiums. While this is not an easy task, most homeowner’s insurance companies will lower their rates once the house is completely yours. Insurance companies believe that those who own their own home will take better care of it.
To keep your coverage up to date, be sure to review your homeowner’s policy every year. Let your insurer know of changes in your home and property that may help keep your premiums down. For instance, if you have replaced a shake roof with something more fireproof, like composite shingles, you may get a premium reduction.
The home you have just bought is probably the largest investment in your life. It is a natural instinct to protect the value of your property. The way to do that is to purchase a home owner insurance policy, which is basically a contract between an insurance company and the home owner. As long as the home owner keeps paying the monthly premiums, the insurance company pays for certain losses such as damage caused by human actions or natural disasters.
Some features of your home will have an impact on your homeowner’s insurance costs, no matter how well you maintain your home. The cost of insuring a home with a pool will be high, due to liability. Even the home’s proximity to emergency services, such as fire stations and hydrants can affect your coverage costs. It is important to look into all of these things before choosing a policy.
You can save thousands of dollars and years of payments by making your mortgage payment on a bi-weekly basis, instead of monthly. Ask your mortgage holder about setting you up on this payment program. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, you will end up making an additional couple of payments without breaking the bank or your budget.
Keep your homeowners insurance policy up to date. If it’s been a few years since you purchased your policy, you might be under insured. If you’ve made improvements to your home, your policy might not reflect the increased value. Building costs have gone up too, so review your policy yearly, and if needed, make changes to be adequately covered.
Even if someone trespasses, you are responsible if they fall on your fence while climbing it. Even uninvited individuals, such as those selling products from door-to-door, could try to sue you if they’re injured on your property. Therefore, it’s crucial that you have appropriate homeowner’s insurance coverage.
Smoke Detectors
Ensure that your home is adequately protected with the proper number of smoke detectors, and you could qualify for a discount on your home owners insurance premiums. Installing more than the recommended number of smoke detectors can also result in a discount from some insurance companies. Check your policy to see if qualify for a reduction in your premiums.
Check the company’s history and stability before getting a home insurance policy through them. Look to see if they have been in business a while and if they pay out their claims quickly. Try to get this done at least four times each year.
Sometimes, your neighborhood may change in ways that will bring down the cost of your homeowner’s insurance. A close-by fire station and new fire hydrants within 100 feet are things that will cut your rates. Look for new changes in your locality often, and let your insurer know about them.
No homeowner should forgo purchasing homeowner’s insurance. Once the deductible is met, homeowner’s insurance protects the policy holder from damage that the house may sustain from fire and other accidents, pays for loss from theft, and pays for medical treatment of any visitor who is injured on the property. This makes homeowner’s insurance invaluable to all homeowners.
Add a high-tech security system in your house with a direct link to the alarm company. This boosts your overall security but also makes you eligible for discounts on your policy. You have to send proof of monitoring to the insurer to get this discount.