If you’re a homeowner, there’s something that you need to understand above all else. Having insurance on your home is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. You need to make sure that you’re covered. Use the tips in this article to buy, or perhaps, compare to the insurance you currently have.
You must buy homeowner’s insurance. If you don’t have it in place, you’re not covered for damage. Your mortgage company most likely requires you to have home owner’s insurance through the terms of your loan.
When shopping around for homeowner’s insurance rates, be sure to mention any safety-related improvements that you’ve made, especially if it’s an older home. Simply installing a smoke alarm on each floor of your home will not only protect your life in case of a fire, it could save you up to ten percent annually on homeowner’s insurance.
Fire Suppression
It’s important to know if your insurance allows for living expenses elsewhere. If your house is damaged to the point that you cannot live there while it is being fixed, it’s good to know if your insurance company will pay for you to live somewhere else during that time. In the event that this occurs, save all receipts to document your expenses.
Be sure to review your policy yearly to check and see if there are any discounts available to you. This may result from additions such as a security alarm tied to a monitoring agency, a fire suppression system, and installation of additional fire alarms. There also may be items in your neighborhood that can effect it such as removal of trees or additional fire suppression outlets.
Putting an addition onto your home will increase your homeowner’s insurance rates because there’s now more home to insure. Minimize the increase by being smart with your building choices. If you can arrange for steel-framed construction, you may be able to pay less by choosing this less-flammable material. Consider the new roof’s fire rating as well.
Some things that your home has in it will make your insurance go up or down no matter what has happened to your home. Having a swimming pool on your property will raise your homeowner’s rates because it’s a risk. If your home is far from fire hydrants or emergency services, it can end up driving up the costs of your policy. This does not mean that you should only live where the cost of insurance is low, but you should keep in mind that these types of factors affect your insurance cost.
When you buy real estate you need to be sure to purchase title insurance. It is a form of insurance which insures against financial losses due to defects in the title. The insurance company will defend the title in a possible lawsuit or reimburse the owner for his monetary loss. The insurance policy costs a few hundred dollars but in case of a lawsuit it can provide you with the protection you need.
If you have any spare money in a savings account, use it to pay off your mortgage. When you own your home outright your annual home insurance premiums can drop dramatically as insurance companies tend to assume that home-owner’s are more likely to take care of and secure their property.
Look over your policy to make sure everything in your home is covered should something happen. There are policies that cover everything on site, and there are other policies that only protect your belongings. Find out what is covered, or you might have to write a check to your roommate when a disaster is over.
If you have home insurance and also have a dog, make sure that you look for policy options that cover people who may be attacked by your dog. It’s a strange and backwards world sometimes, but an intruder can actually sue you if your dog attacks him. Yeah, it’s crazy, but that’s why they have these coverage options.
Get an estimate of damages to your home prior to filing a claim on your home owners insurance. If it is not going to cost you much more than the deductible to repair, do not file the claim. Each claim that you file will cause your premium to increase for the year.
You can save a great deal on your insurance if you are able to pay your mortgage off. When you own your home, your insurance company assumes you will take better care of it. Because of this, most companies will offer them lower annual premiums. Once you pay off your mortgage, call your agent and let them konw.
Your home is a big investment, perhaps it is the largest one you have. You need proper insurance to protect your investment. Remember homeowner’s insurance is a necessity, not a luxury! Should the worse happen, you will be glad you had something to help you start over. Use the tips you learned in this article to make sure you have what you need!