Archive for the ‘Homeowners Insurance’ Category

You may already have applied several recommended ways to cut your homeowner insurance costs, but check the following tips from the Insurance Information Institute. You may find additional strategies to reduce your home insurance premiums or get more features to protect yourself from losses in case of disasters.

It is most probable also that you already have a home insurance from a certain company and it is up for renewal. If you have been with this insurance firm for many years, check if you can get a substantial discount for being a loyal customer. Just make sure that this insurance firm is financially stable by checking its financial condition at the web sites of rating firms such as Standard & Poor’s, your state insurance commission and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Compare also price ranges using online insurance quotes, consumer guides and the web sites of other insurance firms to see if your insurance firm is giving you a great price. But make sure that when you are comparing prices, you also consider features and services. A certain home insurance may be cheaper, but it has certain separate deductibles.

One of the ways to reduce your premium is to make your house more resistant to disasters. Ask your insurance firm what it is looking for when it is considering disaster prevention features. You may have to add storm shutters, replace or reinforce your roofing materials or modernize your plumbing systems to prevent water damage.

Another is to check if your firm considered your credit rating when it priced your insurance. It may have found something that was erroneously included in your credit report. A good credit report is also beneficial in other aspects of your life, so maintain your good credit record. Keep your credit card balances low and make your monthly payments on time.

You can also get at least 5 percent discount for improving your security and safety systems, such as installing a burglar alarm, smoke detector or deadbolt locks. There are other safety systems such as sophisticated sprinkler systems linked with monitoring stations, but these are expensive systems. They may get you added discounts but you may have to make big investments.

Before you buy a home, check the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange report for the house. This report shows you the claim history of the house and can help you check out the problems or disasters that the house has undergone.

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Homeowners insurance policies cover different perils so you need to make sure that all the possible perils in your location are covered by your home insurance policy.

If there is a peril in your state that is not covered by your policy, you need to call your insurance agent or your insurance firm about why you were not informed about the omission of the peril and how you can add coverage for the peril in question.

Generally, there are three types of house insurance policies based on the number and kind of perils covered: HO1, which covers your home from 11 basic perils; HO2, which covers your house from 18 perils, including 11 perils covered by HO1; and HO3, which covers your home from a lot of perils, including some perils not covered by HO2.

The 11 basic perils covered by HO1 are loss of house or damage to house due to fire or lightning, vehicles, windstorm or hail, smoke, explosions, theft, malicious mischief and vandalism, riot or civil disturbance, aircraft, breakage of glass that constitutes part of the structure and loss of property within the premises due to fire and the other covered perils.

Under the HO2 type of homeowners insurance, the perils covered are the 11 perils covered by an HO1 policy, in addition to 7 more perils: collapse of the building; weight of snow, sleet or ice; freezing of heating, air conditioning or plumbing systems and house appliances; falling objects; accidental discharge or leakage of steam or water from a heating, air conditioning or plumbing system or from a house appliance; accidental breaking, bulging or burning of a hot water system or a water heating appliance.

Meanwhile, the HO3 covers all the perils covered by HO1 and HO2 in addition to all other perils listed in the policy, except earthquake, flood, war and nuclear accident.

In all the three types of house insurance policies, the coverage for your personal property such as art, antiques and jewelry have limits, so if you believe the limits are not adequate to cover your valuables, increase your limits for personal possessions for an additional charge.

Home insurance policies issued by insurance companies may differ in the kind of perils or in the names of perils covered.

When choosing a homeowners insurance policy, look at the list of exclusions and ask your insurance agent or company for a quote if you like to cover a particular peril.

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Keep yourself and your family from being homeless in the off chance that your house is destroyed by a wildfire. Get a homeowners insurance.

Each year, an average of 100,000 wildland fires burn millions of acres of land across the U.S., according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety. In the one-year-period to November alone, more than 77,000 wildfires burned an estimated 5.26 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

During these wildfires, hundreds of homes have been damaged, if not totally burned. In the Santa Barbara wildfire of November alone, more than 100 homes have been destroyed.

These statistics should concern you, especially if your house is in areas of the U.S. frequently hit by wildfires. Protect your home ownership. Research on homeowners insurance policies and buy one.

What are the things you should remember when buying a home insurance?

1. Choose a home insurance quote that will enable you to rebuild your home. Calculate using the replacement value of the house and not the cash value.
2. Ask about three contractors to estimate the cost of rebuilding your house. Use these amounts to arrive at the amount of your insurance coverage.
3. Ask your insurance agent about additional coverages such as temporary accommodations while your house is being rebuilt or repaired.
4. Ask if the home insurance company covers damages caused by soot or smoke.
5. Ask your agent what you can do to receive discounts on the insurance costs. You may have to install fire alarms, smoke detectors or fire extinguishers.
6. Remind your agent about discounts on your home insurance cost if your house is just a mile or two from a fire department or if your house is largely made of fire-resistant materials.

Lastly, lower the risk of damages from wildfires by trimming your trees, storing wooden materials away from the house and maintaining a wide clearing around your house.

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