The Insurance Agent

Every one of us dreams about having a sweet home where we can live with beloved ones. When one day your dream comes true and you get that dreamy house, next thing on your mind is do your best to protect it from harm.

Unfortunately, accidents and disasters happen. It could be a burglary, a fire, a flooding or an earthquake. When that happens, you are bound to suffer loss. What’s still worse is that you and your family will be put at stake.

No worries, home insurance is to help! Home insurance is specifically used to deal with unexpected incidents that may cause damage or loss to your home or your family.

For most of us, the single purchase of a house can cost a lump sum of money. Further more, home insurance means another hefty expense. Nailing down a cost-effective home insurance can be a bit trying. That is why we present the following tips for home insurance purchase so that you can have your precious time and energy focused elsewhere.

Raise your deductible

You may have heard of deductibles, the amount of money you are required to pay toward a loss before your insurance company starts to pay. And the amount of deductibles is based on the terms of your policy. But what you may not know is that the higher your deductibles are, the more you can save on your premiums.

The standard deductible most insurance companies require is at least 500 dollars. Raise it to 1,000 dollars if you can afford. How can this help? Well, at least 25 percent on premiums is saved.

A few notes for those living in a disaster-prone areas, you may choose an insurance that includes a separate deductible, such as

1. A separate windstorm deductible if you live near the coast in the East
2. A separate earthquake deductible if you live in an earthquake-prone zone
3. A separate hail deductible if you live in an area vulnerable to hail storms

Stick to the same insurer

If you buy two or more of the insurance products from the same insurer, you may get a 5 to 15 percent off your premium. For example, you can combine home and auto insurance into one. But do remember to make sure this kind of combined price is lower than what the different insurance coverage from different companies cost. After all, you don’t want to throw good money after bad.

Always shop around & seek out discounts

Yes, you read that right. As much as it is suggested that you should go with the same insurer, it won’t hurt a bit to shop around and check out all the possible discounts there. When choosing a home insurance policy, bear in mind that it is not a deal or no deal thing. There are plenty companies that offer various types discounts. For example, if you are 55 years old and more and are retired, you may qualify for a discount of up to 10 percent at some companies. Group insurance programs designed for employers and professional associations can even get a better deal at certain companies than they can get else where.

Remember that? Always shop around for better deals, compare and save!

Improve your home

Premiums can be negotiable, mainly depends on the condition of your home. So you may want to do a little home improvement work to decrease premiums.

And when it comes to home improvements, sound protective measures beat sounder solutions. See what you can do to make your home more resistant to floods, windstorms and other natural disasters. Save a few bucks on your premium by simply adding storm shutters, buying stronger roofing materials. To make old homes withstand earthquake better, you can get them retrofitted. To reduce the risk of fire or water damage, you may want to consider modernizing your heating, plumbing systems.

All in all, you are sure to get creative in the art of saving money on home insurance.

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