5 Ways to Save on Your Home Owners Insurance
*No need to shop till you drop: Here are 5 tips to help you get home insurance on a budget.*
Some basic decisions in life shouldn’t demand much debate in your mind. Behind car and life insurance, homeowners insurance is one of the biggest no-brainers. When golf ball–sized hail rips you Oklahoma City, OK, roof to shreds, your dog bites a clueless runner, or someone breaks in and steals your vintage Larry Bird jersey and Grandmother’s pearl earrings, a basic homeowners insurance policy should have you covered. But as with any other form of shopping, it’s always best to look around, sniff out a good deal, and compare home insurance options http://www.trulia.com/blog/home-insurance-coverage/. Luckily, deep discounts can be found. Here are five ways to save on your policy.
1. Shop around, then enlist help
Finding the biggest discount isn’t just for cars and airline tickets. In fact, a few phone calls and internet searches can land you some serious deals on homeowners insurance. “Start by looking to see if there are any companies that offer discounts,” says Cory Gagnon, associate financial adviser, The Beacon Group at Assante Wealth Management Ltd. in Calgary, Canada. “An insurance broker or financial planner can be very helpful in these situations as they have access to databases that allow them to source a wide variety of companies.”
Then think about memberships you have — are you a veteran or AARP member? If you’ve used membership discounts for say, buying a car or booking a vacation, see if the association has discounts for homeowners insurance. Think hard about groups you’re part of: Check if your college alumni association offers discounts, or even the wholesale club you belong to (like Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s Club).
2. Improve your home
Sometimes, Gagnon adds, little changes and improvements to your home http://www.trulia.com/blog/6-upgrades-that-give-you-the-best-bang-for-your-buck/ can lead to lower premiums. “Some insurance companies offer lower rates for a variety of factors having to do with the structure and build of your home, including the type of wiring, plumbing, and structure material,” he says. “If you are in an older home, making an investment in upgrades to some of these core elements will make your home safer — for example, less threat of pipe bursts, electrical fires — and thus lower your insurance premiums with certain companies, saving you money in the long run.”
3. Know the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value
Homeowners insurance comes with options, and the best way to navigate those options is to know what they are. “One of the most important things that a homeowner should know about when shopping for [a] new or existing homeowners policy is the difference between replacement cost versus actual cash value [ACV],” explains Craig Ciotti, an insurance agent/broker with *Fidishun Insurance & Financial Inc.* http://fidishun.com/ in Yardley, PA. “Replacement cost will insure you for the cost that it would take to *replace your home and all of the other personal property* http://www.trulia.com/blog/what-does-homeowners-insurance-cover/ in it,” he says. “The other option is actual cash value. ACV is the actual value of your home and does not take into consideration zoning permits or removal of damaged property. ACV is more often used by investors and not homeowners.” If, for instance, a laptop you bought for $1,000 is stolen, with replacement cost insurance, you will get $1,000 for a new laptop. With ACV, you’ll get the current market value for the laptop — which will most likely be far less, since it has probably depreciated over time. ACV premiums generally cost less, but you’ll likely pay more out of pocket after a loss.
4. Agree to a higher deductible
As with other forms of insurance (ahem, car), you can save big on your policy if you simply increase your deductible. “This can shave a significant amount off of your annual premium http://www.trulia.com/blog/home-insurance-claim-affect-premium/, which is the good thing,” says David Reiss, professor of law and research director at the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship at Brooklyn Law School. “The bad thing about it is, if you have a casualty, you will be responsible for it until it reaches the higher deductible limit. Thus, you should be able to handle that additional amount before agreeing to the higher deductible. Given that your premium typically goes up when you make a claim, a silver lining of the higher deductible is that you will file fewer claims.”
5. Consider an umbrella policy
No, it doesn’t necessarily save you money upfront, but if you’re ever in the unfortunate position of having to use your homeowners insurance for a large claim (such as an uninsured worker falls off your roof and breaks his neck), an umbrella policy can be a major benefit. “The standard $300,000 liability coverage that comes with most homeowners policies just isn’t enough when a nasty lawyer puts you in his sights,” explains David Meltzer, an insurance agent with East Insurance Group http://eastinsurancegroup.com/ in Baltimore, MD. “You are worth more money than you think. If you don’t have cash in the bank http://www.trulia.com/blog/big-savings-goal-try-a-spending-freeze/, a predator lawyer will happily garnish your wages. Umbrella policies are cheap and easy to get. If you own a home, you need an umbrella insurance policy of at least $1 million.”
*Have you found other ways to save on homeowners insurance? Share in the comments below!*
