How to get lower home owner insurance quotes?
I keep getting quotes that are a little out of our range. What can lower the insurance? Like when they ask you all those questions, such as owning a dog, or owning guns. Does a yes or no make it higher or lower?
homeowners insurance
yes … those answers matter to the rates.
the problem is that if you lie on the application and there is a claim on that part ["I don't have dogs" and then your dog bites someone], then the company can walk away from paying because you lied. AND that leaves you fully exposed to the liability lawsuit the bitten person may bring.
So, you lower your quotes by
1. shopping hard for insurance, and
2. finding an agent who’ll tell you the specific answers to the questions that cause higher expense, AND then eliminating those things from your life.
3. finding an agent who’ll tell you what specific improvements might also reduce your rates — example: felling overhanging trees.
GL
Guns and dogs don’t affect your rates.
What affects your rates the most, are:
1. your credit score
2. how much it will cost to rebuild your home
3. how high your deductible is
4. which “extras” get added to your policy
5. what your house is made of (brick or wood)
6. how old your house is
7. where your house is located
8. your prior claims history, AND your house’s prior claims history
If you don’t own the house yet, the answer is, buy a brick single family home less than 20 years old, in a suburban neighborhood. Increase the deductible to $1,000 or $2500. Getting a quote with the same company that writes your car insurance can give you a discount on BOTH policies, up to 25%.
If you already own the house, look at increasing the deductible, to $1000 or $2500. If the house is over 20 years old, and/or you’ve done any big projects on it, make sure the insurance company knows. Usually there are substantial surcharges on the policy, unless the wiring, roof, electric and plumbing have ALL been updated within the past 20 years.
And for both, be sure to stop using credit cards, pay off your accounts, close all but the oldest, get your credit score cleaned up. There’s a HUGE difference in rates, just between the guy with a 750 score and a 550 score.
**I’ve never seen a company surcharge or discount for felling trees, for gun ownership, or dog ownership. All they do is decline to WRITE you in the first place.**
Where are you located? I have an insurance brokerage listing who you can contact, depending on the state, and let them do all the research, to find you the best deal. I used the # and it saved me a few hundred dollars.
mbrcatz is correct. most of the time if your quote is high and you do not have any prior claims it is because of the credit score. to get a better rate you may want to call around to some local agencies and ask them if they have any companies that do not run credit. that should help. however, a lot of these companies are not as reputable. it is really up to you. if you just care about price then try that. if you want a good company expect to pay a little more. if something happens and then it of course will have been worth it. another option that you should consider is checking if there is a multi-policy discount you can get for having your auto insurance with that same carrier. often these discounts are 15-25%, which could mean saving a few hundred a month and ALSO giving you the same discount (multi-policy) on your auto insurance for carrying your home there. i would not recommend raising your deductible above 1% unless you always have that amount of money saved. as far as the dogs and guns go most of the time they ask those questions so they know whether to endorse or exclude those coverages. many companies do not offer coverage on a house that has certain breeds of dogs. if you do not have an “aggressive breed” of dog then there is no need to worry about it.