7 Ways to Save Money on Your Homeowners Insurance by Earl Simons

7 Ways to Save Money on Your Homeowners Insurance BY EARL SIMONS * MULTIPLE POLICIES, ONE INSURANCE COMPANY If your automobile insurance company is not the same company that carries your homeowners or renters insurance, you are paying too much for both. The fact is, most insurance agencies offer substantial discounts to clients who insure their vehicle and home with the same company. The discounts are at least 15% and some insurers apply discounts to both the vehicle and the homeowner policies. * GOOD LOCATION-GOOD RATES Where you live, and the structure of your home can make a difference in your premiums. A brick home in an area prone to wind damage, or a frame home built to withstand an earthquake are examples of appropriate structures for the areas in which they are built. A home close to a fire station will also save you money on your homeowners insurance. If your home is located in a flood zone, you will have to pay for flood insurance in addition to your homeowners insurance. The right structure and location of your home can save you up to 15% on your insurance. * INSURE THE HOUSE, NOT THE PROPERTY When purchasing homeowners insurance, you don’t need to insure the land, since you don’t expect anyone to steal it, and fire and wind wont destroy it. When you insure your home, do not include the value of the land. You will be paying too much. * SAFETY SAVES Not only can you protect your family and your property, but you can also save money by installing smoke detectors, burglar alarms, and deadbolt locks. Installing these items can save you at least 5% on your insurance. You can save up to 20% by installing a sophisticated sprinkler system, or an alarm system that is linked directly to your police department or security company. * SMOKING- IT’S NOT JUST A HEALTH HAZARD Smoking causes more than 23,000 residential fires in the U.S. each year. Some insurance companies offer discounts to homeowners who do not smoke. * CONSULT YOUR AGENT BEFORE FILING A CLAIM Before filing a claim with a 1-800#, call your agent. Most companies now surcharge your policy if you have a loss that is not wind or hail related. Call Earl, he can advise you if it’s worth it to file a claim which may end up costing you more in the long run. * GROUP DISCOUNTS Some companies offer discounts to certain businesses or associations. * STICK WITH ONE COMPANY If you have been with the same company and you are content with their service and products, stay with them. Some companies offer discounts for policyholders who have been insured with the company for a certain number of years. Get Quotes now at httt://www.lowcaautoinsurance.com

About the Author
Earl Simons has been in business since 1991 representing major insurance carriers such as the Farmers Insurance Group of companies. He has been awarded many company honors for production and service during that time. After starting as a sales representative at Power Insurance in Santa Fe Springs Ca, he made the move and opened the Simons Insurance Agency. Earl specializes in Commercial and Life insurance.

Protect Your Home While You’re Away by Sarah Maple

Empty homes provide summer burglars with easy pickings. In the excitement of preparing for your holiday, double checking your home cover is up-to-date might not seem very appealing. But when you leave your home empty you leave it at risk, so it is absolutely essential that you make sure it is secure and protected.
The summer is a peak time for burglaries, with 42% more theft claims than in the winter months according to Saga Home Insurance, which also says that nearly half of all burglaries occur when a home is empty.

What should you do to protect your home?

You need to do everything you can to make it look as though you are still at home.

Measures such as cancelling the milk and newspapers, and getting timers on your lights can be helpful, but it’s also worth asking a friend or member of the family to act as a housesitter while you are away, or at least to push any protruding post through your letter box.

Decent window and door locks are vital, as is a burglar alarm (according to recent research from Confused.com, 16 million homes in the UK do not have an alarm fitted), and having these in place could also reduce your home insurance premiums.

Also look at access to your back garden or the side of your property. Do you have a sturdy gate with a lock, or is it easy for somebody to access your land without being seen?

Whatever you do, don’t leave a spare set of keys in the garage or shed - even if you think they are well hidden.

Ensure you insure your property

These preventative measures are important but the reality is that burglaries still happen. They are always upsetting and some things are irreplaceable, but knowing that home insurance could recompense you for your belongings is invaluable.

Yet despite this, Confused.com estimates that almost 10 million households in the UK do not have any form of home insurance.

Is your home underinsured?

Even those who do have contents insurance are often significantly underinsured. This happens because, as we increase our possessions over time, we tend to forget to increase our contents insurance to cover the extra value. This is a potentially expensive problem, particularly when you consider that research by Sainsbury’s found that the cost of replacing the contents of the average British home is £45,000.

Cover your car

If you are taking your car on holiday you might be making long car journeys or driving in unfamiliar areas. A bump on holiday could be costly and comprehensive car insurance could save you hundreds of pounds.

Even if you are leaving the car at home this year, it could be at risk of theft. If you only have third party cover, upgrading could be a smart move and needn’t mean vastly increased premiums.

Whatever you do, don’t neglect your home and possessions when you go away. It can cost surprisingly little for the peace of mind that your property is protected.

About the Author
Looking to get a cheap home insurance quote then try confused.com who compare home insurance from 54 of the UK’s leading home cover providers. So visit now to find great buildings and contents cover.

What All Homeowners Need to Know About Home Insurance - Sorting Through The Myths by Nick DAlleva

The following was taking from various surveys and random samplings of homeowners across the country:
If you are leaving your house empty or unoccupied, having a friend or relative drop by to look in on the house every Tuesday for example, will not satisfy the terms of your existing homeowners insurance. If they would normally deny a claim because the house is vacant or unoccupied, the fact that you demonstrate a neighbor was there to look in on things will not change the situation! We think having someone look in on the house is important, but it will not help keep coverage on the home.

Homeowners outside of an earthquake zone such as California, generally did not know they do not have earthquake insurance protection in their homeowners insurance policy. (Earthquake protection away from the West Coast is generally easy to add onto a insurance policy as a rider, and the cost is low.)

More than two thirds of homeowners did not understand they eventually lost coverage on the home if the house becomes vacant or empty.

Almost half of the homeowners did not realize they do not have “flood insurance” included in their standard HO3 or HO5 insurance policy. (damage from rising waters is almost never covered in a standard home insurance policy. Some insurance companies will add back in flood coverage for additional premium. For those that live in a “flood zone” and the insurance company is unwilling to provide the coverage, the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program is available).

Over 80% of homeowners did not understand there is a provision in the insurance policy that allows the owner to take action and spend money (that will later be reimbursed) just after a claim in order to avoid additional loss. (The best example of this would be a $200 expense to buy tarps to lay over a hole in the roof to keep the house from getting wet in a rainstorm).

Over 80% of homeowners do not understand the liability insurance attached to the homeowners insurance policy and how it protects the homeowner’s financial net worth and that of the policyholder’s family.

Over 80% of homeowners do not understand what a valuable article is, and that items with a high worth, or unique nature (like jewelry, art, or antiques) need to be declared in value with an appraisal or the full value will not be reimbursed by the insurance company in the event of loss.

Over 70% did not know they needed to do anything regarding their insurance coverage if they were having a friend or relative live in the house while the family was away. (In these cases a landlord, or a landlord / tenant policy is almost always necessary).

About the Author
Vacant Home Insurance Now is a provider of vacant home insurance and landlord tenant insurance policies. Whatever your vacant home situation, we offer the correct vacant homeowners insurance package and coverage. We have vacant condo insurance programs that offer the highest degree of affordable coverage.

Insurance can be a tricky business. All the legalese, the unreadable fine print, and questionable tactics can keep you from finding out what your options are. You’ll surely get an insurance policy even if you buy hastily but it won’t probably be the best one.

Life, auto, and homeowner’s has several different types, and insurance companies offer a wide range of policies for each type. When you look for an insurance policy, begin your quest with an understanding of how the each form of insurance operates, so you can figure out which policies will work best for your individual needs.

It may surprise you to know that 65% of South Africans have no auto insurance at all. When we take the incidents of accidents and road injuries, this shocks us.

Auto cover is coming in three varieties, third party is the minimum coverage and guards you if you wound other person or hurt somebody’s belongings in an auto accident. Third party fire and theft will include cover that is provided below third party and will add security for impairment caused by fire, theft or attempted theft. A complete security is also provided to protect your automobile in an accident that is your mistake.

Judge against policies and quotes since auto cover premiums can be costly. Bargain with the insurance corporations for a better price and consider raised and high excesses security actions to lessen your premiums further.

Term life insurance is the least expensive option and provides cover for a specified amount of time or can be linked to specific debt obligations. Term life is beneficial for families that may have a large amount of debt that will be paid off by the end of the policys term.

Whole life insurance is permanent insurance that remains in effect as long as the premiums are up to date. The policy does not need to be renewed and the premiums remain the same throughout the life of the policy. It provides your beneficiaries a lump sum at your death regardless of when that occurs.

Universal life insurance cover is structured the same way as whole life in that it is permanent insurance with level premiums. In addition, it adds provides financial products such as a savings plan, investments and the ability to add a person to the policy. It is the most expensive life insurance option due to its flexibility.

Your life changes and it is always beneficial to check on the current status of your life insurance to make sure it is still meeting your needs.

Your options for homeowners insurance have expanded thanks to the National Credit Act. Previously, borrowers had to purchase their cover from the bank that financed their loan. Now, you can shop and choose the cover that fits your needs and budget. Youll be required to cede the policy to your lender so that your policy can pay your bank directly.

When shopping for insurance, remember the old adage that the cheapest policy isn’t always the best. For example, a bicycle costs less than a car but it will not serve the same transportation needs. Hence, you need to find an affordable insurance policy that meets your particular coverage concerns.

Source: finance