Author: Anthony Peck
Source: articlemarketer.com

News flash, ladies and gentlemen. Who you are is going to have a huge impact on how much you’re paying for your homeowners insurance. That same principle applies to your neighbors. It’s awfully hard to willingly insure somebody when there’s a very good chance that their apartment is going to be stripped of its electronics the minute the owner’s back is turned, so areas with a high crime rate tend to go hand in hand with exorbitantly high home insurance rates. Here’s a look at how you can get cheap homeowners insurance, even when your neighbors are just lying in wait for the right time to empty out your closets.

First and foremost, if the crime rate in your neighborhood is high enough that you’re having a hard time finding home insurance it might be time to start looking for new digs. Renters insurance people are usually too concerned about where they’re insuring, since they know they’ll get it back from you in the end and they’re not insuring the structure itself. If they’re dragging their feet about issuing you a home insurance policy it might be time to think long and hard about a little relocation.

If relocation isn’t an option for one reason or another take a long, hard look at your home’s security. How secure is it really? Is it like Ft. Knox or are burglars going to feel like they’re breaking into a game of Candyland? A great place to start is by looking at the locks on your front door. Do you have a deadbolt, or are you still sporting the ten dollar hardware store special they put on when they first built the place? Believe it or not, these locks are almost ridiculously easy for a career criminal to break into.

Deadbolts, on the other hand, might not keep out a determined B&E man but it’s certainly going to slow him down-and more than a little. If your door’s not sporting a deadbolt that should be one of the first things you fix. Not only will it actually keep your home safe, it will also go a long way toward helping you find and enjoy cheap home insurance.

If you life in an apartment a home security system is slightly impractical (though not impossible!). If you have digs of your own away from the apartment building, however, you can invest in an electronic security system that not only may be able to save you 30% or more on your homeowners insurance (which is almost worth the price of the installation in and of itself) it can also stop burglars in their tracks. See, B&E men tend to target certain kinds of houses. Namely, the ones they’re least likely to get caught in! Homes with a high tech security system are neither safe nor low key for a burglar and therefore are likely to be given a wide berth when the casual burglar is prowling the neighborhood.

The bottom line is that it shouldn’t matter what your neighbors do when you’re talking about your homeowners insurance coverage, but it does. With some extra precautions, however, you can stop criminals in their tracks and pave the way to cheap homeowners insurance at the same time.

That’s not bad for a day’s work.

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information your home insurance, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.

cheap home insurance, home insurance, home insurance claims

Author: Anthony Peck
Source: articlemarketer.com

You wouldn’t buy a car without first checking out its history (theoretically, anyway). Why on earth would you buy a home (and a home insurance policy) without doing the same thing? Yet that’s exactly what most people do. They take a look at their house, identify any major cosmetic and structural damages that are going to need to be fixed and sign on the dotted line for their deed without asking any more questions. Then they go out and insure their home through a local provider, sit back, pop their feet up and relax.

But do they really know what they’re getting into?

Before you buy home insurance, preferably even before you buy your home, you should take some time to scope out not only the history of your house but also the history of the land around it. You’d be amazed what you can learn when you go digging through your home’s past insurance claims-for example, the fact that the roof leaks and caves in every winter. You’d be amazed at how often history repeats itself when it comes to your home insurance claims.

The other thing you want to find out is what kind of geological problems you’re going to run into, and I’ll tell you why in a second. Geological issues that are going to impact your homeowners insurance rates include earthquakes, hurricanes, mine subsidence and windstorms, along with just about any other “Act of God” that’s going to come your way. If you live in an area at high risk for any of these events you can almost guarantee that you’re going to have to deal with them at some point, and it’s best to be prepared well ahead of time.

It’s important in terms of your home insurance to know what you’re getting into geologically because a) it’s going to affect your homeowners insurance rates, b) it’s going to affect your ability to get homeowners insurance at all and c) if you don’t know what’s going to be covered by your insurance policy and what’s not you could find yourself up a creek without a paddle when disaster strikes. Since holding the bill for thousands of dollars worth of repairs that your homeowners insurance isn’t going to touch with a ten foot pole isn’t a position you want to be in, it pays to be informed before you sign on the dotted line.

Believe it or not, most “all perils” home insurance policies don’t extend to covering earthquakes, flooding or damages resulting from windstorms. They also probably don’t cover damages resulting from abandoned mines shifting and collapsing underneath your home, completely realigning your foundation. If there’s a chance, no matter how slim, that your home is going to be affected by one of these things you’re going to need to take steps to make sure you’re covered-unconditionally.

Read through your “all perils” policy to find out what it’s NOT going to cover, then pick up the phone and talk to your insurance agent. You may be able to purchase an add on to your insurance package that will help you. If that option isn’t on the table you’re going to need to contact one of the many state or federally funded programs currently inexistence that help deal with these things and make sure you’re all set. The last thing you want to do is “forget” to do your homework and leave the door wide open for whatever disaster decides to come rolling your way.

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information on your home insurance, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.

home insurance, home insurance claims, homeowners insurance

Author: Michael F. McDonough
Source: ezinearticles.com

Let’s face it, trying to figure out all the perils your home might run into over the years is a pain. In fact, if you’re not psychic it’s practically impossible! That’s why buying a named perils homeowners insurance policy is so difficult, and why most people opt for all perils coverage. It saves you the trouble of having to divine every peril your home may be facing. The trouble is, your all perils policy might not be as safe as you think it is.

An all perils policy is designed to keep you protected from the unforeseeable. For example, how many people would honestly predict that their home would be struck by a meteor? Since meteors aren’t included in the “not covered” list, your homeowners insurance picks up the tab!

The catch is, insurance companies are well aware of the hazards facing today’s homes. They’re going to do everything they can to keep their profit margins high, and part of that is keeping in mind that homes in high risk areas for floods, earthquakes, mine subsidence and other hazards are probably going to be victims. With that in mind these companies usually make sure those things are included in their “not covered” list.

If you don’t know what your homeowners insurance policy will cover and what it won’t you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. Hundreds of homeowners found themselves completely out of luck after Hurricane Katrina because their homeowners insurance policy specifically did not cover flooding and/or wind damage, and they hadn’t taken the time to pick up extra coverage to compensate for it. They were left homeless, with all of their belongings destroyed and without the resources they needed to pick up the pieces.

Since you don’t want to find yourself in that position you’re going to want to do a little bit of research a) into the geologic history of the area you live in/are moving to and b) into your home’s history. If your home has a history of flooding you’re going to want to make sure you’ve got flood insurance. (In fact, you’re going to want to make sure you have flood insurance anyway. Studies show that homes that aren’t in high risk areas have more incidences of flooding each year.)

But you get the idea.

There are a number of options when it comes to plugging the gaps in your homeowners insurance. You might be able to pick up extra coverage through your insurer. Some companies offer flood insurance and earthquake insurance as a supplement to their regular insurance coverage. Picking up that extra coverage through a private insurer rather than through a state funded agency is going to offer you better homeowners insurance rates, so that should be your first choice.

If you can’t get that coverage through your insurance company there are a number of state and federally organized agencies that can help you out. States with numerous active and inactive mines often have a mine subsidence insurance program, and FEMA runs the National Flood Insurance Program for homeowners who have a hard time finding flood insurance for their home. There are organizations like the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association that can help protect your home from wind damage. Check and see what’s available in your area.

Whichever option you have available, make sure you’ve got enough coverage to protect your home from whatever happens to come rolling your way. Don’t trust your all perils home insurance policy to do it for you.

Michael McDonough is a National Account Representative for QuoteScout.com. For more information about your homeowners insurance, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com

home insurance, home insurance claims, home insurance rates, homeowners insurance