Paying both your mortgage payments and your homeowners insurance can start to get difficult month after month. However, if your credit has improved since you opened your policy, or if you’ve made some improvements to your home, there’s a good chance that you can lower your insurance premium. Here are five easy ways to save on homeowners insurance.
1. Improve your credit score. One of the best ways to demonstrate to your homeowner’s insurance agency that you are a trustworthy and responsible person is to improve your credit score. If your credit score has improved dramatically since you opened your insurance policy, you’re going to want to contact your insurance agency and let them know. The better your score is, and the cleaner your report is, the lower your monthly premiums will be.
2. Make sure to fortify your home against the natural disasters that are prevalent in your region. If you live in a region that is prone to flash floods, you are going to want to make sure to have your foundation checked and, if necessary, repaired to withstand even the worst of floods. No matter what kind of natural disasters your region is prone to, you’re going to want to have an inspection performed to ensure that you are prepared, and then you are going to want to share that report with your insurance agency.
3. Combine your insurance policies. According to JDI Data Corporation, if you already pay for car or life insurance with a certain insurance agency, it can really pay off to combine all of your insurance policies through that same company. Loyalty really pays off when it comes to your insurance premiums, and if you demonstrate that loyalty by paying for as many insurance policies as possible with the same company, it will pay off in spades.
4. Make sure to ask for new policyholder discounts. If you are thinking about switching insurance companies, or if you are buying homeowners insurance for the first time, you want to check and see which companies offer new policyholder discounts. Insurance companies love to steal customers from one another, and in order to do so, they know that they need to outbid their competitors. So when you ask for an estimate, be sure to let the agent you’re speaking with know if another agency has offered the same type of insurance for much cheaper.
5. Improve your home security. One of the most effective saving tips you can receive in regard to your homeowners insurance is to beef up your home security. If you don’t have a home security system, you need to get one immediately. If you already have one, you may want to see about getting an automated security system that will send alerts to your phone if your alarm goes off while you’re away. If you have security cameras, you’ll be able to see a live feed directly on your phone. How cool is that?