Virtually every homeowner in South Carolina, regardless of whether their home is financed or not, chooses to purchase homeowner's insurance. The reason is not hard to fathom.
Here in South Carolina a person's home usually represents their largest asset - by far - and so it only makes good economic sense that a homeowner would want to protect that asset in the best way possible - by insuring it.
Of course, no one wants to pay more for their homeowner's insurance than they have to - and with the proliferation in websites that allow you to compare prices for homeowner's insurance between insurance companies there is no longer any reason for anyone to spend even one penny more than necessary to protect their home.
But before you jump online and start comparing prices, ask yourself this: What exactly are you 'comparing?'
In order to compare policies online you first must come up with a policy that you can compare equally on every site. And in order to create the least-expensive homeowner's policy right from the start, you need to first understand some of the ideas, tips and tricks in this article.
Let's get started.
How much homeowner's insurance do you really need? You need enough to rebuild your house from the foundation up. It is possible you will need the advice of an experienced contractor or builder to arrive at this figure. You will also want to include enough to replace all of your possessions in your home. What you do not want to do is to include the value of the land that your house is sitting on in any of your equations.
Making your home safe from accident-inspired lawsuits should lower your monthly premium. Replace any bad floorboards on porches or decks and make sure all railings are secure. Fill in all potholes around the property. Replace all broken or buckled concrete, especially in walkways. Let your agent know about the work you have done.
Next, let's make you home less appealing to burglars. Start by installing motion-sensitive floodlighting. Next, trim all bushes away from windows so burglars don't have a hiding place. Install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors. Make certain that all windows have a working lock.
A 24/7 home security system can provide a great deal of peace-of-mind. Such a system can also save you as much as 20% on your homeowner's bill each month. However, before you sign up for a home protection program check with your agent to see if the system you have chosen qualifies for the maximum premium discount.
If you have a home-based business ask your tax professional if all or part of a home security system might be tax deductible. Adding a tax deduction to your monthly premium savings could make a home security system practically free.
Do you belong to any clubs or organizations or associations that offer their members group homeowner's insurance? Group rates can save you considerably. Ask friends, neighbors and family if they know of any clubs or organizations that offer group homeowner's insurance. If so, consider joining.
The biggest expense insurance companies face when it comes to homeowner's claims is for water damage resulting from broken water pipes. Ask your agent if it would pay you to make the one-time investment in upgrading your electrical and plumbing system in exchange for a lifetime of lowered homeowner's rates.
Naturally you will want to install the proper number of smoke and fire detectors for your home's size and layout, and you'll see to it that each detector has a fresh battery twice yearly. Also purchase a kitchen-approved fire extinguisher for your kitchen.
If anyone 55 or older and retired is living in the home let your agent know as this can save you money each month.
Pay your premiums yearly rather than monthly.
Keep your credit record clean. Were you aware that your credit score affects how much you pay for homeowner's insurance? The better your credit score the lower your homeowner's insurance payment each month.
Institute a Neighborhood Watch or participate in any Watch program that already exists.
Increase your deductible. This is a quick way to lower your monthly premium, but keep in mind that whatever amount you set as your deductible is the amount you will have to pull out of your own purse or wallet anytime you make a claim, so don't promise more than you can actually afford.
All right. It's time for you to go online and find 3 different websites for comparing homeowner's insurance costs. The trick is to use the information from this article and fill out the form on all three websites in exactly the same way. Doing this insures that you are comparing the same (low-priced) homeowner's policy on all 3 websites and therefore the result you get will be truly valuable.
All that's left is for you to review the prices that you have gotten from all three websites and then choose the lowest price from a company that you feel confident will still be around in 30 years if you should need them.
And that's how simple it is to get cheap homeowner's insurance online in South Carolina and know that you have found the best deal possible.
Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=221388&ca=Finances
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