Tips To Save Money On Your Homeowners Insurance

· Think insurance when buying a home. Get a copy of the insurance loss history of the home you want to buy. Get it inspected so you know that past problems have been properly repaired. The Clue and A-PLUS databases, for example, enable insurers to check the claim history of both the homeowner and the property which the homeowner is purchasing.

· Raise your deductible. Higher deductibles on your home could produce savings of 15% to 30 % or more.

· Upgrade your home. Consider modernizing your heating, plumbing and electrical systems to reduce the risk of fire and water damage. Make sure to let your insurer know of these upgrades. Find out from your insurer what steps you can take to make your home more resistant to windstorms and other natural disasters. You may be able to save on your premiums by adding storm shutters, reinforcing your roof or buying stronger roofing materials. Older homes can be retrofitted to make them better able to withstand earthquakes.

· Improve your home security. You can usually get discounts of at least 5% for a smoke detector, burglar alarm or dead bolt locks. Some companies offer to cut your premium by as much as 15% or 20% if you install a sophisticated sprinkler system and a fire and burglar alarm that rings at the police, fire or other monitoring stations. These systems aren’t cheap and not every system qualifies for a discount. Before you buy such a system find out what kind your insurer recommends, how much the device would cost and how much you’d save on premiums.

· Buy your home and auto policies from the same insurer. Some companies that sell homeowners, auto and liability coverage will take 5% to 15% off your premium if you buy two or more policies from them.

· Maintain good credit. Increasingly, insurers are using credit- based insurance scores to determine homeowners and auto coverage premiums. All else being equal, a person with a good insurance score will pay much less for insurance than someone with a lower score.