Friday, July 20, 2007

Six Best Ways to Lower Your House Insurance Rate by Brian Stevens

Looking to lower your house insurance rate? Here are the six best ways to do it.
1. Compare Rates. Because insurance rates can vary by hundreds of dollars from company to company, the most cost effective way to lower you house insurance is to compare rates. You can do this by calling local insurance companies on the phone, but it's far easier and much quicker to go to an insurance comparison website.
At these sites you fill out a simple form with information about the type of home you own and the amount of insurance you want. Then all you do is wait for your quotes and choose the best one.
Some comparison sites offer an online chat feature that allows you to talk with insurance experts on line so you can get answers to your insurance questions. (See link below.)
2. Increase Your Deductible. By increasing your deductible (the amount you pay toward a claim before your insurance kicks in), you can save 10% to 50% on your yearly premium. Just make sure you can afford the higher deductible should you need to file a claim.
3. Consolidate Your Policies. Purchasing both your homeowners insurance and your auto insurance from the same company can save you 10% to 30% on your yearly premium. You'll also only have to deal with one company.
4. Add Safety Systems. Insurance companies will give you a discount on your insurance if you add safety systems such as smoke detectors, fire alarms, fire sprinkler systems, and fire extinguishers. This will also make your home a safer place to live.
5. Install Security Devices. You can get discounts on your insurance if you install security devices like dead-bolt locks, window locks, security lights, and burglar alarms.
6. Request Discounts. Insurance companies offer numerous discounts you may not be aware of such as senior discounts, non-smokers discounts, law officer discounts, military discounts, and others. Before you purchase your homeowners policy, ask your agent about all the discounts his company offers and take advantage of the ones you're eligible for.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/homeowners-insurance.html or click on the following link to get house insurance rate quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section.

About the Author

The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on getting cheap house insurance rates.