Tag Archives: Iowa

How To Get Cheap Homeowner’s Insurance Online In Iowa

How To Get Cheap Homeowner’s Insurance Online In Iowa

It would be easy to tell you to just jump online, find one of the many sites that allow you to make comparisons of the prices of homeowner’s insurance policies from a variety of different insurance companies and be done with it.

Unfortunately doing that will not necessarily get you the cheapest homeowner’s insurance that you can find online in Iowa.

The good news is, the steps you need to take before getting online to look for your cheap homeowner’s policy are all relatively easy to take.

Let’s start with smoking. If you smoke you are going to pay more for your homeowner’s insurance. It’s that simple. You need to stop smoking if you want to get the best possible rates. If you already have a homeowner’s insurance policy and you were a smoker at the time you took out the policy but you have since quit, you need to let your agent know as you will be in line for a rather nice reduction in your monthly premiums.

Do you have other insurance policies – auto insurance or health insurance for instance – with the same insurance company? If so you should be getting a multi-policy discount.

Similarly, if you have had your policy with the same company for 5 or 6 years you need to ask your agent if you qualify for a Long-Term Discount.

Keep your credit rating good. Many people are not aware that the monthly premium you pay for your homeowner’s insurance is based, in part, on your credit score. The better your credit score the less you will pay each month for your homeowner’s insurance.

If your home is more than 10 years old talk to your agent about the savings you could receive if you were to up-grade the plumbing or the electrical system.

Fire danger is a big part of the monthly premium you pay for your policy, so clearing all brush and weeds ten feet away from all structures on your property can often lower your premium.

If you can afford to install a sprinkler system or a monitored home protection system that reports fire and burglaries to the authorities 24/7 you could be entitled to as much as a 30% reduction in your monthly homeowner’s premium, but talk to your agent before installing such a system as not all systems receive the same discount.

Install motion-sensitive outdoor floodlights to discourage burglars, and trim bushes away from all windows to further discourage home break-ins.

Install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make certain that all windows, even those on upper stories, have a working lock.

Install the proper number of fire and smoke detectors for the size and layout of your home and make certain that all of them are in working order. Change batteries twice yearly at the same time that clocks are set forward or backward an hour.

Buy a fire extinguisher that is specially designed for kitchen fires and keep it handy in your kitchen.

When setting the value of your policy make certain that it is enough to rebuild your home from the foundation up and that it is sufficient to replace all of your belongings – but don’t make the mistake of insuring the land under your home.

Can you afford a bigger deductible on your policy? Consider this question carefully as you will be asked to come up with the cash to cover your deductible if you ever have a claim. Doubling your deductible from 0 to ,000 can greatly reduce your monthly premium payment.

O.K., now that you know what you are looking for in a policy – how you can structure a policy to save you the most money each month – it’s time for you to get online and start making comparisons on at least 3 of the websites that allow you to compare homeowner’s insurance policies and prices here in Iowa.

Be sure to take the extra time to make your comparisons on multiple sites (at least 3 different websites) if you really and truly want to get cheap homeowner’s insurance online here in Iowa, since no one website compares all of the different insurance companies operating in the state.

How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Iowa

How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Iowa

Your home is probably your largest investment and your most priceless asset and because it is you probably have homeowner’s insurance to protect your pride and joy.

But whether you have homeowner’s insurance because you want to protect your home and its contents or whether it’s because your lender insists that you purchase insurance, the simple fact remains that you still want to get affordable homeowner’s insurance here in Iowa.

The good news is, you can – and the steps you need to take to lower your monthly payments are within reach of almost any homeowner.

Start with your credit score. If you want the best rates possible on your homeowner’s insurance you can start by keeping your credit in excellent shape. Surprisingly the size of your monthly premium payment is based in part on your credit score – the better your credit score the lower your homeowner’s insurance payment.

Don’t smoke. Smoker’s pay more for homeowner’s insurance than non-smokers. If you smoked when you first took out your homeowner’s policy but you have since quit, then you need to talk with your agent and see about getting your premium reduced.

A large part of your homeowner’s insurance premium is based upon the level of fire danger to your house. Cut weeds and brush back at least ten feet from any structure on your property to reduce the fire risk – and to reduce your monthly insurance premium.

Motion sensitive outdoor floodlights are a great way to make you home less appealing to burglars but more appealing to your homeowner’s insurance company. Along the same lines you need to trim all bushes away from windows to further discourage burglars.

If you can afford a sprinkler system and/or a home security system that is monitored 24/7 for both fire as well as burglary you may be in line for a reduction in your homeowner’s insurance premiums of as much as 20% to sometimes 30% — but be sure to tell your insurance agent which system you’re planning to install before you sign any contracts.

All exterior doors need a working deadbolt lock and all windows, regardless of which floor they are on, need a working lock – and you need to get in the habit of locking your home securely even if you are only going out for a “minute.”

Upgrading the electrical and plumbing systems in a home more than 10 years old can result in a substantial savings each month on your insurance premium. Be certain to let your agent know any time you make a repair or upgrade to your home.

Make sure that you have installed the required number of smoke and fire detectors for your size home and make certain each one of them is working properly. Don’t forget to change the batteries in your detectors at least twice each year.

Finally, purchase a fire extinguisher specially designed for kitchen fires and mount it where it can be easily reached in case of a fire.

You’ve now done most everything you can to reduce the size of your monthly homeowner’s insurance bill. Now it’s time to go online and find at least 3 different websites that let you quickly and easily compare homeowner’s insurance policies and prices side-by-side.

Be sure to take the time to make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites; that way you can be certain that you are seeing price quotes from every insurance company writing homeowner’s policies in Iowa and you can rest easy knowing that you have gotten the most affordable homeowner’s insurance that you could possibly find.

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