1.  Shop Around

When you receive a quote from Starkquote insurance for your home you are shopping several companies at one time.  We will tell you which company has the lowest price.  Don’t consider price alone, the company you select should offer a fair price and give you the quality service you expect.

Below, I have listed 2 companies to contact to review the different insurance companies that you are considering.  You will want to check their ratings with these companies.

www.ambest.com   (A.M. Best)

www.standardandpoors.com  (Standard & Poor’s)

2.  Raise Your Deductible

Again, as with auto policies, a deductible is the portion you pay in a covered loss.  The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.  You will want to consider a higher deductible if you want to keep your premiums low.

3.  Don’t confuse the value of your house with rebuilding costs

We don’t insure land, we insure the structures and contents on the land.  The dwelling amount should reflect the cost to rebuild if the home was a total loss.  You never want to say I paid $500,000 for my home and I need that much insurance.  A good agent will ask the questions he needs to do a replacement cost estimation on your house.  Every company uses a replacement cost estimator to determine the replacement cost of the home.   Don’t deal with an agent who is not using a replacement cost estimator.

4.  Buy your Home and Auto policies from the same company.

Some companies will offer discounts when you have both home and auto policies from the same insurer.  The discounts can be very substantial. 

5.  Home Security

You can get more discounts if you have a smoke detector, fire extinguisher and dead-bolt locks on the doors.  You can get a bigger discount if you have fire and burglar alarms.

6.  Stay with the same Insurer

If you Keep your insurance policies with the same company for several years, you may receive a discount for being a long-term policyholder. 

 As always, if you have any questions or concerns contact your agent.