The 10 Basics of a homeowner's insurance policy

For most people, insurance is a mystery. They know they need to have insurance for their homes (mortgage lenders require it), but they don't understand the coverage provided by the policy. And they don't know which insurance companies offer the best prices. Because most people don't fully understand the insurance policy they are purchasing, many people think insurance is a rip-off.


The basics of a homeowner's insurance policy, here are 10 ways you can pay less. In many cases, you can get the same level of coverage for fewer dollars.

• Raise Your Deductible!
- The deductible is the amount you pay before insurance kicks in if you have a claim. For example, if you have a $500 deductible and you file a claim for $1,500 in damage to your home, you pay the first $500 and your insurer pays the balance, $1,000. The higher the deductible you choose, the more you pay. However, the higher the deductible, the lower your policy premium. Depending on the insurance company, you can save between 12% and 37% if you have a deductible of $1,000 to $5,000.
• Insure the House, Not the Land! - Nobody is going to steal your land. Fire and high winds won't destroy it. As such, when deciding how much homeowner's coverage to buy, don't include the value of the land. You should only cover the value of the house and any other buildings on the property. If you include the value of the land, you're paying too much.
• Don't Jump Around - If you've been with an insurer for a while and you like that insurer, stay put. Some insurance companies automatically have discounts for policyholders who have been with the company for a certain number of years. For example, 5% for at least three years, 10% for at least five years.
• New Is Better! - Insurers really like newer homes. That's because it's less likely something will go wrong with the electrical, heating and plumbing systems. In addition, the structure itself is in better shape. Insurers offer discounts of as much as 8% to 15% if your residence is new.
• Location, Location, Location! - Where do you live and what is your home made of? If you're in the Eastern United States, it's better from an insurance perspective to have a brick or masonry residence because such a structure has a greater resistance to wind damage. By contrast, frame homes are better in the earthquake-prone West. The right structure in the right region can save you 5% to 15%. Further, if your home is near a fire station, you will pay less for homeowners insurance. If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, you may be required to buy a flood insurance policy. If you are not required to buy the coverage and still live in a flood-prone area, your Texas home insurance policy will not provide coverage for losses arising from flooding.
• Don't Insure What You Don't Have! - Each year, you should review your policy to see what coverage you have for your possessions. If you have made a major purchase, you will want to increase your limits of coverage, but what if you sell something or something's? You don't need as much coverage. Pay particular attention to items that are covered by endorsements or floaters to your policy, items such as jewelry and computer equipment.
• Where There's Smoke There's fire! - Smoking (unattended cigarette butts, etc.) produces more than 23,000 residential fires in this country each year. That's why some insurers have discounts if all the residents in a home are nonsmokers.
• Group Discounts! - Some insurers offer discounts to certain business or alumni associations. If you are a member of such an association or associations, ask the directors of the associations if there are any insurance companies providing discounts to members.
• Better Safe Than Sorry! - Smoke detectors, burglar alarms and deadbolt locks are usually worth discounts of at least 5%. You can get even bigger discounts, 15% to 20%, if you install a sophisticated sprinkler system or an alarm system that rings at the police station or a security company. However, not all of these systems qualify for discounts. Before you install one, check with your insurer to find out what type of system qualifies for a discount and how much you would save on your premium if you installed the system.
• One Insurer, Multiple Insurance Policies - Do you have a Houston auto insurance policy? 

1. Is your auto insurance insured with the same company that provides your home insurance?
2. If the answer's no, you're paying too much for both policies. Almost every insurance company that sells home insurance wants its policyholders to also buy auto insurance from them. These insurers offer so-called multi-policy discounts. These discounts can be as much as 27% and some insurers apply the discounts to both the auto and the homeowners/renters policy.