One piece of information that can help people in Washington State who are buying or renewing home insurance is the process insurance companies must follow when they want to raise rates. It seems too common for someone to get a great rate on insurance only to have it go up the next year. In Washington State, insurance companies for homeowners have to explain to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner why their rates are going up. Even though this information is helpful about increases, everyone still wants to find the best rate possible.
Anyone looking for home insurance can benefit from a few tricks and tips. The first one is easy to understand. If you live in an area with a lot of crime, you might want to move. In places with a lot of crime, it's only natural that home insurance rates will be higher. Your rates will be directly affected by how likely it is that someone will break in or damage your property.
If you're building a new house, think about how it will stand. Most of the time, it costs more to insure a house made of wood. If a brick house catches fire, the damage could be limited, but when the same thing happens to a wood house, it's often completely destroyed. Before building starts, it's a good idea to ask a home insurance agent about this.
Some home insurance policies charge an extra fee to cover extra living costs. If your home is damaged and you can't stay there, this coverage would pay for a hotel and some other costs. If you live near family, you might want to get rid of this coverage. Once that's done, it's likely that your premiums will go down.
Getting the best rates for yourself is a very personal process. You have to decide how much coverage you really need and how much you are willing to pay for extras. From there, you can look at different policies until you find one that fits your home perfectly.
