Your home is probably the biggest investment you've made and the most valuable thing you own, so it makes sense to do everything you can to protect it. Most people buy homeowner's insurance to protect their home and everything in it.
Even though you need and want homeowner's insurance, you don't want to pay more each month than you have to. Because of this, thousands of Florida homeowners are looking for ways to save money and get discount homeowner's insurance.
There are a few things you can do to lower your monthly mortgage payment, which is good news.
Start with what you owe. Yes, your credit score does affect how much you pay for homeowner's insurance each month. The less you pay each month for homeowner's insurance, the higher your credit score.
Do you have other insurance policies with the same company, like for your car or your health? If so, you should get a discount for having more than one policy.
Have you been with the same insurance company for at least five years? If so, you may be eligible for a discount for having a long-term policy.
How big of a policy do you need to protect your home? You need a policy that will cover the cost of rebuilding your home from the foundation up and replacing all of its contents. However, you do not need to spend any money insuring the value of the land under your home.
If your home is more than 10 years old, ask your agent how much you could save each month by upgrading your plumbing and electricity.
If you want to lower the chance of a fire starting at your house, cut back any weeds or brush that is ten feet away from any buildings on your property. Tell your agent that this is what you've done.
Install motion-detecting flood lights in your yard and cut back bushes that are close to your windows to keep burglars away.
Make sure that all exterior doors have deadbolts that work and that all windows, even those on the second floor, have locks that work.
If you can afford to install a sprinkler system and/or a home security system that checks for fire and burglary 24/7, you could save as much as 20% to 30% on your monthly homeowner's insurance premium. Talk to your agent before making any final decisions, though, because some systems will get you a bigger discount on your premium than others.
Check with your agent to see if you can save even more on your monthly premium if anyone in your household is 55 or older and retired.
Make sure you have the right number of fire and smoke detectors in your home and that they all work. Remember that the batteries need to be changed twice a year.
Does your kitchen have a fire extinguisher? If you don't have one, get one and let your agent know.
Tell your agent about any changes you make to your home, whether they are big or small. Your homeowner's insurance will cost less each month if you do many things to improve your home.
Now that you've done what you can to lower your premiums, the last thing to do is to go online. Find at least 3 websites that let you compare homeowner's insurance policies side by side, and take the time to compare prices on at least 3 different websites.
Once you've done that, you'll be able to sleep well at night knowing that you've saved money and gotten the cheapest discount homeowner's insurance in all of Florida.
