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If you plan to buy a home or condo, you must have Home owner insurance. Not only does it protect your home investment, it is also a requirement when you buy a house and lot through mortgage.
Home insurance is a protection given to your house in case it is damaged or needs repair.
One effective way in buying a condo insurance, another term for home insurance is to inquire first at your existing insurance, whether it is life insurance or car insurance.
Some insurance companies have different types of insurance policies. Moreover, many insurance companies grant discounts if you buy several insurance policies with them.
There are many types of coverage to choose in buying home owner insurance. HO-1 is the basic type to protect your property from 11 threats which include fire, vandalism, lightning, theft, major breakage and overflow of water from plumbing. The HO-5 policy covers everything except flood, war and earthquakes.
If you need to insure your house from natural disasters, you need to buy a separate condo insurance. Another consideration before buying your home insurance policies is to make an estimate on how much it would cost for you to rebuild your house in case it is damaged or destroyed.
The insurance company has its own guidelines to estimate the replacement expenses together with the corresponding premiums. Of course, the higher the replacement expenses, the higher the premium.
The premiums for your home owner insurance also differ depending on where you live, the value of your house, your length of stay in your house, and the number of insurance claims in your neighborhood. So better to shop around and compare home insurance providers.
If you want to save on your condo insurance, look for ways that can help get lower premium. For example, you can install effective security system, fire protection system and maintaining a 100 feet around your home.
If your neighborhood is prone to flood, your basement and its furnishing are not covered unless you have a separate flood insurance. In other words, know your major risks and do something about it to make it disaster-resistant.
Depending on your insurance company, there are policies that cover the contents of your house. Know which items are part of the home owners insurance. These can be any valuable items such as jewelry, expensive equipment, computers, artworks and more.
There are also riders that you can add on to cover your living expenses when you have to stay somewhere while your house is on reconstruction. Another coverage that you should check is your liability in case a guest is injured by slipping off your stairs. There is a type of condo insurance that covers liability expenses while you are away.
Increase your deductible. It can save you up to 25% over a 5-year or 7-year period. When you pay the lower deductible on your home owner insurance, you are only wasting your money particularly when you have never filed a claim [because you never meet the deductible].
Finally, you have to maintain a good credit rating. When the insurance company knows that you have good credit standing [by paying your bills on time], you may get good premium rates for your home owner insurance.
