Best values for Home Insurance Policy

I pay a little extra because I like having a solid agent I can call at any time, talk to immediately and who's all over it when I need him. It's rather a priceless state of mind if SHTF with your home, car, etc.

So ask people you know if they have an agent that the really like. If it's a value to you, meet them in person.

Also I'm pretty sure most ins companies will give you a discount if you buy home, life, auto, etc from them vs just home or just car. Might not be a lot, but it can be a nice perk.

This is a time where price should not be your primary focus or concern, but, rather, customer service. You want to make sure that, if you ever make a claim, the company is there for you.

That being said, I'd get quotes from the number one homeowner's insurance company in the country: Amica Mutual.

The other number one insurer (they go back and forth with Amica) is USAA. If you're eligible, I'd get a quote from them too.

It makes no difference if someones saves $200 or even $500 or more per year on coverage (and I'm not saying Amica and USAA are expensive or aren't the cheapest - you will only find out their costs for you if you get a quote) only to have the insurance company reject their claim or fight them tooth and nail on every single little thing. When you have a disaster at your home, the last thing you want is to have to fight for what you've paid for and what's due to you.

Also, you should treat homeowner's insurance (much like auto insurance) as catastrophic coverage. The industry term for it is "use-it-and-lose-it" insurance, which means if you make too many claims they company (depending on who it is and your particular situation), the insurer might raise your premiums considerably or even drop you. With this said, you'll want to raise your deductible as high as your mortgage company (if you have a mortgage on either property) will allow. Even if you have to make a claim relatively early on in the life of the policy, the math still works out in your favor to have a high deductible.

Also, make sure you're adequately covered. Many of us are mistakenly underinsured. We think that since home prices have gone down, the amount of coverage we have in our homeowner's policies should go down too. Not the case. Replacement cost (the cost of building sticks up) is much higher than the equivalent home's current fair market value.

I am in the same boat - current insurance co (Travelers) has been great to deal with including a couple auto claims a few years back. They were also the cheapest at the time but rates have gone continually up for auto, and down then up again for home. I just asked my (independent) agent today to "shop around" again while I look online for pricing.

Note that I've found that who offers the best price often shifts - it will be one company for a year or 2, then another, then a third.

Every year I price shop my insurance just to make sure I am getting the best deal. As long as the company that I pick have good ratings.....after that, I'm all about saving myself some money. I often used this website to price shop my insurance: Netquote.com.

I've used this website for many years now without any issue. When entering your information on that website, just give "enough" for them to give you a quote. You do not have to enter every single personal information as though you are applying for a loan....other words, avoid SS#, DOB, etc if they asked or just make up one.

We found the lowest rate (by far) to be Allstate. Travelers (Geico) wanted $3800/year for homeowners and Allstate just $800 for the exact same coverage. After 20+ years, I parted company with Geico.

I had All****e for many years, but made a claim on home insurance which was a total disaster.
Now I have Amica and am very happy with them. Terrific cust service and they were a lot cheaper than
Allst**e.

Going to bump this old thread with a question - what is everyone's opinion on the comment that you should run with the highest deductible to save the most on the insurance? Does anyone feel sticking with $1000 is the best choice? What about being in a high crime area? Making a claim for a $3k+ break in?

Quote from NonFatMilk : Going to bump this old thread with a question - what is everyone's opinion on the comment that you should run with the highest deductible to save the most on the insurance? Does anyone feel sticking with $1000 is the best choice? What about being in a high crime area? Making a claim for a $3k+ break in?

From my experience, filing one too many homeowner's insurance claim will come back and haunt you. I have met people who filed claims had their rates increase, sometimes as much as double or triple or current premium or out right drop from your current carrier. Once flag, they had a hard time finding coverage from more established insurance companies. I worked for a few insurance companies in the past and they will not insure ANYONE who have filed a claim as new business no matter how small the claim was. These people were consider high risk.

Others might have a different experience but this has been my experience.