Home Insurance Help

[Taylorj]

Hi there,

Been a fan of the blog/forum for a while but for some reason never registered (first-time caller, long-time listener if you will), but I wanted to ask you guys for some advice.

My fiance and I are moving into our first home soon and are looking into getting home insurance. Since we're both new to this, I thought this would be a good place to ask about finding a good deal. Is it worthwhile using a comparison website ( http://www.homeinsuroffers.com was what caught my eye), or would I stand a better chance digging around myself?

Any help would be amazing. Thanks!

Taylor

[Another Reader]

Home insurance is generally price versus service, the same as car insurance.  There are also bundling discounts if you insure the house and the cars through one company.

With insurance, my preference is service.  I pay a little more, but I get much better treatment after an accident or property claim on a rental.  If you are price sensitive, try pricing the house with your current auto insurance people and also look into Geico. 

Never accept the policies the lender or title company push - they are overpriced.

[jba302]

I have handled homeowners claims in the past. In addition to the above good advice, Please do the following -

1. Read your policy. Look up everything that doesn't make sense.
2. Keep timestamped photos and receipts in a safe place.

Those 2 steps will resolve about 95% of the bitching that claimants do. The other 5% is bad adjusters, but going with a reputable company should cover that for the most part.

[Frankies Girl]

Calling around nets me a better rate, as I can ask all sorts of "what if" type of questions that you can't really get from a basic comparison site.

You'll want to check with your auto insurance too; I get a discount for using the same insurance as my cars, and a multi-car discount, and that definitely helps.

Also consider having as high a deductible as you can reasonably afford. The higher the deductible, the less you're paying, but if something happens, you'll need to be prepared to cover that amount.

[Taylorj]

That's great, thank you for the replies! I'm going to take everything on board and read all the small print before I sign up to anything.

Taylor.