Have you bought your first house or are you looking for a new homeowner’s insurance company? There are a lot of things that you want to consider. Below are seven tips that you can use to help you find the right insurance company for your home.

1. LOOK AT WHAT’S AVAILABLE

Before you choose an insurer, get a quote from a minimum of four carriers. You can find databases online that are free like InsWeb, which will offer you a quote from as many as eight carriers.

2. BUY DIRECT

The companies that are dealing directly with the consumers and don’t use any independent agents are known as direct writers. Theoretically they’re able to pass their savings on because they eliminate middlemen.

3. READ JUNK MAIL

It’s a great idea to read the Internet, your email or answer your phone. Overhead is saved by direct marketers by using these things to market, and they can give you the savings.

4. CHECK YOUR HOME STATE

Most of the insurance departments in the state offer shopping guides online for those looking to buy homeowner’s insurance. The guide from the state may be able to give you companies that aren’t as well know that have competitive rates. You can get linked to the guide for your state on insure.com.

The bad thing is if you’re living in one of the hurricane zones, it’s possible you will be stuck with a single expensive option. That is your state-sponsored pool of high risk people. But it’s possible to try again in a year. The private insurers always look for different ways to cut the market up and a black mark for company will be a business opportunity for another.

Some of the states provide those who in a vulnerable coastal or urban area.

5. LOOK AT THE SERVICE HISTORY

Even though a company may offer a big discount, that is not going to help you if they are slow at processing claims, so you want to discover everything you can about the service about a company before signing on. It’s a good idea to ask the representative about the turn-around time for their claim. If they have a shorter time for claims it indicates that they have good service.

6. FOCUS ON THE FINANCIALS

You want to examine the insurer’s financial ratings. Ask the rep about the information or you can use one of the services online to find out their financial ratings.

Standard & Poor’s great rating is A or higher, and Moody’s Investor Service’s AA rating will say that the company is strong. You can also check out Weiss Ratings, which has very stringent guidelines and it’s also the one that’s most independent, to see the homeowner’s insurance companies that are the weakest.

7. SEARCH FOR DISCOUNTS

It’s possible to save money by looking for discounts offered by insurers for risk lowering behavior. This could be things from quitting smoking to driving below a certain number of miles each year. Certain categories of people, such as senior citizens, are also eligible for lower prices. You’re also going to save money by installing some protective or safety equipment inside your home. Since it’s much cheaper to service more than one policy from a customer, premiums are often cut by insurers by as much as 15% when you link your homeowner’s and auto policies.

These are the seven things that you can do to help you find the right company for your homeowner’s insurance. When you want to protect your home and everything in it, you want to choose a company that you can count on. These tips will help you find the right one.

FREE INSURANCE REVIEW

WhitCo Insurance agents provide this free service just for you. Meet with our agents in person or connect online to review your coverage to keep up with your changing insurance needs. If you would like us to explain your insurance policies in plain English, you can contact us a call at 866-298-7608.

We hope you can take advantage of our insurance experience in Nokomis, Florida.