TUESDAY'S TOUR AND TIP
Tips on Saving on Your Home Owners Policy
Brought
to you by Chrissy Neumann
Dunwoody
Johnson Ferry Park
$199,900
- Southern Living Charm exudes from
this gorgeous traditional townhome
- Three glorious levels of living - an entertainers
dream!
- Close proximity to 400, 285 and Buckhead
- Four bedrooms three full baths all completely remodeled
- Updated kitchen with white cabinets and tiled floors
- Amazing open family room with French doors leading out
to a private patio
- Your Dining Room is perfect for holidays -
seating over 12+ guests
- Full daylight basement with 2 finished bedrooms and
full bath
- View This
Home at CastlesByChrissy.com
Tuesday's Tip
12 ways to save on your homeowner's policy
1. Raise your deductible.
The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before your
insurance kicks in. Typically, deductibles start at $250.
Increase your deductible to:
$500 and save up to 12% on your premiums
$1,000 and save up to 24%
$2,500 and save up to 30%
$5,000 and save up to 37%.
Just make sure you can afford to pay the higher deductible out of pocket if
something should happen.
2. Shop around.
Check with many different insurance companies to get rate quotes. Do your
friends or family members like their insurance company? Check the Internet
using online quotes like the ones here at MSN Money.
3. Buy your home and auto policies from the same company.
Many companies will give a multiline discount if you buy both homeowner's and
auto coverage from them.
4. Consider insurance when buying a home.
If you're looking at buying a home, think about the cost of insuring the home.
A newer home's electrical, heating and plumbing systems and overall structure
are likely to be in better condition than those of an older home. This can lead
to a discount on your premiums.
You'll also want to consider the construction of the home and where you live. If
you live on the East Coast, you'll want the house to be able to stand up to
wind damage, while on the West Coast, you need to keep earthquakes in mind.
5. Insure your home, not the land.
While your home and its contents are at risk from fire, theft, windstorms and
other perils, the land your home sits on is not. Don't include the value of the
land in deciding how much homeowner's insurance you need to buy.
6. Improve security and safety.
Items such as deadbolt locks, burglar alarms and smoke detectors usually can
bring discounts of 5% each, depending on the company. Your insurance company
may also offer a significant discount of 15% or 20% if you install a
sophisticated home-security system. If you're thinking about buying such a
system, check with your insurer to see which systems they recommend and which
will earn you a discount.
7. Stop smoking.
Smoking accidents account for more than 23,000 residential fires every year.
Some insurers offer to reduce premiums if no one in the home smokes.
- Senior discounts.
Insurance companies have found that
retired people stay at home more and spot fires sooner than working
people. Older people also have more time for maintaining their homes. If
you're at least 55 years old and retired, you might qualify for a discount
of as much as 10%.
- Group coverage.
Alumni and business associations often work out insurance deals with an
insurance company, which includes a discount for association members. Ask
your association's director about any such deals.
- Stay with an insurer.
If you've kept your coverage with a company for several years, you may
receive special consideration. Several insurers will reduce their premiums
by 5% after staying with them for three to five years; and some companies
will discount you as much as 10% after six years.
- Check your policy annually.
You want your policy to reflect the value of your home and belongings. If
you review your policy every year, you will be able to make the necessary
adjustments. If, for example, you just sold a valuable painting, you won't
need the same amount of coverage. But if you added a garage, you'll need
to increase your coverage.
- Look
for private insurance first.
If you live in a high-risk area (one that is especially vulnerable to
coastal storms, fires or crime) and think you'll be forced to buy
homeowner's coverage from your state's high-risk insurance pool, check
first with an insurance agent. You may find that you can still buy
insurance at a lower price in the private insurance market than from the
insurer of last resort.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE PROPERTY LISTED ABOVE
OR THE TIP PROVIDED PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL
CASTLESBYCHRISSY@BELLSOUTH.NET OR CALL ME AT 404.925.5335.
Adams
Fairfield Realty
Chrissy Neumann
"Making You Feel At
Home"
www.castlesbychrissy.com
404.925.5335
fax - 770.565.4477
