Comparing Homeowners Insurance Quotes Tips
Read these 7 Comparing Homeowners Insurance Quotes Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Home Insurance tips and hundreds of other topics.
Double Check, Get To The Bottom of Discrepancies
Every so often, mistakes happen. If you notice a glaring discrepancy between two quotes you receive from different companies on the same type of coverage, get in touch with them and ask about it. There are any number of reasons for this happening.
You may have made a typing error when inputting information to get the quotes. Perhaps there was an error with the Web site or the information provided to them by the insurer. Or maybe there is no mistake and the rates charged by two companies are just drastically different.
Whatever the reason may be, it never hurts to double check and make sure there are no mistakes. You do not want there to be any doubt in your mind when it comes time to make that big decision on the best homeowners insurance. So just remember these keys:
- Double check the information you input into the Web site
- Contact the administrators of the site if the discrepancy still exists
- Contact the insurance providers if there is no error on the part of the Web site providing the quotes
Quotes Come With No Obligation
When you request an insurance quote, don't get nervous. There is no obligation to purchase that policy. Asking for a quote simply means that you will be made an offer of services at a specified rate. That is all it is: an offer. You do not have to take it.
Request as many home insurance quotes as you want. There is never any obligation. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that rates do change. In most cases an insurer will provide you with a quote that is good for a certain period of time, usually 10 to 14 days or so, but that may vary. After that time passes, the quote no longer applies and the rate could change.
So pay attention to the date you request quotes so you can adhere to the proper timeline. If you want to accept the policy and rate offered in a homeowners insurance quote, do so within the time period allotted by the company. If not, simply let it go and move on to the next.
Comparing The Right Insurance Policies
When comparing two insurance quotes, you have to make sure that the playing field is level. You know what features you want to have in your policy and what you want to spend. Comparing insurance quotes from two different companies is good, but not if you are comparing the wrong two policies.
So make sure that both policy are geared toward the same type of coverage. Otherwise you are entering apples and oranges territory. That is not to say you cannot compare two policies and find that one offers something that you want and one does not. But the comparison must be based on both the financial aspect as well as the coverage provided. You cannot make a fair and beneficial comparison based on one and not the other.
Start by looking at plans that fall within your price range and provide the essential features you are looking for. From there you can compare to see if one has additional benefits that another does not and whether those features sway you in one direction or the other.
Request Home, Auto & Other Insurance Quotes At The Same Time
Remember that you are most likely eligible for a discount if you have multiple insurance accounts through one company. Now consider this when you compare home insurance quotes. When you are checking quotes for home insurance it might be a good time to get quotes for other things like auto and health insurance as well. If the rates and policies from one company catch your interest for home insurance, get quotes for the others from that company as well.
You may find that you can save a considerable amount of money by switching other accounts to a new company when you insure your home. This is a vital part of comparing quotes because it can save you a lot of money with just a little time and effort.
You can even do all this at once in the same place with insurance quote aggregators. You can get insurance quotes in each area and see how you can benefit from the different options, before rushing into the wrong choice.
Comparing The Right Quotes
Homeowners insurance comparisons do not have to be a complicated process, as long as you take a minute to pay attention to the details. For example, often times people don't stop to think about exactly what they need and what they are looking for when comparing quotes.
It does you no good if you are buying a house and looking at quotes online when one is for a condo and the other for a single family house. You may think they are similar enough, but for insurance purposes, they are night and day.
You don't want to pick a plan only to find out that it is for a completely different type of structure than the one you are trying to insure. So take a minute, figure out exactly what you need to insure, and compare the relevant quotes to one another. It will save you time and confusion later on.
Benefits of Online Comparisons
Comparing homeowners insurance quotes online has many benefits. Let's start with the obvious, you don't have to spend hours calling every prospective insurer or driving to their local offices to get the information it takes minutes to get online. So you save time, gas, and oh yeah … money.
You can sit in the comfort of your own home and have all the information you need side-by-side on your computer screen. Now you can weed out the companies and policies that are not right for you and focus on the ones that appeal to you the most.
So now what do you do? Compare the finalists. What looks both good and bad about each quote? What questions do you still have? Most sites you can get online quotes from will have service representatives that you can call and discuss the information they gave you, or you can call insurance companies directly. The key is that comparing insurance quotes weeds out the providers and coverage plans that simply won't work for you and allows you to hit the ground running with the remaining ones.
Comparing Quotes Online
The quickest and by far easiest way to compare homeowners insurance quotes is to do it online. So how do you do that? If you are thinking that you have to go to a different site for every company you want to get a quote from, you can put that worry to bed right now. All you need is the help of one Web site.
Quote aggregators will provide you with insurance quotes from all the major companies licensed to provide insurance in your area. You can do side-by-side comparisons without having to click from one window to the next or print out dozens of pages and lay them out on your desk or coffee table.
Even if you're a slow typer, it won't take long to input the information needed to get you those quotes, and they'll walk you through the process. Sites like these that are reputable will also have a section that goes over frequently asked questions and the “ins and outs” of the insurance industry, arming you with the tools you need to make the right decision on your home insurance.
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