California Home Owners Insurance -- Seven Tested Tips

Contrary to what you might be made to believe, it is quite easy to attract a lower rate. All you have to do to achieve this feat are pieces of information (that you'd have to implement, though). Let's look at a few proven ways to get better rates...

1. Don't insure your house along with the land it is built on as this is more expensive but quite unnecessary. People do this ignorantly. Insuring your home for the full price you bought it without deducting the land's cost is a big mistake.

If you did this quickly call your agent and review your California home insurance policy. Deduct the land's price and you will realize that you will need far less coverage.

This implies that you'll spend a lot less on California home insurance. Since insurance is for things that can be lost or damaged, insuring the land which can neither be lost or damaged isn't right.

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2. What you pay as premium is influenced by your credit rating. The lower your credit rating, the higher the rates you get. If your credit rating is bad then you've been missing important payments. No insurer is happy with this as it shows a pattern you are very likely to repeat in the payment of premiums. If you're considered a potential defaulter, it makes you a higher risk and draws more expensive rates than otherwise.

So do your utmost to clear all your bills in a timely manner. It makes it easier for you to get lower rates among other things.

3. Choosing to pay your rates on a monthly basis results in higher premiums than you would spend if you choose to pay yearly. Your insurer is compelled to send you 12 notices for monthly payments as opposed to one for yearly payments. This increases their overhead.

The cost increases if you add the fact that they pay transaction fees for processing each check you give them monthly as payment. 12 checks mean Twelve transactions and will attract 12 separate fees.. And, believe it or not, these additional costs are eventually added to your rates.

So, you will attract cheaper rates if you choose to pay your premiums annually. The real amount you could save may differ but expect to save up to a month's premium worth with some insurers if you settle for this option.

4. Make sure that the exterior of your house is fire-safe and your premium will be lower. You'll do well if you don't have anything that is inflammable around your home. Bushes around your home should be cut and maintained at a distance of at least 10 feet from your building. This is because how fire-safe a house is goes a long way in affecting what it will cost to insure it.

5. Motion-sensitive lighting lowers your home's risk of burglary and, therefore, helps you get cheaper California home insurance premiums. Burglars will keep off from places where their movement will be easily spotted. And motion-sensitive lighting does this exactly. The risk of burglary is a key factor in checking a home's risk to an insurance company and, consequently, your rate.

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6. Do ensure that every door that leads outside has dead-bolt locks. This makes it difficult for intruders or burglars to break in. The more fortified your home is against burglary, the less the risk involved in insuring it.

7. Fitting window locks on all your windows will help lower your home's risk of burglary. Expect to get far cheaper rates if you have windows that have burglary-proof bars Although some folks don't like this because it makes them feel like a prisoner in their own home, it really does lower your rate considerably. So, if you are okay with having burglary-proof bars in your house, have them fixed and you will be charged much less in your California home insurance premium.
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