Friday, September 18, 2009

Home And Auto Insurance

By Matt Hellstrom

If you are in the market for a car or home loan, you'll realize that you can't get either one unless you purchase your home and auto insurance first. And like most buyers, you don't really have time to think about what you really need or want in terms of coverage. You just get what the bank tells you must have and will buy a policy that meets the basic requirements.

Once you've closed on your home or car loan, you probably never really looked at your home and auto insurance policies again. If you're lucky, you'll never need to look and will probably continue to pay the monthly premium for as long as you own your house or car. You'll probably complain about the rising premiums each year, but just shrug it off as a sign of the times.

It's a fact that most people will not bother to comparison shop for insurance after they've made the initial purchase. The line of thinking is that insurance is a necessary evil that you have to keep paying and there's not much that can be done about it. The truth of the matter is that hardly anyone considers combining home and auto insurance purchases with the same company. This is a mistake since doing so can represent substantial savings in premiums.

Most insurance companies offer this option, but not all insurance agents will tell you about it. Quite frankly, there's no incentive for them to do so, since it can mean reduced commissions for the agent. You've got to ask to get it and even then, some will tell you it's not such a great idea, because they are two different products and should be purchased and handled separately.

The best way to determine if you can get a better deal by switching your home and auto insurance to the same company is to call your current insurance companies and ask them for a quote on the coverages you are seeking. The worst they can say, is that they don't have that type of coverage. Chances are though, you can get still get a small reduction in premiums if you are a homeowner.

It's a good idea to investigate some of the online insurance comparison services that are out there. Simply by filling out a questionnaire and providing information about your car and home, you can easily find out the best rates available in your area. By comparing the different rates, you are in a better position to obtain a home and auto insurance policy that be far cheaper than your current policies.

The beauty of using online insurance quote comparison sites is that you play "what if?" to your heart's content. You can plug in different values for each component of the home and auto insurance coverage and you'll see rates based on those scenarios. For example, you can see the differences in premium costs if you decide to install a remote home security system, or if you raised your deductible from the typical $500 to $1000 or even more. So, do your homework and you'll soon be pocketing more savings.



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