Everyone is trying to sell you home insurance these days.
"Get a Free Quick Quote Here" or "Save Hundreds (or X%) - Get a Quote Here"
With so many options, getting lost in the noise is easy and will leave you struggling to figure out what will be best for your home’s protection.
What to look for with home insurance quotes
Here’s what to look for when getting online, in-person, verbal, or emailed quotes and ensuring you are as safe and fully protected as possible.
The cheapest rates aren’t the best
While we all want to save money on home insurance policies, going with the "cheapest rate" that you can find isn’t your best bet. Not only is that rate often a lie, but it won’t offer you the kind of protection you think you’re getting.
The cheapest rates are often a “lie,” or a bit of "click bait" in that in the sense that anyone is deliberately tricking you (but ARE THEY?). What happens is that those interest rates (on mortgages and home insurance policies) are offered without considering your situation. The amount they offer upfront is not often the same number they provide after they’ve done their various checks to put your policy together.
So, you get pulled into a certain policy by a wonderfully low number, only to find that you don’t get that number when everything is said and done. You don’t qualify due to something that they use to screen your application (your home’s age, your location, your credit score, or other factors that determine your home insurance rate, etc.).
The other facet is that the cheapest home insurance quote won’t offer the same protection as a higher one. It goes back to the adage, “you get what you pay for.” The policy amount is lower, but the protection amount is lower. The overall coverage types for things like personal property or property damage due to a storm will be lower, leaving you at a loss.
Higher insurance quotes offer better protection
There are a lot of advantages to looking at higher rates, even if you don’t think so right off the top. First, unlike the example above, you will have much better coverage. You’ll be fully covered in case of a loss where you need to put in a claim. On that same note, does your current cover actually cover the replacement cost of your home, or just parts of it. It is important to know.
The other thing is that higher rates may appear to only come from local independent agents with offices local to you. That's likely because they don't give blanket statement offers. They want to know your needs, your situation and all of the details before they throw out numbers. They are people just like you, living in the same communities you do, suffering the same storms you do and etc. And it isn't necessarily because they are local or independing agents that it costs more, or may be higher, it's because the coverage protects what you need it to protect, thus being the RIGHT coverage.
On that note, local agents offer you many advantages; the best is understanding what kind of coverage you need and wanting to be a community member. They won’t be out to “take your money” as a random agent from a low-priced mass online-based policy would (aka: big box). With local agents, you are a human being with a family, not just a number.
The other advantage of a properly priced policy is that you can talk to your local agent about risk assessment to see your options listed. You’ll see the several options your insurance agent recommends and then choose the best one together based on your criteria.
Tips for picking the right home insurance agents
If you need advice on who to choose, since there are so many options, just focus on the same concepts you would when shopping for anyone. Get referrals from co-workers, family members, and close friends. They’re going to give you honest feedback on their own experiences.
The other idea is to deliberately seek out local agents who will take proper care of you. Regardless of the rates, keep in mind that you need to be aware of the apples to apples comparison is because seeing a lower rate right off the bat might mean lesser coverage. Do your research, and stay local as much as possible. There is a huge benefit at having a personal relationship with your local insurance agent.
So contact My Harbour Insurance in League City at (281) 520-4090 to discuss your needs and get your personal insurance quote.