A New Dawn: The Online Home Insurance Quote
Too many consumers think of getting a home insurance quote as a one-and-done proposition. Buy a home, find an agent, sign the papers – done. The problem with that approach to home insurance is that the insurance market is anything but static. Not only do home insurance rates rise and fall month to month, state to state, and vary from provider to provider, but your insurance needs change over time, as well. That said, if you want to get the best rates possible, and keep your insurance coverage up to date with your current needs, one of the best resources available to you is soliciting an online home insurance quote.
Home Insurance Rates are Not Set in Stone
One of the biggest misconceptions about home insurance is that homeowners insurance rates are more or less fixed, and that different providers offer consistently competitive rates across the board. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Home insurance rates are always on the move.
- Annual and Monthly Insurance Rates: Take average national home insurance rates, for example. While data from the Insurance Information Institute III) does indicate that home insurance rates have risen, on average, about 6.75% per year over the last decade, month to month statistics show a much different story. According to Homeinsurance.com, the national average for home insurance jumped by nearly $100 per year from June to July of 2009, and actually dropped a few points between September and October, and again from November to December, ending up at $690.62 per policy. Keeping up with these fluctuations by periodically soliciting free home insurance quotes can mean big savings if you’re able to re-negotiate your rates or switch to a new provider when rates are low.
- State to State Rates: If the fluidity of national average home insurance rates raise eyebrows, the fluctuations that occur on the state level are jaw dropping. Statistics from Homeinsurance.com note that in 2009, the average home insurance rate changes from November to December alone dropped 5.1% in Mississippi, 4.7% in D.C., and 4.5% in the state of Delaware. Translate those statistics into real numbers and you’ll find that if you solicited a home insurance quote in Mississippi in November, you would have paid annual premiums in the neighborhood of $1,016. thirty days later, the exact same policy would have dropped to $964 per year. Again, periodically using an online home insurance quote provider to get a number of home insurance quotes for your state is key if you want to keep current with the best rates being offered.
- Rates Provider to Provider: It’s a well known fact that insurance providers independently adjust their rates on a regular basis for a number of reasons: to stay competitive with the competition, to gain new customers, and to protect themselves against constantly evolving risks that could hurt their bottom line. For example, most insurance providers instituted new rates and policies for the Gulf Coast after 15 separate hurricanes threatened the region in 2005, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Whether you’re curious about the rates being offered by your current provider, or are open to jumping ship in order to save money, visiting an online home insurance quote provider will keep you current with the constantly changing rates of individual providers, as well.
Understanding Your Changing Insurance Needs
Fluctuating national averages, state to state rate changes, and provider to provider inconsistencies aside, it’s important to realize that your individual insurance needs change over time, as well. For example, if your home has appreciated beyond your current coverage amounts, you’re at risk of being underinsured a real concern when you consider statistics compiled by the independent research firm MBA which indicate that as many 68% of Americans are underinsured, at an average rate of 18%). On the other hand, if your home value has dropped significantly over the last few years the average price for the American home dropped 1% from 2008 to 2009 according to the Federal Housing Finance Authority), then re-negotiating with your insurance provider based on current data for your region could, in fact, lower your premiums. Again, keeping yourself in-the-know is the only way to be certain your home is adequately insured, and soliciting home insurance quotes via the web is the best way to know whether you need to up your coverages, or whether you stand to save some money if you re-negotiate or switch providers.
The Beauty of an Online Insurance Quote
By now you should be convinced that soliciting free home insurance quotes via the web is an asset to you in getting the best home insurance coverage. If you’re still on the fence, however, mull over a few other considerations. Online home insurance quote providers like NetQuote.com will provide you with a number of quotes you can trust at the click of a button, allowing you to compare current rates for the best deal, and even negotiate with your present provider for a reduction in premiums. Competition and convenience are the name of the game these days when it comes to home insurance, and the web provides you that luxury like nowhere else.
See how much you could save today on your home insurance. Get your free home insurance quotes today!
