Homeowners insurance is one of those insurance policies that you just can’t live without; at least not while you’re living in a home that you own, anyway. But like many insurance policies, it’s important to make sure that you negotiate your premium before signing on any dotted lines. What might be best for one homeowner may not be best for you—it’s not a one-size-fits-all type of insurance. The experts at Weed Ross understand this, and we pride ourselves on working closely with all of our clients to ensure that your home insurance quote is tailored to your specific needs and to your specific home.
This concept opens the front door to a wonderful opportunity: upgrading your home to improve your homeowners insurance rate. There are tons of things you can do to positively impact your home insurance premium. Some improvements have a greater effect than others, of course—you can’t just add a mancave and expect insurance companies to be happy for you and lower your quote. Home maintenance for the sake of improving your home insurance cost needs to be strategic. So below, the insurance gurus at Weed Ross have put together a list of four home maintenance tips to improve your home insurance. So put on your construction hat (or call a contractor if you’re in over your head) and let’s get going!
In this article, we will explore the following tips:
- Install a Security System
- Implement Smart Home Technology
- Replace or Repair Your Roof
- Consider Weather-Resistant Materials
- Inform Your Insurance Agency About Your Renovations
Install a Security System
When you’re looking to lower your home insurance quote, installing a security system is one of the most effective home improvements you can make. Home security improvements can come in a variety of forms; for instance, you can implement anything from state-of-the-art, fully monitored security systems to simple deadbolt locks on your doors. Some other security-based home improvements that help improve your homeowners insurance premium include updated fire alarms, security cameras, fences, and basic burglar alarms. The discount on your home insurance quote will vary depending on the effectiveness of your protective device.
Implement Smart Home Technology
Implementing smart home technology is another excellent method to improve your home insurance quote, as it helps boost your home’s efficiency, safety, and reliability. Numerous home insurance companies offer discounts, incentives, and policy credits for homeowners with smart home technology devices such as damage detection devices, smart locks, leak sensors, and more. These types of home improvements help ensure that your home is safe, and decreases the likelihood that you’ll encounter any major incidents, which is valuable to home insurance providers.
Replace or Repair Your Roof
As a slightly more involved home maintenance operation, replacing your roof can seem like an extensive endeavor. But by replacing or repairing an older roof, your home becomes exceptionally safer, which is extremely reassuring to home insurance companies. A brand new roof on your home is one of the best ways to lower your quote, because old, damaged roofs are often a leading cause of expensive homeowner insurance premiums. A new roof will make an even larger impact on your home insurance if you live in an area that is especially susceptible to fires, hurricanes, tornados, or other natural disasters.
Consider Weather-Resistant Materials
Similar to replacing your roof with superior-grade construction, using weather-resistant materials in and around your home can drastically improve your home insurance quote. If your home is in a particularly windy or rainy part of the country, your home insurance could include additional costs to account for the increased likelihood of wind and rain damage. Installing storm-grade equipment, wind-resistant windows, reinforced structures and garage doors, and other weather-resistant materials is always a good idea, both for your safety and your home insurance premium.
Inform Your Insurance Agency About Your Renovations
While all of these home improvements are wise, if you’re looking to improve your home insurance costs, the last and most important step is to inform your insurance agency that you made these changes. If you don’t notify your insurance provider about these features and upgrades, your home insurance quote won’t reflect them. So, if you do some home maintenance, make sure you communicate the changes to your homeowners insurance provider to see if you qualify for a reduced rate. The local insurance agents at Weed Ross are available whenever you need us, and we’re always just around the corner.
Still have questions about home insurance and home maintenance tips? Weed Ross knows just about everything there is to know about home insurance. Give us a call or better yet, just swing by. We’re happy to help however we can.
