About.com FINALLY came up with a good post about insurance. I know they are well meaning people over there, and some of their other information is great, but they should not be one of your first stops for insurance information.
Anyway, they do have an article on how to save on your homeowners insurance. Its interesting that people always shop their car insurance for price, but never their homeowners insurance. I think a lot of that has to do with many people having their homeowners insurance paid through their mortgage company.
Here are some of the ideas from About.com:
- Multiple policy discount
- Increased deductible
- Home security discount
- Dead bolt discount (I have never seen a carrier offer this, but it may be out there)
- Smoke Alarms
- Sprinkler systems (which should be mandatory in more places)
- Non-smoking home (Again, one which I have never seen)
- Organizational Affiliation
- EFT Payments
- Credit ratings
The most important one to me is the second one. You should have a minimum $500 deductible, but a $1,000 deductible is even better. Not only does this lower your premium, but it makes you less likely to report small claims – claims that can result in a surcharge or cancellation of your policy.