Instant Homeowners Insurance Quotes – Possible?
By Brandon Cornett | 7/21/09
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Can you really get instant quotes for homeowners insurance online? Yes and no. You can certainly get quotes from insurance companies online (and I’ll offer some helpful links in just a moment). But they’re not really instant. You can get offers the very same day in most cases, which is great. But there really is no such thing as instant quotes for homeowners coverage — it’s just not possible at present.
With that introduction out of the way, let me offer you some helpful tips and tools for getting insurance quotes online. First, let’s start with the links I promised:
Shop and Compare multiple Home Insurance quotes for free.
This link will take you to the InsureMe.com website, which is one of the best places to get offers from big-name insurers such as Nationwide, Farmers and Unitrin. You can get near-instant quotes sent to you by email. This is incredibly helpful, because it allows you to compare several insurance offers at once — without driving all over town or making a dozen phone calls.
What to Know When Getting Insurance Quotes
Before you start requesting offers for homeowners insurance coverage, you need to understand two key concepts. These concepts are premiums and deductibles.
The premium is the amount you pay for coverage, and it determines the size of your monthly payments. The deductible is what you must pay in the event of an insurance claim, before the insurance company will dime in to cover the rest. In most cases, there is a reverse relationship between these two things. For example, if you increase your deductible amount, you will lower your premium and your monthly payments. This is what many financial experts recommend. If you choose a deductible in the $1,500 – $2,000 range, you can save money on your premium.
These are the kinds of terms and concepts you must research before you get instant homeowners insurance quotes online. By understanding the relationship between deductibles and premiums, you’ll be able to choose a policy that’s right for you.
Here’s what to take away from this article. In the literal sense, there is no such thing as instant quotes for home insurance. But you can still get them pretty darn quick, by using a website like the one I’ve recommended above. Before you start gathering quotes from insurers, you need to learn the basics of homeowners coverage. In particular, you should understand the relationship between premiums and deductibles. Find out exactly what the policy does (and doesn’t) cover while you’re at it.
Part 2 >> 15 things you should know about homeowners insurance