Your homeowner's insurance can give you a great deal of peace of mind since you know that your belongings are covered in the event of damage or theft. However, the premiums associated with a homeowner's insurance plan can represent a financial burden that can be hard to bear, no matter how comprehensive your plan is. Understanding some of the factors of your house that can increase or decrease your insurance quote premiums can help you make adjustments to save you money in the long run while still enjoying a high level of protection for your belongings.
Active Spaces
Unfortunately, a lot of backyard installations that are both attractive and functional, like pools, playgrounds, or even outdoor fireplaces, can represent a safety hazard that increases your assessed risk due to a higher risk of injury in your yard. Obviously, you don't want to fill in your pool or remove your firepit, so the best course of action to reduce your homeowner's insurance is to install safety features where needed, such as a pool fence, a screen or enclosure around your fireplace, textured tiles around the pool patio, and so on. Be sure to talk to your agency before you make these changes, but in most cases doing so will reduce your rates while also making your backyard safer for your and all of your guests.
Security Systems
In a somewhat similar vein to the above point, you should also make an effort to install security systems within the interior of your home to make theft and damage less likely. This means fire detectors and carbon monoxide sensors throughout your home, as well as multiple locks on the doors and windows and a home security system or security cameras throughout the yard and around the exterior of your home.
Disaster Preparation
Finally, if you live in an area that receives dangerous weather at certain points of the year, you may want to consider adding on certain features on your home that make your house more likely to resist environmental damage. Storm windows and doors, hurricane roofs, basement waterproofing, and other similar installations can greatly reduce the risk of damage in the event of a natural disaster and can save you money month to month on premiums as well. In a somewhat related vein, you may also want to update your home's heating and plumbing systems to reduce the risk of fire or water damage caused by internal malfunctions: while not environmental in nature, such disasters can still be costly.
