Comparable home quotes bring better value!
Home insurance policies can vary significantly. Let’s start with a good comparison to find you better value for your home insurance dollars.
We compare your current home insurance with multiple companies and send over a thoughtful email with our results.
Results? Usually better coverage for less money.
Time and cost? 5 to 15 minutes of your time. (Get us your current insurance before-hand, and it can be even less!)
Follow up? We follow up how you want. No pushy sales or endless auto-drip whiz-bang campaigns.
Learn more About Us (actual people!), our Sensible Approach, or our Carriers.
Three important steps for getting good home insurance quotes:
While car policies are often more familiar, home insurance policies are more complex (Don’t worry! Not too complicated!). But since your home is likely your most significant asset, it is worth taking 10 minutes to understand it while you’re pricing insurance.
1. Know what coverages you have by checking the “declarations pages.”
It’s especially true with home insurance that to get an accurate sense of value you should know your current coverages so that an insurance rep doesn’t quote you a policy with skimpy coverages and say “yes, we can save you money.”
Of course, if you want a policy on the leaner side to save money that is your choice, but the point is that you want it to be your choice, not the choice of a rep who reduced coverage just to make the sale.
The good news is that getting a grip on your home coverage should only take 5-10 minutes. Log into your current insurance website or app and download the “Declarations Page.” (If you don’t have an online account, you may have a copy from the mail, or you can request one from your insurance agent).
The declarations pages allow you to know your current home coverages & what additional benefits are in your home policy.
Pay special attention to:
- Your Dwelling Coverage Amount
- Other Structures Coverage if you have outbuildings.
- Your Deductible
- Your Liability Coverage
- Special options such as
- Additional or Extended Replacement Cost
- Earthquake coverage (Go to Understanding Earthquake Coverage if you’re looking for a deeper dive.)
- Water backup
- Hidden Water Damage
- Identity Restoration
- Matching siding/roofing
- Personal Injury
- Special Personal Property
- Special Personal Property limits
(Go to our Understanding Home Insurance if you’d like to know about the various coverages.)
2. Get multiple home quotes ahead of time to take the pressure out.
First off, if your goal is to save some money, some carriers will give you an extra discount for quoting ahead.
Most important, you’ll have time to consider your options, clarify differences between competing quotes, run it by a spouse, or gather additional information, clear those leaves off the roof, or to get some trees trimmed back if needed.
This lead time also helps get accurate quotes since the agency doesn’t have to rush (especially if they’re quoting more than one company for you). It also gives them time to clarify any underwriting issues that may arise.
We love providing multiple home quotes ahead of time!
3. Ask the agent these two questions:
Are there reasonable ways you see to reduce my home insurance cost?
Agents may hesitate to advise reducing coverages because they may be worried you’ll remove a coverage and then that loss will happen! But the reality is that the coverage is your choice and a thoughtful and experienced agent may have some decent suggestions.
For instance, perhaps your home has no significant outbuildings but your current policy has $70k of coverage. Or perhaps your home is insured for $600k but the estimator guide indicates you only need $525k. Or perhaps you have a $500 deductible but would gladly go for $5000 & save some premium since money isn’t quite as tight as it was 5 years ago. The point is, a good agent may have some decent ideas.
Are there any coverages you see that I should consider adding to my home policy?
This might be a scary one to ask but it is a good idea, especially if you haven’t checked your home insurance in awhile. Remember, you don’t have to take their suggestions, but it’s good to know if they see a significant shortfall somewhere.
For instance, we’ve come across people whose previous policy had $35k of insurance on a $225k outbuilding! Or, if you make good money now, perhaps you should consider a personal liability umbrella. Or perhaps you didn’t know that your home policy doesn’t include earthquake coverage. The point is, now is the time to ask and gather information.
Consider requesting home insurance quotes from us, we’d love to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it hard to switch home insurance?
Not really. If your property is well-kept and you have no loss history, you can usually switch without a hitch.
In short, you start your new policy; then, you cancel your old one. (Be sure your new one is in force before cancelling the old one!)
What can make it hard to switch home insurance?
If your roof is deteriorated, if you have unrepaired or incomplete renovations, if you have a loss or two, or if your property looks unkept (say, it has junk, unused lumber, firewood stacked against the house, or a deteriorated paint job) such things can all cause an insurance company to deny an application.
How does the payment work for switching home insurance?
Most people here in Oregon pay their home insurance through their escrow account.
In that case, your new insurer will bill your lender just like before. If your lender recently paid the old insurer for the old home policy, you may want to just go ahead and make a direct payment for the first year so that your escrow account doesn’t end up with a shortage.
The old policy typically will refund you any unused premium. For example, if your old policy still had 3 months left to go, your old company will usually refund you for those last 3 months.
If your home insurance isn’t handled through escrow, it’s even easier. You just pay for your home insurance directly and then cancel your old policy.
How much does home insurance cost in the Hillsboro or Beaverton areas?
It honestly is hard to tell without running a detailed quote. For example, we might insure a new home in south Hillsboro for less than $500, while an older home in Beaverton may cost a bit more.
The factors insurers use to determine home insurance pricing are pretty extensive, and each carrier weighs the factors differently. They also tweak the factor weighting every so often. (That’s another reason it’s a good idea to check with more than one carrier and to use an independent agency.)
But really, can’t you give any idea of the cost?
Yes. Insuring a house for $500,000 in Hillsboro, Aloha, or Beaverton will typically run from $700-$1000 for a year (as of 2024), but you should know that home insurance cost can vary quite a bit, say 40% on either side of that range depending on the type and age of home, the options you select, and discounts.
Should I bundle my home insurance with my car insurance?
It’s certainly worth getting it quoted out.
There’s almost always a bundling discount and with some carriers the discount is really big. You don’t want to leave significant savings on the table if you can help it.
There can be extra perks. For instance, some carriers will forgive one deductible if both your car and home are damaged in the same event. (Long odds, but we’ve seen it happen!).
Also, there is something nice & convenient about having your insurance all together at one place. It keeps things simpler.
Because of all these reasons, bundling is an option worth quoting. Most of our clients do end up bundling, but . . . BUT sometimes it’s not worth it depending on the situation.
Should I unbundle my home insurance?
We’ve had some clients cut their insurance costs significantly by unbundling. It is a little more complicated, especially if there is a personal liability umbrella involved, but we’re glad to explore the unbundled option if it makes sense for your situation.
Consider requesting home insurance quotes from us, we’d love to help!