Getting a free California homeowners insurance quote is easy. Understanding what is best for you, all the jargon and the fine print, is not. Before getting your free CA homeowners insurance quote, it is important to give yourself a refresher course on homeowners insurance to make sure you are getting everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Review your current policy, check the value of your home and read up on suggested coverage. Remember to pay particular attention to exclusions and limitations. When you are ready for a free California homeowners insurance quote, the best place to start is with an online quote tool like the one above which will provide you with multiple quotes quickly and easily.
Enter your information into our free quote tool and then compare free CA rate quotes from top insurance companies side by side online.
Understanding Rates: What To Know Prior To Getting Your Free California Homeowners Insurance Quotes
When you are looking to get homeowners insurance quotes, it is important to know what contributes to the rates you are given. This kind of knowledge can prompt you to do things to reduce the risk you pose to insurers and cut your rates.
It can also help you if you are looking to purchase a home, because that is when you have the most control over your home insurance rates. By choosing a home that is a good risk for insurers, you can save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars yearly in insurance premiums. The following factors make a huge impact on your rates.
- Location: The most important factor in getting a rate is where your home is located. Rates change depending on if you live in the city or county, which street you live on, whether you are near a river, the ocean or a cliff. If you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires, flooding or hurricanes will definitely impact your homeowners insurance rates.
- Home Structure: How your home is built is very important to your rates. Brick or other masonry homes are less expensive to insure than wooden structures. The age of your home is an important factor also. The older the home, the higher the rates usually. However, if it has been renovated in the past ten years it will help an older home’s rates.
- Protection: How you protect your home is very important for rates. You can get better insurance rates if you have a monitored security system, smoke alarms, dead bolts and fire extinguishers. The closer your home is to a fire hydrant and the fire department, the better the rates will be also.
Understanding Discounts: What To Know Prior To Getting Your Free California Homeowners Insurance Quotes
In addition to having rates affecting your home, there are other discounts that you can get to further reduce your insurance premiums. Every company is different and offers different discount programs; therefore you should double check with the company you choose to make sure you have every discount you are eligible for, before you take out your policy. Discounts are often offered for the following things.
- Membership in Preferred Groups: Companies use discounts offered to certain groups as a way of trying to increase their business. Groups eligible for discounts may be employees of certain companies, business association groups, alumni groups, unions and others.
- Multi-Line Discounts: Typically, if you put your car insurance, life insurance or other type of insurance with the same insurer, it will earn you a multiple insurance line discount on your premiums for each type of coverage.
- Payment Options: Many insurance companies offer discounts based on how you pay. Paying in full or having electronic funds transfers (EFT) set up often earns you a better final price.
Coverage Options: What To Know Prior To Getting Your Free California Homeowners Insurance Quotes
There are different types of coverage available to homeowners in the state of California. You may choose just one or several. If you have a mortgage on your home, the lender will probably require you to carry certain minimum types and amounts of coverage to protect his investment.
Homeowners: Standard homeowners insurance policies cover you for the cost of your home and a percentage of its value for contents coverage. It also provides liability coverage, medical expenses and loss of use. It covers you against loss from most perils like fire, theft, vandalism, hail, wind damage and more. There are different types of coverage available and different options to make it more or less affordable. There are often standard exclusions as well, which often include flood and earthquake damage.
Flood: If this is excluded from your insurance policy but you live in a flood prone area, it is very important to carry this type of coverage. The federal government has put guaranteed flood protection in place so that the option is available to everyone. Timing of purchase is key – it must be in place at least 30 days before you need it. This is a very limited type of coverage. Review it well to be sure you understand what is and is not covered.
Earthquake: This is another important coverage to carry if you live in an earthquake-prone area. Insurers in California must offer you earthquake coverage and you have 30 days to accept it or the offer is no longer valid. This is usually a very limited policy, because chances are if a company has to pay out, there will be a lot of claims at the same time and for high dollar amounts.
Because each company strives to differentiate itself, other types of coverage may be offered or automatically included on your quote. Some of these additions may be of value to you, some may not. Read them carefully, especially if there is an additional cost involved.
Companies Offering Free California Home Insurance Quotes
- AIG
- Allstate
- Federal
- Prudential State Farm
- Pacific Specialty
- Liberty Mutual
- Hartford
- Balboa
- Metropolitan
- Safeco
- Standard Fire
- Wawanesa
Get Your Free California Homeowners Insurance Quotes Now!
Now that you have reviewed the information on homeowners insurance, you can get free California homeowners insurance quotes using our online tool.
Simply return to the top of the page, enter your zip code and get started finding California homeowners insurance now!