Are you considering buying a home in Central Pennsylvania? If you are then you will also need to consider homeowners insurance to protect your investment.  Coldwell Banker Select Professionals is posting the following list of ten tips to consider in order to obtain the most coverage at the best price possible.

1. Think Ahead when Buying Your Home:  Consider the location of the home you want to buy because it will influence what you’ll spend for insurance as well as what type of insurance you need.  For example, if the home is in an area likely to flood you will need additional flood insurance.  On the other hand, you may pay less for insurance if the home has a stone exterior since it is more wind resistant.
2. Increase Your Deductable: A deductable is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance company will begin to pay for a claim.  You can save a significant percentage off your premium by raising the deductible.
3. Maintain Good Credit: Like with so many other major purchases, having good credit can help you get the best insurance rate possible.  Many insurance companies are now using your credit information to price out your quote, so be diligent about maintaining and checking your credit. 
4. Shop Around:  Make sure to research your options—ask your friends and family, check the yellow pages, and search the web.  You will want to look into the service quality of each company by checking for any complaints on the state’s insurance website.
5. Improve Your Home’s Disaster Readiness and Security: You can save on your premium by making your home more resistant to natural disasters and weather.  Also, you can often save money by installing a security system or simply adding smoke detectors or dead-bolts.  Your insurance representative can give you information about the type of measures that will save you the most money.
6. Have the Same Insurer for Your Home and Auto Policies: Frequently, you can get a discount for holding multiple policies with the same company.
7. Loyalty: If you’re happy with your coverage, it will be to your benefit to remain with the same insurer for a number of years.  Long-term policy holders can receive significant discounts, but you should periodically compare your price with other policies.
8. Only Insure the House:  When you bought your home, you paid for the land it was on as well as the structure.  Don’t use the purchase price to determine how much insurance to buy because the land will remain even if the home is destroyed.
9. Think Twice Before Making a Small Claim:  You might be better off paying out of pocket if the total for the repairs is relatively low.  Your insurer will likely report any claim to CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) which could potentially effect your ability to get good insurance rates in the future.    
10. Check a Home’s CLUE Report: When you’ve found a home you like, ask for a copy of its CLUE report.  This will provide you with a history of the insurance claims on the property, which will give you a good idea of the types of issues the home has had in the past.  

Please contact Coldwell Banker Select Professionals if your looking for personal service and have questions regarding buying a home in Lancaster PA, York PA, Harrisburg PA, Lebanon PA, Hershey PA and Cumberland County.  Be sure to connect with one of our agents at www.cbselectpros.com.  We have local offices serving all of Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Hershey, Harrisburg, and Cumberland County PA.  Get started on your search today!