Here are some of the top ways to save a few bunks and still have the homeowners insurance coverage you need:

• Look around. There are plenty of companies out there that offer homeowners insurance. If your state has an insurance department, they can provide you with a list. You can also check the yellow pages, or ask friends and family for referrals.  The key here is to be selective: only consider homeowners insurance companies that come recommended, or that have a solid record of good customer service and follow-through.
• Look for a multiple policy discount. Your auto insurer will usually offer a discount if you also purchase your homeowners insurance with them. In fact, you can save as much as 30 percent with some companies just by having more than one insurance product with that company.
• Make changes to your home. Some insurance companies will offer you a discount on your homeowners insurance premiums if your home is more damage resistant. That can include things like storm shutters or a reinforced roof. Homes in areas that are prone to earthquakes may benefit from a retrofitting to make them more resistant. An older home may be eligible for a discount by updating the plumbing or electrical systems. Finally, many homes can get a discount based on home security features like smoke detectors, dead-bolt locks or burglar alarms.
• Keep a good credit rating. Not all insurance companies consider your credit rating, and in some states this is becoming illegal. Still, a bad credit score can affect your premiums in some places.
• Increase your deductible. One way to lower your premium cost, whether its for homeowners insurance or auto insurance, is to raise your deductible. The deductible is the out-of-pocket amount you need to pay when something bad happens before your homeowners insurance kicks in.

One of the areas you can save on your home is to reduce your heating and cooling bills. One of the single highest costs involved in your home is keeping it warm during the winter and cool during the summer.

Home Improvements

Perhaps the most effective way to save on your home heating and cooling bill is to make certain improvements. Even if you’re not particularly handy, there are some home improvements you can make on your own. Others, you may wish to hire someone to do for you. Regardless, it’s estimated that around a fifth of the heat in your home can escape through basic drafts.

The first thing to do is identify where those drafts are coming from. Check all of your windows and doors to see where cold air might be seeping in.

Sealing those drafts can be easy or hard. If it’s a matter of a crevice in the frame of a window, you may be able to use some sort of an insulating filler or sealant. If it’s a more complicated draft, you might need someone to do some repair work.

Properly insulating your home is another important aspect to saving money on heating and cooling your home. Checking the insulation in your attic, for example, can save a great deal in lost heat.

Behavioral changes

Another way to save on heating and cooling costs is to change certain behaviors. The biggest of these is your thermostat setting. If you can turn your thermostat down just a degree or two, you might save as much as 5 percent on your heating consumption. You can also buy a thermostat that is programmable so that you can set the thermostat to be lower during the nighttime as well as while you’re not at the home during the day.

You can also use zone heating, either through a centralized zone heating system or through the use of strategically placed space heaters.

Photo via gcfairch

Here are some helpful tips to reduce the allergens floating around in your home:

• Get rid of the dust. You need to regularly lean behind your bed, dressers, major appliances and in all the nooks and crannies. You even need to dust on the top of the ceiling fan. Use a damp cloth to collect the dust, as a dry one is just going to spread it around. In addition, a few items tend to attract dust mites, including down-filled comforters or anything else filled with feathers, stuffed animals, blinds, curtains and even wall-to-wall carpeting.
• Control your storage. If at all possible, keep clothing that you’re storing for seasonal reasons in zippered, plastic bags. Keep the shoes in boxes, not sitting on the floor of your closet. If you’re worried about moths, use cedar chips rather than mothballs, or better yet store your linens and things in airtight plastic containers.
• Check the corners. Corners are atrocious places for collecting mold. There could be a leak in that dark corner of your daughter’s closet causing mold to grow. Check it out, regularly. It’s a good excuse to get her to clean her closet anyways. The same goes for checking underneath and behind your toilet to make sure that mold isn’t growing their, too.
• Consider furniture that’s less likely to support allergens. A leather or vinyl couch, for example, isn’t nearly as attractive a home for allergens as an overstuffed one. You can also get a hypo-allergenic sheet to go on your bed, if your allergies are really bad. This sheet creates a barrier between you and the bed, and keeps all of the allergens that might be in your mattress away from you. You can find similar items for your pillows, or even as regular furniture coverings.

An allergy-free home will help you feel better, and can help give you a certain peace of mind that guests won’t get sick just by walking through your door.

Photo via brookenovak

That’s right, I’m talking about spring cleaning.

Now, to be effective, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You don’t need to spend all day every day for a week clearing out cobwebs and washing curtains. Instead, you can focus your efforts on some of the items that are most visually noticeable.

Here are a few spring cleaning shortcuts to make your home look sharp:

• Clean your carpets. Your carpets have just been through a full winter of dirt, mud, muck and body oil. Don’t even get me started on the germs that will build up in a carpet. Rent a Rug Doctor, or better yet have Stanley Steamer come in and make your carpets ready to entertain spring and summer guest.
• Wax and seal your floors. Yep, that’s right. Get down and get dirty. Use a bristle brush to get out all the crud that’s built up. If your floor isn’t the kind that uses wax, you still need to spend some time down on your hands and knees scrubbing.
• Clean the doormats. Shake them out. Hit them with a broom, just like they used to do on Leave it to Beaver. Give your doormats the most intense cleaning recommended. They’re your first defense against dirt entering the house.
• Wash the walls. Not just the walls, but your baseboards, cabinets and your woodwork, too. Give it a yearly bath and you’ll be surprised how good it looks.
• Vacuum smart. Don’t move all the furniture off the carpet to vacuum. Just slide it over a few inches in each direction. Trust me, it’ll save time and still look great.
• Make sure your homeowners insurance is up to date. You think I’m kidding, but if you’re about to start entertaining guests for the spring and summer, you want to make sure you’re covered for both damages and liability. Call your homeowners insurance agent, and review your policy to see if there’s anywhere you can shore things up (or if you’ve qualified for a new discount).

Photo via stibbons

Solar panels aren’t always a good thing.

That’s right. Solar panels aren’t a panacea. They aren’t right for everyone, and in some cases will wind up being so inefficient as to actually use more natural resources in their manufacturing and their operation than what you’d use otherwise.

Here are some factors to consider when you’re thinking about installing solar panels:

Sunlight level

If you live in New Mexico, you might get 300 or more days of sun a year. If you live in the state of Washington, you might get 50. There are some parts of the country that get so little sunlight, comparatively speaking, that it will take years just to pay for the panels themselves.

Home size

Larger homes, by their very nature, require more power. That means more solar panels. The problem is that solar power doesn’t always scale the same way that a house size does. You might wind up having to purchase and install a battery storage system for your solar power, which can double your costs and uses that much more in terms of resources.

Power source

Overall, the power grid is getting greener. Yes, there are still coal-fired power plants. But if you live in an area with a lot of greener technology and power plants, you might not be as much a drain on the earth as you think. Yes, a house in an area of West Virginia that’s powered by a 50 year-old coal plant could benefit the earth by using solar power. A house in Arizona whose local power grid is fed primarily by wind turbines, however, won’t have the same kinds of benefits.

Money matters

Going green isn’t a zero-sum game. Some people that care about the world around them can’t afford to buy a Prius, and others have a family that’s too big to make effective use of one. The same goes for solar panels. Yes, grants and such can help defray the cost of the solar panels, but if you can’t afford to put them in then it’s really a non-issue. You should also make sure that putting in panels won’t affect your homeowners insurance in a negative way, as some policies may see this as a liability.

Photo via bkusler

Raising chickens in your back yard is totally bad-ass.

Not only do you have fresh eggs anytime you want them, you also have the right to say, “I have to go home and feed my chickens. Please enjoy the rest of this special showing of Ishtar by yourself.”

If you’re going to raise chickens in your back yard, here are some preliminary steps you need to take:

1. 1. Check for local ordinances and regulations. There’s no sense in building a coop (that’s the technical term for a chicken house) if the city is just going to post some mean notice on your door that says you have to take it down. Find out if it’s allowed, and then do it.
2. 2. Talk to your homeowners insurance agent. You need to know what building a chicken coop and keeping livestock might do to your homeowners insurance. If, for example, a chicken decides to take matters into her own hands and peck out a neighbor’s eye, you need to make sure you’re covered for liability.
3. 3. Spend some time researching chicken breeds and types. There are many different breeds of chicken. Many of those chicken breeds also come in a “bantam” size, which is similar to the idea of “toy” breeds for dogs. So, there might be a full-size “poodle” chicken, and a bantam size “miniature poodle” chicken.
4. 4. Visit someone who raises chickens in their backyard. Don’t do this unannounced or by just going from one backyard to the next. Find someone online. If there’s not anyone nearby raising chickens in their backyard, consider a visit to a local chicken farm. Or, the nearest chicken farm, anyways.
5. 5. Build the coop right. Make sure to use strong materials. Your chickens have to hang out in there all night. That’s where they lay their eggs. It’s where they get shelter from the storm. Make sure to use a solid design, and to use materials that will keep out the weather. Make sure it includes enough space for your chickens, too.
6. 6. Figure out where your chickens will roam. If you have a fenced-in yard, you might be OK. Just make sure they can’t get out. Chickens need to be able to get out a little bit, though. Give them a place to do so.
7. 7. Have plenty of food on hand. There’s nothing worse than making a midnight run to get chicken feed.

Photo via portmanteaus

Knowing what your options are will help you know if they’re worth the additional premium costs. Here are some of the extras you can get along with your homeowners insurance:

• Emergency Response time. This kind of coverage provides quicker response in the event of an emergency that’s covered by your homeowners insurance. This kind of coverage can include a stipulation that a contractor will be within site within a certain number of days or hours to get started on repairs. This kind of extra coverage is only worth the money if you know for sure you have nowhere else to stay in the event of a problem.
• Accidental damage. Your insurance covers some types of home accidents, such as a television falling off its stand and breaking. There are other things it doesn’t cover, such as carpet being destroyed by a spill or furniture being damaged when someone sits on it. You can add extra accidental damage coverage to most insurance policies. This kind of coverage is especially good for families with children or for households that have someone who likes to do home projects.
• Personal property coverage. Your home insurance policy covers a standard amount for the contents of your home. However, depending on the kinds of property you own, you may need additional coverage. If you have a large investment in electronics equipment or computer equipment, for example, you may want to make sure you’ve got enough coverage to replace those items.
• Legal service coverage. This kind of coverage will take care of the cost of defending yourself in court if there are legal issues related to your home. Some of the most common types include property disputes, personal residence disputes and personal injury cases. Be sure you know what your basic homeowners insurance does and doesn’t cover in this regard.
• No claim discount protection. You get a bonus on the cost of your premiums if you haven’t had any homeowners claims. You can pay a little more each month in order to insure that, even if you do wind up filing a claim, you can still get that discount and keep your premiums at the same level.

Photo via schmilblick

Now, you’ve got two possibilities here.

Professional Laser Home Security Systems

You can buy a laser-based home security system, for one. This process usually involves hiring a security company. The security company will wire each of the lasers for each egress point in your home. They may wire your windows with lasers, if you wish, or they may stick to doorways.

An installed system can either alert you of a home invasion via a loud horn noise, or it can silently alert a security company. If you want it to alert a security company, you’ll have to pay them a monthly fee for monitoring. However, you eliminate the possibility that neighbors would just ignore the siren if it went off when you weren’t at home. In addition, a security company may be able to also monitor your home for other problems, such as monitoring your smoke alarms and being able to contact the fire department.

Do-It-Yourself Laser Home Security Systems

Your other choice is to build your own home laser security system. To do so, you’ll need all sorts of gismos and gadgets, not the least of which is the laser itself. Oh, and you’ll need the diagrams and whatnot, as well. You’ll have to build one for every doorway or window where you want the laser to be, too, so in the long run you’re talking about quite a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Still, if you have the skill and the time, you can save a few bucks going this route.

One of the big differences between having a professional laser-based alarm system installed and the do-it-yourself option is, of course, how the system notifies you of intruders. If you have a security company install lasers, you can choose to have the security system notify the company, who can then notify the police or other emergency services personnel.

Photo via orsorama

What happened was that in 2005, many homes had sinkhole claims. The insurance companies paid out but the homeowner’s never repaired the sinkholes. Instead, the homes were sold for 50 or 60 cents on the dollar.

Sinkhole Coverage

Citizen’s Insurance, seen as Florida’s last resort insurer, was created in 2002 to provide property coverage to homeowner’s who have no other place to go for insurance.

They offer the homeowner’s the option of selecting full sinkhole coverage or just catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage. Catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage is used when he home is judged to be unsafe to live in. The advantage of this coverage is that premium can be reduced by as much as 50%. However, some private insurance companies do not offer this option.

Sinkhole Insurance

The question some insured’s have is whether or not an insurance company can mandate sinkhole coverage.  They can, but because of the risk involved, many carriers do not. Florida also requires that the insurance money paid out has to be used to fix the home.

Sinkhole insurance will probably get more expensive. However there are a few ways homeowners can mitigate their premiums:

• Increase deductibles on personal items
• Increase deductibles on windstorm damage

An inspector can also be hired for $100 to $150, to check for any likelihood of windstorm damage increase. If there are no problems, the premium can be automatically reduced by law by an average of 12%.

Photo via Seattle Municipal Archives

If you go into Hendrick’s attic, you’ll find leaks from holes in the roof.  So many leaks, in fact, that the homeowner has set up several plastic containers to collect all the water coming through the roof. He empties them every day.

Hailstorm

The origins of the leaks were a hailstorm in the summer of 2009.

“It was just, like, golf balls hitting the house, hitting the awnings, wind and whistling through,” said Heather Shanks, Hendricks’ wife.

After the storm passed the couple inspected the roof to check out the damage. Soon an insurance claim adjuster did the same.

Roof Damage Repair Estimate Differences

The adjuster put the cost to repair the roof damage at $3,600. The homeowners hired an independent appraiser who put the cost at close to $13,000—the price of a new roof.

To resolve the dispute, both the homeowner’s and American Family Insurance brought in what’s called an umpire. This person was someone who is in the roofing business. He took a look at the roof and ended up agreeing with the insurance company.

Currently, as far as the insurance company is concerned, the matter is over. A company spokesperson told KMBC that they’re sorry the homeowner’s are not happy. However, they feel strongly that they are in the right. They relied on the inspection by the umpire who was agreed to on both sides.

The homeowner’s have not yet decided on their next steps. They caution other homeowners to make sure they understand not only their homeowner’s policy, but also how the insurance company they’re purchasing it from operates.

Photo via Daniela Vladmirova