If you own a Columbia SC home, your homeowners insurance doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are some ways you can cut down on the skyrocketing premiums many people find themselves paying, as outlined in this short video…

Be sure you're insured at the right value for your home's contents and for personal liability. Most homeowners insurance polices provide only actual cash value on contents. To get replacement cost coverage, you'll need to purchase an endorsement. If you have valuables not covered by your policy—silverware, jewelry, furs—purchase endorsements for those, too.

There may be other ways to reduce your homeowners insurance premiums, so contact your insurer and ask them what you can do to save some money. Because of the increased competition among insurance companies, they'll want to make sure they do everything to keep you as a customer.

For more articles and tips on Columbia SC homeowners insurance, check out our Columbia SC Insurance section under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories to your right.

XXX homeowners insurance is supposed to cover you in times of disaster as well as for incidental claims, right? At least that's the common misunderstanding with many homeowners.

Many consumers mistakenly believe that incidentals should be covered because that’s why they have home insurance. The reality is that filing a claim is not always in your best interest. Some insurers have been known to jack up premiums as much as 15 to 20 percent for just filing a single claim.

A tree fell on your fence and cost $1000 to repair it? If you have a $500 deductible, it may cost you far more than the $500 repair in the amount of increased XXX homeowners insurance premiums you'll be paying for the next 3 to 5 years.

Don't think it's just the number of claims that are paid out that will cause your rates to spike. You can get hit hard with a claim that's been denied. And even if you just innocently ask your agent about a potential claim, she has a right to open a file when you're making queries, so make sure the agent knows your question is theoretical.

What Exactly Affects XXX Homeowners Insurance Rates?

There are a number of factors that influence the costs of your XXX homeowners insurance and much of it is determined by what neighborhood your home is in, and what you want included in your policy. But other issues, like the amount of your deductible, your loyalty to the insurer, your credit history and whether you bundled your XXX homeowners insurance with your auto insurance will play key parts too.

Then there's the house itself. How old it is? Is it a wood-framed house or brick? Is there a pool or a trampoline that are ripe for injuries on the property? Do you have smoke detectors? A burglar alarm? A sprinkler system? What about deadbolts on doors and security devices like wrought-iron bars on windows?

Some insurance companies will give you a pass on your first claims—for a price, of course. You can get what is called an "Enhanced Package" on your XXX homeowners insurance, which will cost you anywhere from 5% to 10% of your annual premium, to have a claim waived over a 12-month period. There's also claim-free bonuses that offer you 5% back on your annual premium if your record is clean over one year.

Insurance companies keep track of your claims history and judge you accordingly before deciding whether to insure you and how much to charge you. A long history, or even a spotty history, of making claims sends up red flags that you'll do it again. That could mean you're a risk they don't want to take, or they will begrudgingly take you but at a steep price.

XXX Homeowners Insurance – Rules to Follow

Never file if the claim is bigger than the deductible — mostly because it won't be covered. Also because you're putting the claim on your XXX homeowners insurance record and it will stay there for at least three years.

Traditional XXX homeowners insurance does not cover water damage caused by floods. That's separate coverage underwritten by the federal government through the National Flood Insurance Program. But guess what? If you file a claim with your insurance company for something that isn't covered, the claim itself doesn’t go away, even though it may not be covered or paid.

Don't submit a claim for what is really a home-maintenance project. If that fence in your backyard is rotting away and you know that one big storm will blow it over, budget for a new fence first. There's a plus to this too: better maintained homes get better premiums.

For more on XXX homeowners insurance, visit our XXX Insurance section of articles under XXX Real Estate Categories to your right.

If you have not shopped around for Columbia SC homeowner insurance in some time, you may find that better deals await you elsewhere. Certainly, your current insurer may want to keep your business, but with double-digit rate increases in some areas it pays to shop around. You can obtain new Columbia SC homeowner insurance by carefully following these outlined steps.

Steps For Obtaining Columbia SC Homeowner Insurance

Review Your Current Policy. Your current homeowner insurance coverage will be the basis for your new coverage, offering the same deductibles and exclusions you currently have. Pull out your current policy, learn when it is set to renew and begin to shop for a new policy before your current coverage expires. You may be able to switch coverage before your current insurance term expires, however you may still be responsible for outstanding payments.

Obtain Quotes From Insurance Companies. Contact other insurance companies and ask for quotes. You can contact each company individually or you can use a service such as Esurance to receive multiple quotes. The advantage of the latter is that you share your information once before quotes from multiple providers are offered.

Review and Choose. Compare each homeowner insurance offer. Review carefully to ensure that the proposed coverage matches what you currently have or meets your new requirements. Choose the coverage that suits you best and set up an effective date. You can have the new coverage kick in the day after your current policy expires or earlier.

Contact Your Previous Insurer. Once the new homeowner insurance is secured, contact your now previous home insurer. Your agent's contact information is listed on your policy. You may need to follow up your phone call with a written request by means of postal mail or email. Settle your account by receiving a refund if due or make your final installment to close out the old account.

Follow Through With Your New Insurer. Review your new Columbia SC homeowner insurance policy to verify that the coverage listed matches what you requested. If there is a discrepancy, contact your insurer immediately. Your new insurance provider may request follow up documentation or a visit to your property to make sure they are underwriting for the correct property and replacement value.

Keep your active homeowner insurance documents in a safe place and shred your old documents. If possible, consider scanning your Columbia SC homeowner insurance policy and uploading it to a website or cloud location for safe storage. This way, if your home is destroyed and your document is stored in that destroyed home, you can still go online and access your policy. If an emergency hits, you must be able to access your policy.

Keep your insurer's contact information handy if an emergency happens. Lastly, consider adding umbrella coverage to gain maximum liability protection. Typically, your insurer covers your home and your cars, and extends umbrella coverage to go beyond your basic liability.

Following these tips will help you with shopping for Columbia SC homeowner insurance.

Is your Columbia SC home covered from damage or loss from sinkholes?

With all the news recently about sinkholes swallowing up homes, cars, boats, and anything else that's sitting there when the earth opens up, we thought you might like to know.

Sinkholes Usually Develop Over Time

Sinkholes have been happening for thousands of years, say geologists. When sinkholes do develop quickly, they can be fatal.

In March this year, Florida resident Jeff Bush went missing after an apparent sinkhole opened in his bedroom in the middle of the night, sucking him and his bed deep into the earth. (After several days, search efforts for Bush were called off and he was presumed dead.)

Sinkholes like two others seen this year in Florida form when slightly acidic groundwater dissolves limestone or similar rock that lies beneath the soil creating a large void or cavities. When the overlying ceiling can no longer support the weight of the soil and whatever is on top of it, the earth collapses into the cavity.

Just because one sinkhole opens, does not necessarily mean another nearby is imminent.

Sinkhole insurance is optional in Florida and many other states, and many people have ditched it to save money.

If you opted out of sinkhole coverage, claims for things like cracks in the driveway or fractures in the walls will be denied.

However, every homeowner's policy covers something called "catastrophic ground cover collapse." That's when a sinkhole opens suddenly and severely damages your Columbia SC home.

The key is, a local authority must condemn the property. Claims are only paid when a home is unlivable. Every policyholder — even those who've said no to sinkhole coverage — have that assurance.

Why is the other sinkhole coverage optional?

Insurance companies say many smaller, not-so-newsworthy sinkhole claims are draining their coffers.

It seems to twisted logic: but if you're going to have a sinkhole and you want insurance to pay, you want it to be a whopper.

So, should insurance companies be doing more to prevent sinkholes from becoming catastrophic?

Consider this: when asked recently about how much an insurance company would pay to trim trees that lean precariously over a Columbia SC home (which is zero, by the way) the Insurance Information Institute said, point blank, a homeowner's insurance policy covers damage — not threat of damage.

So if a tree leans? It's not covered. If a tree falls? It's covered.

And it's the same with sinkholes. Does your house have cracks? The claim will be denied.

Was your house swallowed? Claim approved.

Click here to see some of the earth's most striking sinkholes.

Get more insurance information by clicking the Columbia SC Insurance link to your right under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories.

Do you have adequate Columbia SC home insurance? Are your home's contents insured? Are you absolutely certain? If you're under-insured, from a legal point of view, you may as well not be insured at all. Your insurer may simply scale back your claim by the amount you're under-insured, but they would be within their rights to reject the claim totally.

Many people under-estimate the value of their personal possessions. If you go through your home, room by room, and make a rough mental note of the contents, you may be very surprised at what you come up with. Don't forget to include portable electrical items, jewelry, designer clothes, paintings and even photograph frames. It's often the smaller items that are easily stolen in a "smash and grab" type of burglary and these can be the very items which you overlook in your valuation.

When working out the premium for your Columbia SC home insurance policy, your insurance company will use your postal code, the size of your home and the claims history of the area. Contents calculators are available online, which are useful in deciding the level of coverage you need.

Steps For Cutting Columbia SC Home Insurance Premiums

In addition to the normal alarm system, you might consider installing motion-activated lights at the entrances to your house. Not only are they a deterrent for the burglar but they're convenient for your own use too. A security cover inside a letterbox makes sure a thief can't gain entry by putting a hand or instrument through it to open the door. Fitting all outside doors with efficient key-operated deadbolt locks is a good idea.

Inside the house, valuables could be kept in a safe and security fittings could secure any precious works of art. It's a good idea to use some kind of marking or security code and record serial numbers, where this is relevant. Photographs of your valuables are useful too.

There's a wide range of Columbia SC home insurance policies available. With some insurers, it is normal for individual items valued at over $1,500 to be listed separately. These will be covered inside the home, but would need "personal property insurance" if they are to be insured away from home.

Some insurers offer discounts on homeowner's insurance if you cover both your home and your automobiles with the same company. Ask your insurance agent if such discounts are offered for your Columbia SC home insurance coverage.

Just remember, you need to insure the full value of your belongings to avoid the risk of a claim being reduced or rejected, while still getting the very best value for money. The easy way to do this is via an on-line insurance broker. They'll be able to search a wide range of insurers and come up with the right policy to suit your own particular needs.

For more Columbia SC Home Insurance tips and articles, click on the Columbia SC Home Insurance link under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories to your right.