Insurance Tips For New Home Owners

By Author: Stuart Broad
Total Articles: 21
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If you have just bought your very first home, you are probably unaware of how your purchase has affected your insurance profile and that you need to review your existing insurance cover. In fact, even upgrading from a small, cheap house to a larger family home will impact on your insurance. Most people think that adding some form of homeowners insurance is all that is needed when purchasing a new home. While the addition of a homeowner's policy is by far the biggest change, your other insurance policies will most likely need to be reviewed too. The following are some of the more prominent policies you may need to revise.

Homeowner's insurance

If you successfully applied for a home loan, your bank will have required that you take out a homeowner's insurance policy. The questions that you need to ask yourself are did I get sufficient cover and did I shop around for the best deals?

When analyzing your coverage needs, your assessment needs to be based not only on what is required by your bank, but also on the actual value of the property. Banks often pressurize you to take whatever insurance policy they ...
... put in front of you. Except for a few conniving banks, taking the bank's own cover is not mandatory. This means that you have the option of shopping around for better insurance.

Car insurance

If you just bought a house, your marital status may have changed. If this is the case, then congratulations! You may be eligible for a lower premium as marital status affects your risk profile. Married couples are considered a lower insurance risk by insurance companies. You may also want to cover both your and your spouse's cars under one policy. This should work out much cheaper than having two separate vehicle insurance policies. You may even want to go one step further and combine your vehicle and homeowner's policy to get even cheaper premiums. Lastly, it is essential that you update your car insurance policy as your change of address will also affect your policy. This is essential because should you need to claim due to theft from your new home and you have not updated your policy, your claim might be turned down.

Disability and life insurance

If you were to become disabled or unable to work due to an accident or disease, your mortgage will still need to be paid. Disability cover will pay you a monthly benefit if this happens which could very well save you from financial ruin until you are able to work again. Similarly, life insurance will help pay off your debts and perhaps even the mortgage on your home should you pass away. If you are the breadwinner in your family, this type of cover is essential.

Purchasing a new home can be a very exciting experience, but it is important that you remember to review all your insurance policies to make sure that you and your loved ones are adequately covered. If you are unsure of where to start contact your insurance broker and without a doubt, shop around for the best insurance deals!

About Author:

Stuart Broad is a marketer who works for a number of South African Home Insurance sites. If you are looking for a budget insurance, he recommends trying to get Insurance Quotes at InsuranceHound.