3 Little Known Home Insurance Factors

Insurance experts are reminding consumers in the market for property insurance about three little known factors that make a significant monetary impact on the average homeowner insurance quote: a home’s construction type, its proximity to the nearest fire station, and the homeowner’s smoking status.

Construction
The materials used in the construction of your home have a lot to do with the bottom line in your homeowner insurance quotes. If you live in an area prone to windstorms and your home is made of concrete, the odds of it blowing away—or sustaining damage—are a lot less than those of a wood frame home. Translation: less cost to insure. On the other hand, a concrete home built on an earthquake fault will incur much higher premiums than homes built to sway.

Proximity
It’s always been said that “location, location, and location” are the three most important factors for buying a home—but in reality it’s just one of many. Distance from the nearest fire station can either lower or raise premiums, due to the chances of the home being saved in the event of a fire. Homes outside a 5 mile radius of a fire station pay higher rates, just as those whose homes lie more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant.

Smoke Free Discount
Not everyone who smokes will cause a fire—but due to the heightened risk, everyone who smokes pays a higher home insurance premium. Non-smokers can receive discounts but must also not allow any smoking at all on their property to qualify.