Thursday, April 16, 2009

Cleveland Real Estate - What Info Do Insurance Agents Need?

Many people wonder what kind of factors will influence the kind of deal they can get on homeowners insurance, and the truth is that there are a number of different factors that will affect your insurance premiums which will depend on your individual circumstances. Here's questions that an insurance agent will usually ask you before writing up a policy to protect your piece of Cleveland real estate.

What kind of shingles and siding are on your home?

The insurance agent will usually ask this because Cleveland homes that have aluminum siding and shingles are typically made of wood, as opposed to those that are made of brick. Brick homes typically receive the higher discount, as they don't burn down as easily as those made out of wood.

What is the address of the Cleveland home that you are trying to ensure?

It's a fact that residential addresses typically incur higher insurance premiums than those which are in the suburbs, due to a higher risk of crime in vandalism. In addition, the fire risk is greater as the flames can spread from building to building.

How many rooms are there in the Cleveland house?

Insurance agents ask this question because they want to know the general size of the property, but they will also typically ask about the square footage of the property in order to be able to provide you with a good insurance estimate. Generally speaking the larger the Cleveland home, the more of a premium you will pay.

How close is the nearest fire department?

Having a fire department is important, as fire is one of the most common causes of damage to a property. Usually most insurance agents will simply look this up themselves. What they also might ask you is how close the nearest fire hydrant is, because this is difficult for them to know.

Does the Cleveland house have an automated security system?

Insurance agencies are very much interested in automated security devices, because these are important for early detection of damage to a Cleveland home. Oftentimes, if a security system is hooked directly into a police or fire station, damage to the property can be contained as opposed to burning out of control. Installing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors will also usually offer up discounts, so an insurance agent ask you this when determining your premiums.

Do you own any pets?

Insurance agents will ask if you own any pets simply because there's a lot of damage that these animals can do, especially to your personal Cleveland property. Whether it be wetting on the carpet or clogging up the ventilation systems with hair, an indoors animal can certainly cause a great deal of damage to a piece of Cleveland real estate.

What is the amount of deductible that you are hoping to pay?

Deductibles will definitely determine how much you will pay the in terms of an insurance premium, as these lower the risk if you actually making a claim. After all, if you have an insurance deductible of $500, you won't cash in your insurance policy on a whim.

What kind of liability insurance will you need?

Liability insurance will quite simply protect you in the event of any lawsuits, and it may be a good idea to obtain this kind of coverage in order to protect yourself from say a neighbor walking up your driveway and slipping on a patch of ice. This will really depend on whether you live in a lawsuit prone area and whether you live in a rural area or a city setting. The more urbanized an area that you live, in the better it is to usually take out a liability insurance policy for your Cleveland home.

There are a whole host of other questions that an insurance agent will ask you before giving you a Cleveland home owners insurance policy quote. Thankfully most of these quotes cannot be obtained on the Internet, and you can even obtain an instant insurance policy through a number of web sites. Keep in mind that having a decent Cleveland home owners insurance policy is seen as essential in order to protect your interests and to not suffer the result of a devastating natural disaster.