In all likelihood, you probably already know that you need home and auto insurance. Chances are you couldn’t get a mortgage or car loan without specific insurance requirements being met. So like most people, you bought your homeowner’s policy when you got approved for your loan and just let the bank’s escrow department take care of the bills.

Once you’ve closed on your home or car loan, you probably never really looked at your home and auto insurance policies again. If you’re lucky, you’ll never need to look and will probably continue to pay the monthly premium for as long as you own your house or car. You’ll probably complain about the rising premiums each year, but just shrug it off as a sign of the times.

The typical home or car buyer will shop for the required insurance to try to get the best rates. Rarely however, does the buyer think of purchasing a home and auto insurance policy together with a single insurer. In fact, most people don’t even realize that this option exists and continue to purchase policies separately. Availing yourself of this option can actually save you up to 15% of your premiums, surely not small change.

Most insurance companies offer this option, but not all insurance agents will tell you about it. Quite frankly, there’s no incentive for them to do so, since it can mean reduced commissions for the agent. You’ve got to ask to get it and even then, some will tell you it’s not such a great idea, because they are two different products and should be purchased and handled separately.

The best way to determine if you can get a better deal by switching your home and auto insurance to the same company is to call your current insurance companies and ask them for a quote on the coverages you are seeking. The worst they can say, is that they don’t have that type of coverage. Chances are though, you can get still get a small reduction in premiums if you are a homeowner.

Don’t forget that the Internet can be an invaluable source of information when it comes to obtaining home and auto insurance quotes. You can use any one of the rate comparison websites and find out what you can expect to pay by combining both coverages with one company. It’s a matter of answering a few questions and you’ll be able to get quotes that allow you to review the rates of different companies side-by-side.

The most attractive aspect of researching rates using an online rate comparison service is that you can manipulate the variables to get a better idea of what coverages you can expect at what rates for different companies. This is particularly useful if you are considering things like installing an in-home alarm system or are considering purchasing a second car. In addition, you can input different deductibles to get an idea of the savings in premiums. Taking the time to perform this little exercise can result in savings for years to come.

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