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Gary Said:

What are sites for reasonable home insurance rates in Miami FL?

We Answered:

Search in local newspaper classified

Jane Said:

How are home insurance rates in hawaii?

We Answered:

Insurance here is pretty high, but then again, everything is. You HAVE to buy hurricane insurance (can't think of a number off the top of my head).

The islands are so small that it doesn't matter where you are, the hurricanes will affect you no matter what. We've only had 2 hit as hurricanes since the 60's.

Melinda Said:

How much are typical monthly home owners insurance rates?

We Answered:

Well, it's going to vary WILDLY by location. If you're in Florida, the homeowners insurance nightmare capital of the world, and you have an "average" house (the median house price in the US is $150,000), you're looking at $500 a month. If you're in Pittsburgh, it's $40 a month. If you're in Los Angeles, you can't get anything for $150,000, plus you need to factor in earthquake coverage. Maybe $200 a month.

So with real estate . . . it's location, location, location.

You might want to edit your question, and add in the value of the house, and the city and state.

Lorraine Said:

In what ways will the current administration's policies affect usa home insurance rates nationwide?

We Answered:

Well, you need to expect higher rates, because as the credit availability hardens, the reinsurers require higher rates, which makes the retail insurers charge more.

As far as current admin policies affecting rates - I haven't heard of any policies that will affect them, as of yet.

John Said:

How does a home security system affect your insurance rates?

We Answered:

I don't know what things are like where you live, however here (Vancouver, BC, Canada) most insurance companies give up to 20% off depending on the protection you have. The better the system the less risk of loss hense lower rates.

Things which can effect your discount are whether all the windows and doors are contacted, motion detectors, pre-entry protection (Glassbreaks) and of course smoke detectors and sometimes you may get an even higher discount if you have line cut protection. You really should be contacting your insurance company for the specifics.

Many insurance companies will not give you a discount if the system is not monitored, some will. The thing is, an alarm system is about more than just the insurance discount, if you do not see the value of a security system, the peace of mind and freedom it can provide, then maybe you should consider window bars.

As for what a system should cost, well that all depends on the scope of protection, the size of your home and the difficulty of the installation. I would highly recommend staying away from a wireless system. If the sales person tries to tell you they are better than hardwire.... chase him / her out of the house... just my professional opinion. A good hardwired system should range around $ 1,200 upwards. If you have a really small house then you may be able to get it for around $ 900 but that is pretty small. An apartment might be around 350 to 500.

I have written a number of articles on security, both electronic and physical. You can find them on my website at http://www.keepsafesystems.ca. You would probably be interested in Protection 101, false alarm info and one on the truth about wireless security (It is in the archive)

Good luck, whatever you do, do not let the sales person talk you into something you do not feel comfortable with.