How to Choose a Home Insurance Policy for a Vacation Home

According to experts, the best investment that one can make is often real estate. This is particularly true when the housing market is thriving. When one invests in the market, there is always the chance of loss. Therefore, many investors choose to buy a second home to rent out to other people or for vacation. If you want to buy a vacation home, you should buy a home insurance policy for it. Here is some information about how to choose a home insurance policy for a vacation home.

Getting Second Home Insurance

If you are buying a vacation home, the first thing you should do is take a look at your homeowners' policy to see if it covers additional homes. If your current policy does, you may be able to extend the liability to protect an additional home.

However, in most cases, the best choice is to buy a second home insurance policy to protect the contents and structure of your vacation home. Some homeowners choose to use the same insurer for both their year-round home and vacation home. Therefore, the insurer can advise them on the best course of action.

Keep in mind that vacation homes are frequently viewed as riskier to insure than primary homes. Therefore, you may end up paying a higher price for insurance for your vacation home than your primary home. You might also need more-specific coverage.

Second Home Insurance Cost

Most home insurance companies increase premium costs by a certain percentage for second homes. You will probably end up getting a discount if you get a second policy with the same insurance company, however. The reason for this is that many insurance companies offer discounts for multiple policies.

Be sure not to make the mistake of buying a policy and claiming that the policy is for a primary home rather than a vacation home. In the event that you have to file a complaint, the home insurance company will likely discover that the home is a vacation home and not a primary home. The insurance company could deny your claim as a result. That’s because the home might qualify as a vacant property, which might not have coverage under a standard home policy.

There are several other ways you can save on vacation home insurance. If you have a full-time caretaker live in your vacation home while you're not living there, you can get a discount. Installing a security alarm could also decrease the amount of your home insurance policy. However, it is possible that you will spend more on subscription fees than you save. Anything that will prevent you from having claims will likely lower your premium costs.