Shop Around for Insurance

When we first bought our house, we went with the insurance company we knew.  We had several policies with them and we knew the broker.  The price was reasonable and so we didn't shop around.  When we came to renting out our house though, the quote was astronomical.  We decided to shop around and got the price cut in half.  It was a lesson learned and we will now always shop around for insurance.  Our local credit union offered a service that found the best quote for our needs.  The paperwork was done in no time.  It was really pretty painless. Insurance is very important as we found out after a few months.  We had a pipe freeze in one of our houses.  Unfortunately we were away and couldn't handle it ourselves.  It happens, but Travelers our insurer was there with a check in record time.  It pays to go with a top notch established company for these things.  We tried a smaller company once.  They cashed out a check for the full amount but then never put through our policy.  There was some snafu at the agent's level.  They never really explained it.  I didn't care.  I got my money back and moved on.  But I learned my lesson and now only deal with established companies with a long track record.  Pay your insurance up front.  It makes no sense to pay a service charge and make monthly installment payments.  They add up so I like to get it over with at one time.  That's why I can save money every month.  This way I don't have to worry.  There are no surprises.