1. You will have higher home insurance rates if you get a home in a locality that only has a volunteer fire service rather than a full-time fire service. Also, the proximity of your home to a fire hydrant and fire station affects your rates. The truth is, the closer your home is to the firefighters and their equipment, the more affordable your rates will be.

2. Is the area a problem area? Houses in places that are hot spots cost much more to insure. Two houses separated by a street could be grouped in opposite risk areas on the insurers’ map. You can find out by calling an insurance agent. The house across the street might be zoned as a low crime area, while yours is clustered in a high crime area.

3. How far is the house from a police station? This will also go a long way in lowering your home insurance rates.

4. Since the only reason to buy insurance is to ensure that you are adequately protected against the risks of loss or damage to your home, I will include it although it is not usually included in your home insurance policy.

You would have to get flood insurance at an extra $400 a year if you get a house in a flood prone area. Every mortgagor will require you to get it if your home is in a flood prone area. Making an adjustment in the location where you buy a home will reduce your insurance quote.

You’ll get cheap rates by visiting no less than 3 insurance quote sites. If you do this, you will get low quotes as three sites will return up to 15 total home insurance quotes.