Is insurance cheaper on brick home versus frame home?
It depends on your location.
Yes, insurance is cheaper if you have a brick home as compared to if you had a wood frame home if you are living in an area prone to high winds. This is because a home that is made of strong materials such as brick or cement. Of course, this kind of house will be more able to withstand catastrophic events such as a windstorm or a fire. On the other hand, a wood frame home located in the same area is more expensive to insure since it is more prone to fire and is easily destroyed by high winds.
In contrast, if you are living in an earthquake prone area, a frame home is actually cheaper to insure since this is more resistant to earthquakes.
The insurance company will check your house to inspect the materials used, as well as other safety and security installations. Here are some of the aspects of your home that the insurance company will look at and will help determine the cost of your homeowners insurance:
- Electrical, plumbing and heating/cooling systems. The more modernized these systems are, the better your premium rates will be. If these systems are old and poorly maintained, there is a higher risk of burst pipes, overloaded circuits and all manner of accidents that will result in a claim.
- Shatter-proof windows vs. regular windows. This will make your house more resistant to hail storms and strong winds.
- Age of your house. An older house is more expensive to insure.
- History of your house. The insurance company will also check the claims history of the house to see what claims were made on the house - there is a high probability that these claims will be repeated.
- The installation of security measure, such as fire alarms, burglar alarms, dead-bolt locks and motion sensors. These will make the house safer from burglars, vandals and fire.
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