Vacation beachfront house with wooden walkway The winter season is a popular time to get away. There is a destination for every persona. You can travel north to snowshoe through snowy pines, or you can escape south to soak up the rays with a fruity cocktail in hand. Though it is nearly everyone’s dream, there is no hiding the fact that buying a vacation home is expensive, even without factoring in the cost of additional homeowners insurance. Luckily, there are steps you can take while searching for a vacation home to deflect some of the costs of insurance.

Find the Right Location

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is the more enticing a home’s location, the higher your insurance becomes. For instance, be wary of beach houses. Homes skirting the beach are susceptible to damage from hurricanes, flooding, and high winds. Find a home outside of a flood zone to save on flood insurance. To find out if a residence is within a flood zone, enter the address into the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Alternatively, if you’re eyeing a remote cabin in the woods, know that risk of damage from falling trees or wildfires can add to the price of your coverage and may even increase your deductible.

Consider the Property Type and Its Amenities

Of course, the age of a home is an important factor when it comes to insurance costs. Beyond investigating if the home is structurally sound, an older house may contain such hazards as wood stoves, outdated electrical wiring, and leaky roofs. It is important to enlist the help of a home inspector to confirm the absence of such risks. Furthermore, although amenities such as pools, hot tubs, and spas are a great addition to any vacation home, they may require additional liability protection, should someone be injured on your property.

Proactive Steps in Reducing Insurance Costs

Besides visiting your vacation home and inspecting it for any setbacks that could increase the price of coverage, here are a few measures you can act upon to lower the cost of insurance:

Bundle your policies: By insuring your new residence with the same insurance company that handles your primary home’s insurance, you may be able to reduce your premium payments more than if you seek insurance elsewhere.
Improve your home security: Taking measures to ensure the safety of your home from both intruders and fires can often lower the cost of insurance. Install an advanced fire and burglar alarm that will call the police or fire department on your behalf in the event of an emergency.
Make your residence disaster resistant: If the location of your vacation home is in a region with frequent windstorms or hurricanes, install storm shutters and reinforce your roof. Also, consider updating your heating, plumbing, and electrical systems to prevent fires or flooding.

Buying a vacation home is an expensive and complicated process, but fortunately, there are many steps you can scale back on insurance costs. After all, you shouldn’t have to spend hundreds more than you need to when you’re already taking on the expense of a second mortgage. At TJ Woods Insurance, we can help you get extensive homeowners insurance for the lowest price, allowing you more money in your pocket to spend on your dream getaway. If you are curious about homeowners insurance for vacation properties or bundling insurance, contact us today.