1. Update your heating, electrical and plumbing systems to modern standards and you'll attract a discount of as much as 15%. Even though you may like the old-fashioned fire place, you do know that it is certainly not as fire-safe as a modern heating system.

Building technology has advanced in many ways to make your home safer. You'll in addition to being a lower risk, make your home more valuable in terms of its worth in the marketplace.

2. Many policyholders do not know half the discounts that are available to them with their insurer. If you don't know something exists you cannot position yourself to take advantage of it. Can you?

Tell your agent to tell every discount possible and what you need to do to take advantage of them. That an insurer does not advertise certain discounts doesn't mean they don't have them.

Yes, there's a possibility you might not be told of any new discount. Don't forget then that you could also have saved some money and moreover, you have nothing to lose either way.

3. The material you use in the construction of your home goes a long way in affecting your rate.

Buy a frame home if you want more resistance to earthquakes or buy a brick home if you want better resistance to high winds. This means that those who live in the East will save if theirs is a frame home.

On the other hand, those who live in the West will pay lower rates if theirs is a frame home because of the earthquakes there. Building with the appropriate material for your state will save you a minimum of 5%.

4. You could save some hundreds of dollars by simply obtaining and evaluating quotes from about three quotes sites. And, it will take you only a total of 15 minutes.

Here are my favorite pages for home insurance quotes...