Okay, so maybe New York City isn’t as crime ridden as Hollywood would like you to think it is, and maybe there are parts of the city that are just as safe as if you hopped in your car and drove five hours west to the small towns on the western N.Y./Pennsylvania border. Regardless, with a booming 3 billion dollar a year tourist industry and a population of over 8 million people, New York City is a prime area for thieves and burglars looking for a little quick cash. That means that most New York homeowners are paying more than they need to for their homeowners insurance.

The average New York homeowner has thousands of dollars worth of “stuff” sitting around their apartment in the form of electronics, antiques, collectibles, appliances and a myriad of other items that could help a thief turn a tidy profit on the black market fencing stolen goods. Homeowners insurance is responsible for replacing all of that if the home is burglarized, which is probably going to cost more than the homeowner is paying in annual premiums and put a tidy dent in their profit margin. They want to discourage this by encouraging homeowners to go to great (and not so great) lengths to protect their belongings, and they do that by offering top discounts on their homeowners insurance.

How can New Yorkers boost their security systems to lower their annual insurance premiums? Check it out:

1) Most insurance companies off a discount of 5% or more for homes equipped with window locks, deadbolts (which are much harder to pick, jimmy or jerry rig than an ordinary lock) and/or burglar alarms. These are all available for $50 or less through your local hardware store and will go a long way toward helping discourage a casual thief from choosing to make you a victim.

2) Double paned windows. Have you ever tried to break through some of the double paned windows on the market today? Unless you’ve locked yourself out of your home recently and attempted to smash a window to get in the answer to that is probably not. Today’s double paned glass is much more difficult to get through than ordinary windows, meaning neighbors are much more likely to notice before a thief actually gets in and sets up housekeeping.

3) Security systems. There’s a reason why companies like ADT have been so wildly successful-their security systems work. Studies have shown that burglars are actually 85% LESS likely to target a home that’s equipped with an electronic security system linking them directly to the police in the event of a break-in. These systems are far from inexpensive, but if you take the 15-20% that you’ll save on your homeowners insurance and add it to the cost of your peace of mind you’ll probably find that the price tag isn’t that high after all.

Living in New York City is expensive enough. Don’t you have better things to do with your money than put it in the pockets of your homeowners insurance provider?

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and
Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information, please visit
them on the web at QuoteScout.com.

[tags]new york homeowners insurance, cheap homeowners insurance, home security[/tags]