When you need to cover a large and important asset like a home, it is very important to choose your company very carefully. For many of us, our homes are the largest assets we own, and with that investment comes many risks. Accordingly, you should look at several unique factors when you choose an insurer.

Financial Ratings
The recent past of economic hard times has taught us that insurers can have problems too. You want to find a stable company with plenty of money to pay claims and provide great service. You can check the financial ratings of companies with several 3rd party services like A.M. Best. 

Assets and Premiums
You will need to find out which companies take in the most premium dollars every year, and also which have substantial assets. However, the financial rating or size of a company will not tell you the whole story about the quality of a specific insurer you may be considering. When you have to make an actual claim because of a natural disaster or accident, you are not likely to really care about any of those things. What you will care about will be an insurer who is easy to contact, responds right away, and who pays your claims.

Consumer Satisfaction Ratings of Home Insurers
Companies like J.D. Powers perform consumer satisfaction surveys to find out what actual clients think of their policies. They ask about important things like billing systems, policies, company contacts, and of course, claim payments. Most of the top rated companies by premium size are not the ones that came out on top of the consumer satisfaction survey. Many of the happier clients purchased their policies from smaller, more local, or more specialized companies. When it comes to covering a home, bigger is not always better.

However, many of these smaller companies do not do business all over the U.S. So a consumer who needs a homeowners, landlord, renters, or condo policy will need to be able to compare the market in their own town or city. Online quote forms can make that task simpler because information can be entered one time, and then after clicking a submit button, you, the potential customer can sit back and wait for the competitive quote and policy information to roll in.

First, make a list of all the questions you can think of to ask your agent, then ask the agent for his input on things you may have over-looked. Don't be ashamed to seem uneducated or ignorant. It's better to deal with a little bit of embarrassment up-front and get the coverage your family and home need than to get into a jam later because your pride got in the way when you were shopping for coverage.

Also ask the agent how you can qualify for discounts and other benefits. A well-trained agent is knowledgeable of the products and services his company offers and should be willing to get you the most for your money.

Shop, shop, shop! Take the time to interview several companies so you can compare rates and coverages.

After you've had your policy for a couple of years, you need to examine your coverage regularly to be sure it still provides adequate protection. Things change:

1) family dynamics...more/less children in the home or divorce;
2) material possessions...art, collectibles, family heirlooms;
3) renovations to your home.

Even lacking major events, a detailed review of your insurance coverage is needed regularly.