Home insurance quotes are composed of many items, and sometimes people receive a quote that is different than the price they end up paying.  There are several things you can do to make sure that you receive a quote that provides the full amount of coverage you need at a price you can afford.

Before you begin to get home insurance quotes, gather some facts and figures together and write them down.  Things like the age of your home, size, type of roof, number and types of rooms and the age of the wiring, heating and plumbing systems can make large differences in your quotes.

It is also important to check with the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) regarding the true re-build value of your home.  Most homeowners are either over or under insured because owners are unaware of the true cost of replacing their home should it be lost to fire or subsidence.  Knowing the re-build cost will help you get consistent quotes across companies and compare similar policies, rather than ones with wildly different limits.

It is also important to calculate an accurate amount for the value of your contents.  Take a pencil and paper with you and walk through all the rooms in your home, tallying up the contents.  Furniture and valuables like art, jewellery and musical instruments are often counted, but what about you CD or DVD collection?  Clothing for everyone in the household, pet supplies and items for the outside, such as power tools or gardening equipment should also not be overlooked.