These are some lesser-known ways to lower your insurance bill

First this evening, the cost of owning a home in Texas keeps on climbing, and it's not just home prices driving it up. A new report finds soaring insurance costs are putting homeownership out of reach for millions of families. Brenna Berry breaks down what's driving the increase and looks at some perhaps lesser-known ways to lower your insurance bill. Homeowners' insurance costs are rising much faster than Texans' incomes, and that's making it harder for families to afford a home. A new Kinder Institute report finds nearly two-thirds of Texas households, we're talking about 7 million, cannot afford the median-priced home in their county when insurance is factored in. Homeowners' insurance premiums jumped 74 percent between 2009 and 2024, while median household incomes rose just 11 percent. So what can you do? Well, first off, experts say you need to compare quotes and then work on your credit. Your credit score becomes part of your insurance credit score. It's not quite the same, but they are related. And it is part of how insurers set your insurance rates and your premiums. A lot of people do not know this. So someone who has poor credit, according to our analysis, is paying significantly more for homeowners' insurance. Let's look at some other ways to fight back. So you want to raise your deductible if possible for you. You can go from a $1,000 deductible to $2,500. That could save you about 9 percent a year. But, of course, choose a deductible that you can actually afford if something happens. You can use a savings calculator to get a better idea of how much that will cost you. And then make your home more secure with some basic safety feature upgrades. Smoke detectors, burglar alarms and deadbolts all could qualify you for a discount. For some bigger savings, try and invest in some monitored security systems, sprinklers or smart home devices like water leak sensors. And then always ask for discounts. There are some lesser known discounts that some insurers offer homeowners' insurance discounts. Like if you don't have any smokers living in your home or maybe you recently purchased your home. You are choosing to pay your premium via automatic bank payments or even just choosing paperless billing. Also, if you work in specific careers like teaching, maybe you're an engineer or a firefighter, those can all offer some discounts as well. And you never know unless you ask. You want to shop around always, avoid small claims, build your credit score as we mentioned and document any home upgrades that could lower your premium. But experts say never drop your coverage to try to save money. Brianna Berry, KHU 11 News.