Your deductible is what you pay out of pocket before insurance kicks in. Raising your deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 typically reduces premium 10–20%, and going to $5,000 can save 20–30%. The trade-off: you’re self-insuring smaller losses. A few considerations:

• Hurricane, wind, and hail deductibles are often percentage-based (1–5% of dwelling coverage) and apply only to those perils. A $500,000 home with a 2% wind deductible has a $10,000 wind deductible — different from your standard deductible.
• Make sure you can afford the deductible in cash before raising it. There’s no point in saving $200/year if a claim would put you in financial stress.

We model the trade-off when quoting your policy.