Everyone wants to get the best rates for home and car insurance. You might think that the way to do that is to go to one company for both. While that is often a good idea, there may be reasons why it might not be.

Dual insurance companies may not give good rates on both kinds of policies.

• Some insurance companies specialize in home insurance. The car insurance side of the company may be an afterthought. In this case, it may not be as stable a part of the company. It may have to charge higher premiums to establish itself. The same is companies that specialize in car insurance that also sell home insurance.
• Dual purpose companies may entice you with good rates on one type of insurance. If you get a good rate for your home insurance, the theory is that you will be more likely to buy your car insurance with the same company. Never do this unthinkingly. Always get different quotes and comparison shop.
• Be sure equal amounts of coverage are being compared in both cases. You might be careful to compare equal coverage when buying car insurance. You may not bring the same judgment to the table when comparing the same company's home insurance.

You may be more qualified for one kind of policy over the other.

• If you live in a small town, rates may be different. For example, being in a town with an inexperienced and ill-equipped rural fire department may raise your home insurance rates. At the same time, your car insurance rates may go down because you live in a sparsely populated area. Different insurance companies may look at each of these factors differently.
• If you have a poor driving record, you might need a different company for that. You could have the best qualifications for home insurance. You may have a modern home in the safest of neighborhoods. If you have had many speeding tickets or accidents, you may have to go to a different insurance company to get the best car insurance rates.
• If you are under 25 years of age, your rates will be high. No matter where you get it, you are likely to find that your home insurance rates are lower. If this is you, you need to shop around carefully to find the best rates for home and car insurance both. You may find that they will come from the same company, but check to be sure.

You can find the best rates for home and car insurance. You do not have to go along with an insurance company's rates for your car insurance and home insurance. Sometimes it can be the best thing in the world, but other times it is not. Getting several quotes on both is the right idea. When you have the information you can make two intelligent decisions - car and home insurance.