Bundle Home & Auto Insurance in Minnesota

The William Tuttle Agency runs the bundle comparison for households from one office at 121 W Broadway St in Owatonna. We lead with Farmers, where the multi-policy discount is meaningful, and we check the brokerage markets where they beat it. Our guide to bundling in Minnesota covers the background; this page is about running your numbers.

How does a multi-policy discount work?

A carrier that writes both your home and your auto typically applies a percentage discount to each policy. The size varies by carrier and by state, and it can be one of the larger discounts available on a home policy. It is applied to the premium the carrier would otherwise charge — which is the important point: a discount on a high base premium can still cost more than no discount on a low one.

When does bundling not save money?

When one of your risks fits a carrier badly. A household with a clean home but a young driver, a high-value home with ordinary cars, a rural home a standard carrier will not write, or a driver with an accident on the record can each be cheaper with the home at one carrier and the cars at another. The only way to know is to price both structures — which a single-carrier agent cannot do and a multi-carrier one does as a matter of routine.

What are the non-price advantages of bundling?

One agent who sees the whole household, liability limits that match across policies so the umbrella sits on a consistent base, a single renewal date, and with some carriers a single deductible when one event — hail, a tree — damages both the house and a car in the driveway. Bundled households also tend to be re-shopped less aggressively by their carrier at renewal. These are real, and they should be weighed against a modest price difference.

Should the umbrella be with the same carrier?

Usually it is simpler, because umbrella carriers require underlying limits on the home and auto policies and it is easiest to guarantee those when one carrier writes everything. Some umbrella carriers will sit over policies from other companies. See umbrella insurance; we will tell you plainly whether your structure supports it.

What about the boat, the RV and the cabin?

Each additional policy with the same carrier can extend the multi-policy discount and simplify the household. But specialty items — a collector car, a lake home, a large boat — are often better placed with a specialty carrier even when the home and auto are bundled elsewhere. A bundle is a starting structure, not a rule.

How often should I re-check?

At every renewal, and whenever the household changes — a new driver, a new home, a claim, a paid-off car. Carriers reprice constantly, and the bundle that was cheapest three years ago is often not the cheapest today. We re-run it for our clients on request and at renewal. See comparing quotes.

What if one carrier is great on the house and terrible on the cars?

It happens constantly, and a single-carrier agent can only offer the bundle — whatever it costs. Many agents represent a single company. We lead with Farmers Insurance and hold appointments with 20+ additional carriers, including commercial markets such as BTIS, AmTrust, RLI and Tapco — so an operation that does not fit the first market often has somewhere to go. It may simply not be the first market we call. You still deal with one licensed local person in Owatonna who answers the phone. See the carriers we represent.

How much does bundle home & auto insurance cost in Minnesota?

The price of bundle home & auto insurance depends on what it would cost to rebuild or replace, your claims history, the coverage limits and deductibles you choose, where the property or vehicle is garaged and the carrier — each prices differently. Published averages describe almost nobody; the useful number is a quote for your situation, run across more than one carrier at matching coverage.