Like Helton said, you're going to need to do some legwork. Like smallbig said, I'd start where your auto insurance is. Bundling will save you, especially over the long run. You're a big boy now that you're buying a house, time to come off mommy and daddy's car insurance policy. That may end up costing you more in auto insurance but in the long run it'll work out in your favor.
Personally, I'd recommend finding an independent agent, hopefully by referral, who can talk you through what you're buying and run quotes with multiple carriers. If you're not comfortable with that, you can do almost all your shopping over the phone. There aren't that many "small" or "local" companies anymore and the big boys are probably going to give better service in a claim and more sophisticated products and better rates. What I would do is call a big carrier, like Allstate or Liberty Mutual, and let them hit you will all the questions every company will ask, just to get an idea of what's happening during the process and what info they'll need. You can probably get an idea of rates as well. Then you can come back here and bounce ideas off or whatever.
As far as companies, USAA is a great choice if you have the option. If not, the recommendations are a little more difficult because , on some level, all companies are pretty similar. I would look at the JD Power rankings, they're actually pretty solid for insurance companies. I'm not a huge fan of the direct-writers (like liberty mutual/geico/progressive direct) b/c it's a call-center mentality, no matter what they tell you. Its a pump and dump. Like I said before, I'd try to find the local small town independent agent, though they might seem kind of donk-ish.
One other note when you're buying a new house. Find out if you'll need flood insurance ASAP. The bank will require it if you're in a high-risk zone, and they might not figure that out until about a week from closing and it can be a deal breaker. I;d even recommend adding the flood insurance contingency into your offer, if you're not past it, unless you're certain the house isn't in a high risk zone.
PM me if you want more specific info or want some explanation of insurance language/coverage or if you want me to check on the flood insurance situation for your property.
ETA. I live in PA and can't sell you anything, so don't worry 'bout that
opcorn:
