Dallas' premier professional home inventory service, Home Inventory Experts™, is offering a FREE Holiday Decorations Inventory worth $750 to customers who purchase a Standard Home Inventory! Home robberies are on the rise, the chance of a residential fire increases drastically, and we welcome more strangers than ever into our homes during the holidays; without a professional home inventory, you are taking many risks this holiday season.
You pay your homeowners insurance, but will your insurance company pay your claim for the highest amount? Will you remember everything after it is gone? Including all gifts, holiday decorations, and extra “stuff” that comes with the holiday. If you have to file a claim in July will you remember all of your holiday decorations? It is not your insurance agent’s responsibility to prove what’s in your home – that’s your duty! Your home inventory is the only ammunition you have to justify your claim amount!
Through December 31st, get a Holiday Decorations Inventory for FREE when you purchase a Standard Home Inventory! Call us today, right now, and let us show you why EVERY insurance department in the U.S. recommends you do your part to make sure your claim can be paid for the highest amount possible.
To schedule your Holiday Decorations Inventory and complimentary home inventory, contact Home Inventory Experts at 972-333-7022 or find out why others trust us to professionally and confidentially catalog and inventory their possessions and how much it saved them on our website at www.ProveItsYours.com
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
How to Choose a Home Inventory Professional
Realizing the importance of a third party professional Home Inventory is the first step towards protecting your home, your family, and your possessions. The next step is to choose the right Home Inventory Professional.
The following simple steps will ensure you don’t inadvertently expose yourself to potential victimization:
1. Know What You Want. Home Inventory Professionals offer many different types of inventories. Before you start your search, have a good idea what you’re looking for. For instance: do you want basic reports, photographs of high dollar items only, or are you looking for comprehensive reports with photographs? Maybe you are only interested in a video recording or want full report including serial and model numbers. What about your collections or your jewelry?
2. Get references. Most Home Inventory Professionals will have a list of previous customers that have agreed to be used as a reference. Given the nature and sensitivity of what Home Inventory Professionals have access to; don’t be surprised if there are only a few references. A good Home Inventory Professional will respect client privacy, security, and confidentiality above all else so make sure you ask telling questions of the references like how long the process took, if they were pleased with the product, how many people were in their home, did they feel secure, etc.
3. Interview Potentials and Review Samples. An experienced Home Inventory Professional understands if you ask to meet them at a restaurant or other public place to get to know them before you give them your address. They will also expect you to request to view samples (not actual previous inventories), so don’t be shy about asking. Once you have hired the Home Inventory Professional, they will need to visit your home to give you an accurate cost of the job. Although most Home Inventory Professionals have a general cost guideline, they can’t be exactly sure the true cost of a job until they see the residence.
4. Get Proof of Insurance and Bonding. Remember that you are paying someone to enter your home and giving them access to all of your belongings and valuables. You cannot be too safe – ask for proof of insurance and bonding, and call the insurance company to verify the policy is up to date. Although there currently is no Home Inventory license, many Home Inventory Professionals advertise they are licensed – even though no license exists! Double and triple check credentials before they enter your home!
5. Be Comfortable. Always address any concerns or hesitation prior to allowing someone access to your possessions and residence. Most Home Inventory Professionals will go out of their way to make sure you are at ease with their process and that all expectations can be managed successfully by both parties. If you encounter a Home Inventory Professional that doesn’t sit right with you, you have every right to find another professional to compile your inventory.
Ensuring that your home and possessions are documented confidentially, ethically, and professionally is one of the smartest things a homeowner can do. When you’ve hired a professional, your Home Inventory is the critical bridge that spans the gap between your home and your homeowners insurance.
The following simple steps will ensure you don’t inadvertently expose yourself to potential victimization:
1. Know What You Want. Home Inventory Professionals offer many different types of inventories. Before you start your search, have a good idea what you’re looking for. For instance: do you want basic reports, photographs of high dollar items only, or are you looking for comprehensive reports with photographs? Maybe you are only interested in a video recording or want full report including serial and model numbers. What about your collections or your jewelry?
2. Get references. Most Home Inventory Professionals will have a list of previous customers that have agreed to be used as a reference. Given the nature and sensitivity of what Home Inventory Professionals have access to; don’t be surprised if there are only a few references. A good Home Inventory Professional will respect client privacy, security, and confidentiality above all else so make sure you ask telling questions of the references like how long the process took, if they were pleased with the product, how many people were in their home, did they feel secure, etc.
3. Interview Potentials and Review Samples. An experienced Home Inventory Professional understands if you ask to meet them at a restaurant or other public place to get to know them before you give them your address. They will also expect you to request to view samples (not actual previous inventories), so don’t be shy about asking. Once you have hired the Home Inventory Professional, they will need to visit your home to give you an accurate cost of the job. Although most Home Inventory Professionals have a general cost guideline, they can’t be exactly sure the true cost of a job until they see the residence.
4. Get Proof of Insurance and Bonding. Remember that you are paying someone to enter your home and giving them access to all of your belongings and valuables. You cannot be too safe – ask for proof of insurance and bonding, and call the insurance company to verify the policy is up to date. Although there currently is no Home Inventory license, many Home Inventory Professionals advertise they are licensed – even though no license exists! Double and triple check credentials before they enter your home!
5. Be Comfortable. Always address any concerns or hesitation prior to allowing someone access to your possessions and residence. Most Home Inventory Professionals will go out of their way to make sure you are at ease with their process and that all expectations can be managed successfully by both parties. If you encounter a Home Inventory Professional that doesn’t sit right with you, you have every right to find another professional to compile your inventory.
Ensuring that your home and possessions are documented confidentially, ethically, and professionally is one of the smartest things a homeowner can do. When you’ve hired a professional, your Home Inventory is the critical bridge that spans the gap between your home and your homeowners insurance.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Don't Be Victimized Twice
When our home was robbed in 1996, my husband and I not only had to deal with our own feelings of victimization and violation, we had to rationally explain things to our children and help them regain their sense of security in our home.
The robbery taught our children that bad things happen to good people for no apparent reason. The robbery also taught my husband and me that we weren’t even remotely prepared for anything like this. Being that we’re only human, we forgot several important and expensive things on the claim forms - we didn’t realize this until well after the claim had been settled and there was nothing we could do. We were victimized twice: once by the burglars, and again by our own lack of preparation and foresight.
We had great insurance, but we discovered that that no matter how diligently you review the insurance claim forms, something is bound to be omitted or overlooked. The circumstances are just too stressful to rely on your memory.
In an effort to regain control in our life, I began keeping lists and picture of everything in our house. I also began compiling lists and photos for others. After doing this for over 15 years, I have developed such an efficient and effective system, I have started a business called Home Inventory Experts to help educate people about the importance of keeping an up to date home inventory.
With home burglary rates on the rise once again, we all must take extra precautions to protect our home, our possessions, and most importantly: our families. Homeowners without a current home inventory are betting that after a fire, robbery, or other disaster, they will remember everything they owned.
One of the most important things I have learned is that your insurance coverage is only as good as your ability to accurately file a claim. Here are a couple things to consider when starting your home inventory:
The most important thing you can do is start your inventory! Don’t wait another day. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, inventory one room at a time. I work my way around the room from left to right. Write down and photograph everything. Take note of measurements, serial and model numbers, condition, value, date purchased, and a brief description. Take photographs of several angles of everything including any identifying numbers, features, or marks. Make sure to include receipts of everything – since receipts become less legible over time, I recommend saving receipts in a PDF and including them in your inventory.
Don’t forget the everyday stuff. You will remember the big screen TV and refrigerator, but will you remember everything under the bathroom sink, your sheets and towel sets, or all of your DVDs and CDs or even all of your board games? Will you remember the new bakeware or the license numbers for all of your software? How about your exercise equipment and yard tools? Where would you begin if you had to list all of your holiday decorations?
I know from experience that when you complete home owner insurance claim forms, you aren’t able to think straight and your memory goes down the tubes. Ideally, you should be able to sort your inventory category and room.
I use a database that I wrote specifically that provides reports by category and by room, but a spreadsheet will work fine for the average homeowner. You should be able to cross reference photographs so they can be referenced with each item. If you have TVs in your house, you need to be able to produce accurate descriptions, serial and model numbers, and matching photographs for each item or your inventory is useless.
Equally as important, don’t store your inventory in your house – I store all backups in the safe deposit box and give an extra CD copy that my customers can keep at work, send to a relative out of state, or give to their insurance agent. The important thing is to keep it offsite. Sounds simple right? Of homeowners that have an inventory and of those, less than 25% store their inventory offsite. If you take the time to get an inventory, take a couple extra minutes to protect it. When you protect your inventory, you protect your family.
Taking a full inventory of everything you own can be a daunting task; but after securing your house, this is the fastest way to ensure that if you are victimized, you will be able to get life back on track and focus on your family quickly.
The robbery taught our children that bad things happen to good people for no apparent reason. The robbery also taught my husband and me that we weren’t even remotely prepared for anything like this. Being that we’re only human, we forgot several important and expensive things on the claim forms - we didn’t realize this until well after the claim had been settled and there was nothing we could do. We were victimized twice: once by the burglars, and again by our own lack of preparation and foresight.
We had great insurance, but we discovered that that no matter how diligently you review the insurance claim forms, something is bound to be omitted or overlooked. The circumstances are just too stressful to rely on your memory.
In an effort to regain control in our life, I began keeping lists and picture of everything in our house. I also began compiling lists and photos for others. After doing this for over 15 years, I have developed such an efficient and effective system, I have started a business called Home Inventory Experts to help educate people about the importance of keeping an up to date home inventory.
With home burglary rates on the rise once again, we all must take extra precautions to protect our home, our possessions, and most importantly: our families. Homeowners without a current home inventory are betting that after a fire, robbery, or other disaster, they will remember everything they owned.
One of the most important things I have learned is that your insurance coverage is only as good as your ability to accurately file a claim. Here are a couple things to consider when starting your home inventory:
The most important thing you can do is start your inventory! Don’t wait another day. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, inventory one room at a time. I work my way around the room from left to right. Write down and photograph everything. Take note of measurements, serial and model numbers, condition, value, date purchased, and a brief description. Take photographs of several angles of everything including any identifying numbers, features, or marks. Make sure to include receipts of everything – since receipts become less legible over time, I recommend saving receipts in a PDF and including them in your inventory.
Don’t forget the everyday stuff. You will remember the big screen TV and refrigerator, but will you remember everything under the bathroom sink, your sheets and towel sets, or all of your DVDs and CDs or even all of your board games? Will you remember the new bakeware or the license numbers for all of your software? How about your exercise equipment and yard tools? Where would you begin if you had to list all of your holiday decorations?
I know from experience that when you complete home owner insurance claim forms, you aren’t able to think straight and your memory goes down the tubes. Ideally, you should be able to sort your inventory category and room.
I use a database that I wrote specifically that provides reports by category and by room, but a spreadsheet will work fine for the average homeowner. You should be able to cross reference photographs so they can be referenced with each item. If you have TVs in your house, you need to be able to produce accurate descriptions, serial and model numbers, and matching photographs for each item or your inventory is useless.
Equally as important, don’t store your inventory in your house – I store all backups in the safe deposit box and give an extra CD copy that my customers can keep at work, send to a relative out of state, or give to their insurance agent. The important thing is to keep it offsite. Sounds simple right? Of homeowners that have an inventory and of those, less than 25% store their inventory offsite. If you take the time to get an inventory, take a couple extra minutes to protect it. When you protect your inventory, you protect your family.
Taking a full inventory of everything you own can be a daunting task; but after securing your house, this is the fastest way to ensure that if you are victimized, you will be able to get life back on track and focus on your family quickly.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
You Can’t Claim It If You Can’t Name It
You Can’t Claim It If You Can’t Name It
When a homeowner, business owner, or renter files an insurance claim, they must create a complete list of EVERYTHING affected and prove ownership and condition of all things listed.
To put this in perspective, if there is a kitchen fire, everything in the kitchen must be listed including dishes, silverware, all large and small appliances (rice cooker, crock pot, waffle maker, popcorn machine), all food in the pantry, cook books, pots, pans, glasses, window treatments, furniture, junk drawer items, dish towels, cleaning supplies, etc.
Assuming this list could be compiled somewhat accurately, are clear photographs available? Are serial and model numbers written down accurately and completely? What if the insurance company needs further proof of ownership? Anything not listed or lacking concrete proof of ownership with thorough descriptions generally will not be reimbursed by the insurance company; items not reported accurately translate into money lost.
Without a current home inventory, there aren’t comprehensive descriptions and photographs in context capturing everything in the home before the damage was done, and the resident must rely on memory. Needless to say, remembering everything including serial, model, and license numbers is next to impossible. That’s why responsible homeowners use a third party home inventory service.
A reputable home inventory service provides comprehensive lists with cross referenced photos of everything in a home or office. An up-to-date third party home inventory is crucial because it bridges the gap between the resident and their insurance coverage.
With years of experience providing accurate, comprehensive, and 100% confidential home inventories, Home Inventory Experts can be trusted to provide “the proof of what’s under your roof” because when it comes to filing an insurance claim, you can’t claim it if you can’t name it.
Standard home inventory prices start at $350. Don’t put it off, waiting could cost exponentially more than the cost of our service.
For more information, and to view a sample inventory along with a free no obligation quote, contact Home Inventory Experts at 972-333-7022 or info@proveitsyours.com.
When a homeowner, business owner, or renter files an insurance claim, they must create a complete list of EVERYTHING affected and prove ownership and condition of all things listed.
To put this in perspective, if there is a kitchen fire, everything in the kitchen must be listed including dishes, silverware, all large and small appliances (rice cooker, crock pot, waffle maker, popcorn machine), all food in the pantry, cook books, pots, pans, glasses, window treatments, furniture, junk drawer items, dish towels, cleaning supplies, etc.
Assuming this list could be compiled somewhat accurately, are clear photographs available? Are serial and model numbers written down accurately and completely? What if the insurance company needs further proof of ownership? Anything not listed or lacking concrete proof of ownership with thorough descriptions generally will not be reimbursed by the insurance company; items not reported accurately translate into money lost.
Without a current home inventory, there aren’t comprehensive descriptions and photographs in context capturing everything in the home before the damage was done, and the resident must rely on memory. Needless to say, remembering everything including serial, model, and license numbers is next to impossible. That’s why responsible homeowners use a third party home inventory service.
A reputable home inventory service provides comprehensive lists with cross referenced photos of everything in a home or office. An up-to-date third party home inventory is crucial because it bridges the gap between the resident and their insurance coverage.
With years of experience providing accurate, comprehensive, and 100% confidential home inventories, Home Inventory Experts can be trusted to provide “the proof of what’s under your roof” because when it comes to filing an insurance claim, you can’t claim it if you can’t name it.
Standard home inventory prices start at $350. Don’t put it off, waiting could cost exponentially more than the cost of our service.
For more information, and to view a sample inventory along with a free no obligation quote, contact Home Inventory Experts at 972-333-7022 or info@proveitsyours.com.
Friday, July 31, 2009
4 Houses Burn in 1 Night - Caused by Lightning
This is why EVERYONE should have a home inventory...because you just NEVER know...
Lightning burns upscale home in Castle Hills
By DAN EAKIN, Staff Writer
(Created: Friday, July 31, 2009 5:08 PM CDT)
An upscale home in Castle Hills was left in shambles after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm before daylight Thursday.
Lewisville and Castle Hills residents were awakened to loud thunder and striking lightning about 5:30 a.m., and firefighters had their hands full, answering a total of eight calls within an hour.
The only real disaster was at 2624 Sir Gawain in Castle Hills. Firefighters from Lewisville and several other area cities could see the smoke for miles before arriving at the home which was near the top of a hill in Castle Hills.
Mike and Beth Petty, their three sons and a dog made it to safety. Very little in the home could be salvaged.
Division Chief Steve Carter said firefighters first entered the house, but then were ordered to come back out because of concern that the roof might collapse. Firefighters sprayed water onto the roof of the house from the 100-foot ladder truck that went to Castle Hills from the new Firehouse No. 7 that was dedicated Monday.
Smoke from the fire also invaded three other homes in the neighborhood, including at 2707 Sir Bedivere, 2700 King Arthur and 2627 King Arthur. Firefighters also answered calls at other locations where lightning or the storm had set off alarms, but no damage was done.
A resident near the home that burned on Sir Gawain said the homes on Castle Hills often seem to be in danger when a storm approaches. She said several of the plush two-story homes have sustained some damage in recent years because of lightning during storms.
Lewisville Fire Chief Rick Lasky had praise for both the Lewisville firefighters and firefighters from surrounding cities who came to help during the busy morning.
"Often when a storm passes through town you see your call volume go up due to everything from water-related events to fire alarms because of the rain and lightning to lightning strikes resulting in power lines and transformers being damaged to actual reports of fires in buildings because of the strike itself,” Lasky said.
He added, “Fortunately, our fire department has two things going for it. One is we are properly staffed and have the firehouses to meet the needs of our community 24-hours a day, including busy times during weather related events. Second, we have an incredible relationship with our neighboring fire departments and have a mutual aid assistance program that others can model after.”
He concluded, “Simply put, we all help each other in any way that we can, when we can. During this recent weather event we found ourselves responding to our normal day-to-day calls as well as those related to the weather At one point, we had eight reports of structure fires and one fire alarm that was a result of a lightning strike and all within about an hour, most falling within about 25 minutes of each other.
“Great relationships with those around us, a great dispatch center, and good planning is key in properly handling situations like these,” he said.
Lightning burns upscale home in Castle Hills
By DAN EAKIN, Staff Writer
(Created: Friday, July 31, 2009 5:08 PM CDT)
An upscale home in Castle Hills was left in shambles after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm before daylight Thursday.
Lewisville and Castle Hills residents were awakened to loud thunder and striking lightning about 5:30 a.m., and firefighters had their hands full, answering a total of eight calls within an hour.
The only real disaster was at 2624 Sir Gawain in Castle Hills. Firefighters from Lewisville and several other area cities could see the smoke for miles before arriving at the home which was near the top of a hill in Castle Hills.
Mike and Beth Petty, their three sons and a dog made it to safety. Very little in the home could be salvaged.
Division Chief Steve Carter said firefighters first entered the house, but then were ordered to come back out because of concern that the roof might collapse. Firefighters sprayed water onto the roof of the house from the 100-foot ladder truck that went to Castle Hills from the new Firehouse No. 7 that was dedicated Monday.
Smoke from the fire also invaded three other homes in the neighborhood, including at 2707 Sir Bedivere, 2700 King Arthur and 2627 King Arthur. Firefighters also answered calls at other locations where lightning or the storm had set off alarms, but no damage was done.
A resident near the home that burned on Sir Gawain said the homes on Castle Hills often seem to be in danger when a storm approaches. She said several of the plush two-story homes have sustained some damage in recent years because of lightning during storms.
Lewisville Fire Chief Rick Lasky had praise for both the Lewisville firefighters and firefighters from surrounding cities who came to help during the busy morning.
"Often when a storm passes through town you see your call volume go up due to everything from water-related events to fire alarms because of the rain and lightning to lightning strikes resulting in power lines and transformers being damaged to actual reports of fires in buildings because of the strike itself,” Lasky said.
He added, “Fortunately, our fire department has two things going for it. One is we are properly staffed and have the firehouses to meet the needs of our community 24-hours a day, including busy times during weather related events. Second, we have an incredible relationship with our neighboring fire departments and have a mutual aid assistance program that others can model after.”
He concluded, “Simply put, we all help each other in any way that we can, when we can. During this recent weather event we found ourselves responding to our normal day-to-day calls as well as those related to the weather At one point, we had eight reports of structure fires and one fire alarm that was a result of a lightning strike and all within about an hour, most falling within about 25 minutes of each other.
“Great relationships with those around us, a great dispatch center, and good planning is key in properly handling situations like these,” he said.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
A lesson learned...
In 1996, my husband and I were living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In Albuquerque, our house, like most homes had security bars on the windows and doors. Unfortunately, the security bars didn't stop the thieves - they just plowed a car through our garage door!
I learned many lessons that day, but mostly that you can never have enough safety measures in place to guarantee your house will be safe. I also learned that when someone breaks into your house, the last thing you can do is sit down and calmly recreate a list of everything that had been in your house before it was robbed. It was months after the insurance claim was settled and we were still realizing things we'd neglected to put on the insurance claim!
After that, I vowed I would not make that mistake again, and I became obsessed with keeping lists and pictures of everything in my house. I have researched home inventories and over the past 10 plus years, I have created a really efficient and effective system to inventory a house!
I learned many lessons that day, but mostly that you can never have enough safety measures in place to guarantee your house will be safe. I also learned that when someone breaks into your house, the last thing you can do is sit down and calmly recreate a list of everything that had been in your house before it was robbed. It was months after the insurance claim was settled and we were still realizing things we'd neglected to put on the insurance claim!
After that, I vowed I would not make that mistake again, and I became obsessed with keeping lists and pictures of everything in my house. I have researched home inventories and over the past 10 plus years, I have created a really efficient and effective system to inventory a house!
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