Prove it...

Your insurance is only as good as your proof…

Most people think if they have homeowner’s insurance they are covered. To some extent this is true, however if you were to lose your home to a fire (or other named peril), the burden to prove your claim is on you. Of course the insurance adjuster can see the house was burned to the ground, but it’s what he can’t see that we are talking about. The insurance company would require a list of EVERY ITEM lost or damaged in order for them to pay what you would expect. This is an extensive and exhaustive itemization of every stick of furniture, item of clothing, all of your CDs, DVDs & books and the list goes on and on. Furthermore, you would probably still be working on that list a year or more after your home burned down. The insurance company may also want proof that you owned certain items through pictures and/or receipts. If you’re like most people, all of your pictures and receipts would have been destroyed with your home.

Relying on memory alone could be a very expensive mistake as most people will forget about 20% of what they owned. In order to make sure your insurance works for you as you would want, it is essential to have a home inventory secured away from your home. Even though we may have good intentions for getting this done, most people don’t ever get around to it. In my experience less than 10% have any kind of home inventory and many whom have do not have it secured in a safe place away from the home.

So I ask you, if you think insurance is important to maintain, why wouldn’t you want to make sure it will work for you when your time comes? Having an up-to-date home inventory is really the only way to assure you will be paid what you deserve. If the something happens to your home this service can save you tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your precious life. It's time to get ProActive about documenting your property.

Kelly Rinke

ProActive Home Inventory

www.ProActiveHomeInventory.com

kelly@ProActiveHomeInventory.com

972.869.9000

Top 15 Tips to Secure Your Home While on Vacation

Summer is here and that means vacation for many of us. Just imagine your fun filled vacation being ruined by an intruder in your home. Thieves look for easy homes to prey upon so let's make sure you leave your home a difficult target by doing all you can to protect your home and property.

Here are the top 15 tips to securing your home:

1. Leave a car parked in your driveway or front of your home. Ask a neighbor to use your driveway and garbage cans while you're away.
2. Arm your security system when you leave.
3. Either stop mail & newspapers while you are gone OR have a neighbor pick them up for you. Have them check your front door area for package deliveries as well.
4. Don't tell people unnecessarily you will be gone except a trusted neighbor. Ask them to keep an eye out for people on your property. Let that neighbor know how to contact you. Consider leaving a key with them.
5. Install some timers on lights. Leave a radio on a talk radio channel.
6. Lock ALL doors, windows, storage sheds & gates. All exterior doors should have deadbolt locks. Lock the door from your garage into your home. All gates should have padlocks. THIEVES LOVE TO ENTER YOUR HOME FROM THE BACK WHERE THEY CAN'T BE SEEN!
7. Move valuables to a safe deposit box.
8. Keep the grass cut while you're away.
9. Don't leave a key hidden under a rock, around the door frame, or anywhere else.
10. Leave a generic outgoing message on your voice mail.
11. Hire a house sitter.
12. Install visible security measures: Security stickers, signs, locks, landscape lighting, etc.
13. Close drapes or remove valuables from rooms with open drapes. You could also close drapes downstairs and leave them open upstairs.
14. Notify police if you will be gone longer than one week.
15. Rethink sending an automated email message to your sender that you will be returning to work on such & such date.

Insurance is only as good as the proof of your claim. A Home Inventory provides that proof. If you don't have a Home Inventory yet, when will you get around to it?

Get prepared by having your personal property properly inventoried. ProActive Home Inventory offers full service in the Dallas metroplex, a webinar to teach you how to preform your own inventory, and a f.ree download about your family's safety as we go into tornado season. Please visit the home page at www.ProActiveHomeInventory.com to request your copy.

Warm Regards,
Kelly Rinke
972.869.9000
kelly@ProActiveHomeInventory.com
www.ProActiveHomeInventory.com