The Joys Of Videotape

Home Inventory Video Suggestions: Meha Ahmad writes for Insurance Agents.com, and a recent entry of hers suggested that all of us complete a home inventory video of our belongings. Most of the claims adjusters that I know would like to tell Meha that they don't really want to watch home videos and that you will have to do that for yourself, but that's a topic for another day. Obviously, I believe a video is a poor substitute for a detailed home inventory provided by a qualified home inventory professional such as Farley Home Services, but it's sure better than nothing, and it's in that spirit that I provide the above link. This topic is so important (and neglected!) that any discussion of it is worthwhile in my humble opinion.

Your home insurance claim process will run more smoothly if you get shots of every room, but more importantly, of every item in every room. Leave nothing undocumented. Open all the drawers, closets, storage units, cabinets. Slowly pan over every storage space so your insurance provider will have a better idea of what your home insurance claim includes.

Listen, I'm passionate about this topic since it's how I earn my living, but the fact remains that a home inventory report that you create could be the most important document that you will ever hold in your hands next to a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or a will. Home inventory turns the worst year of your life into no something manageable and bearable. It means the difference between surviving and thriving, and in complicated days like these isn't it nice to have a little piece of mind?

Family Time: We are enjoying a nice visit with my Mom this week. It's been a while since we have seen her, so this is a nice reunion don't you know.

A. J. Farley gets worked up about things behind his desk at Farley Home Services, your premier home inventory provider. Please visit EverySingleItem.com for details.

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Blogs, Blogs Everywhere!

Blogger Says You Need An Inventory: Mary E. Trimble says on her blog that "a home inventory can save you big money - and headaches - should tragedy strike." Here's more:

The aftermath of a disaster is confusing and frustrating enough without trying to recall the particulars of your possessions. For items destroyed in fire or flood, a household inventory will help you remember what you had. Insurance adjustments are expedited more efficiently when information can be gathered from current documentation.

I don't know much about Ms. Trimble, but I have to admit a certain fondness for her now!

Public Adjusters In The Blogosphere: A public adjuster is a claims adjuster working free-lance, not employed by an insurance carrier. Public adjusters help individuals in contentious insurance claim settlements, but usually at a hefty price (10-15% of the final settlement). The (poorly written) Tampa Bay Real Estate blog discusses how public adjusters can help.

Your insurance company sends out their personal insurance adjuster, that has one thing in mind, to close the claim as cheap as possible.

A word of caution. Public adjusters do not have the best reputation among those in the insurance industry, as you can imagine. Some public adjusters have a reputation for artificially inflating the size of claims, and insurers tend to lump all public adjusters into that category. Bringing a public adjuster into an insurance claim is sort of like demanding to speak to your lawyer in a TV cop show. "Why do you need a public adjuster, we're all friends here?"

We'll stop there for today. Thanks for tuning in!

Farley Home Services provides inventory documentation to homeowners, tenants, small business owners, and landlords. Please visit EverySingleItem.com to see how we can serve you.

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