Houston Home Insurance
Preparation Helps to Ease the Recovery Process for Homeowners
What do hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods have in common? All of these potential catastrophes can happen right here in Texas (and will again). With storm season in full swing from June 1st through November 30th, now is the time for homeowners to prepare for these potential disasters. In the instance that a home is damaged or destroyed, a little preparation will go a long way in helping to ease the recovery process for the homeowner. The first action homeowners and renters should consider is creating a home inventory list, which includes photographs or a video of belongings. Homeowners can create a home inventory by taking periodic videos of each room in the house. Homeowners should take additional video of smaller items like jewelry, silver, and related valuables or keepsakes. The same recommendations apply if using a conventional camera. Be sure to be thorough when taking pictures of belongings.
In addition to these pictures or videos, homeowners should also create a detailed, written account of personal property. This written inventory should be specific. Whenever possible, homeowners should include make, model, serial numbers, receipts, and date of purchase for all items in the home inventory. A written home inventory list without pictures is better than no inventory, but homeowners should be as detailed as possible. Homeowners should store this home inventory list somewhere away from their home, such as a bank safety deposit box or a safe place in a relative's house. Make sure the location is far enough away from the home to be safe during the potential disaster, but close enough so that it is easily accessible upon short notice. And with today's technology, you can email these files to yourself and have access to them from anywhere in the world. There are also many online sites to which you can upload your data, if you prefer. Updating the home inventory periodically is a good idea, especially after any major purchase, holidays, or birthdays.
Homeowners should consider sharing their home inventory with their insurance agent so that the agent can help determine the right insurance coverage. This would also be a good opportunity to assess other risks and consider additional insurance such as flood insurance or scheduled personal property coverage for expensive items such as jewelry, fur coats or musical equipment. And always remember to keep your insurance agent up-to-date with your cell phone number and email address. In recent catastrophic losses, that home number is not the best point of contact. In Hurricane Ike, when cell phones and land lines were down, the last backup defense for many was text messaging to their phone. Don’t be left out of the loop. Make sure your cell phone number is the first point of contact for you with your insurance professional.
If you are not a homeowner and are currently renting, we can help protect you with renter's insurance.
