Home Inventory

A Picture is Worth Thousands

"Jade elephant with ivory tusks. 
  Bought in Africa in 1953." 
The description doesn't do justice to the item as well as the picture, does it?  My grandmother brought back a pair of these solid Jade elephants from one of my grandfather's business trips. He worked for Ford Motor Co for almost 50 years. And trips to places like Africa were a part of his job. The elephants are unusual items. And a picture to supplement a time/place of purchase  and market value can make a difference.  

   No one thinks their house will burn down. Or get ripped to shreds in a tornado. And let's be honest- the odds are against it. But not everyone will beat the odds. What if it is you?  Do you have the tools in place to make sure your insurance does everything it is supposed to do for you? 
   Insurance is in place to make you whole in the event of a loss. Insurance cannot replace the sentimentality of Mom's ring or Grandma's china. But it can make sure the things that can be replace are replaced. But contrary to what many people think, your insurance carrier will not just take your word for what you had and cut you a check for the amount listed as your Personal Property coverage on your policy.
How can you make sure what you own is covered/replaced in the case of a loss?
  1. Make sure you have an insurance policy in place with an A-rated carrier that is legally certified through the Texas Department of Insurance (or whichever state you live in). 
  2. Make sure you have enough insurance to cover your home, plus your personal property. Talk to your agent about this. Discuss any special items you may have. Things like expensive electronics or specialty collections like guns, coins or art, are good things to discuss with your agent.
  3. Make a Home inventory list. This is very important. Put together as much information as possible for the list. Date of purchase and current market value are the minimum. I definitely encourage you to take pictures or even video.  Unusual items, like my elephants, can be questioned. Just because you have receipts, doesn't mean you still had the items when the loss occurred. A picture (especially a dated one!) will prove possession. This is just an added protection. 

   Insurance carriers are in the business of protecting your home, car, possessions, etc. But as much as we wish they were, they are not in it out of the goodness of their hearts. It is big business. This is just the way it is. So make sure you have documentation upon documentation of what you are insuring. Protect yourself! You are paying a pretty penny for insurance these days. Make sure you get those pennies back if you suffer a loss. 

Questions on your Home, Auto, or Commercial Insurance?
Contact Brockman Premier Insurance  or call toll free at 877-987-8683 today
and let us Keep You Insured!
Visit our website as well! www.wekeepuinsured.com

Insuring your jewelry

Protect those Valentine's Day Sparklies! 

  Picture it. Valentine's Day. Dinner at her favorite restaurant with wine or maybe even Champagne. You ask her if she wants to take a walk after dinner. You walk down to the bridge. And with the moon overhead, you get down on one knee and bring out that velvet box with the ring. She says "Yes!". Life is grand.
   Flash forward a few years. You have the house with the white picket fence, great neighbors and Junior is playing in the back yard with Fido. You surprise your lovely wife with an anniversary cruise (and your in-laws are taking Junior and Fido for the week!)  Life is grand.
   While you are on your trip, your house is broken into. Your big screen TV. Your computer. Your printer. Gone. Then your wife remembers - "I didn't take my wedding rings with me. I was afraid I might lose them on the ship!" She runs to the bedroom and sure enough, her jewelry is gone. Most of it is costume, but that wedding set- you had that custom made. You begin to worry. The police give you a copy of the police report and tell you your insurance company will want that for the claim. Insurance! Of course! You have a solid homeowner's policy. Your stolen items can be replaced. Life is grand!
   You call your insurance agent. You explain about the break in. He asks you for an itemized list of what was stolen.You fill out the home inventory list he sends you. He calls back to let you know everything is covered, except the wedding rings. Your policy only covers up to $2500 for jewelry. The wedding set was custom made. That $2500 won't even come close! You give your agent a piece of your mind. He tries to tell you he asked if you needed any special items scheduled out when he wrote the policy. You don't remember that 5 year old conversation. And what does "schedule out" mean anyway? Arrgghhh. Your wife is crying over her now irreplaceable rings. Life just lost a little of its grandeur!

   What can you do to avoid that last part of the story? 

You can call your agent today and tell him you want to add scheduled personal property protection for your wedding rings! This coverage will replace specific items listed on your policy. It can be wedding rings, pendants, bracelets. You can also add SPP for pieces of art, coins, furs, books or guns. What will you need? Appraisals for each piece. You should have your item appraised every 3-5 years. Most carriers will have a guideline for how recent the appraisal must be. Policies will insure each piece, down to the penny. Appraisals should include a picture, serial numbers, descriptions and replacement value. This coverage will add to your premium, but if the unthinkable happens, it will be worth it!

Questions on your Home, Auto, or Commercial Insurance?
Contact Brockman Premier Insurance  or call toll free at 877-987-8683 today
and let us Keep You Insured!

Home Insurance FAQs

Navigating the Home Insurance               Mix-master- Arrgghh!

   Have you ever tried to navigate the mix-master in an unfamiliar city? I have lived in and around the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex most of my life and I still haven't mastered them. There was only one or two when I first started driving. Now it seems every suburb has it's own version of the Mix-master. 
   Have you tried to navigate shopping for Homeowner's Insurance lately? Same story. There used to be a few carriers- we all grew up with Allstate, State Farm and Farmers. Now, there are dozens and dozens. Talk about navigating confusing roads!
   It is easy to get overwhelmed trying to figure out your policy. So I thought I would share a few of the questions we hear the most often:
* Why is my dwelling insured for so much more than I paid for the home?
Because your insurance covers the cost to REBUILD your home, not move into it. Most carriers have their own dwelling amount estimator. Agents plug in the specifics of a home- square ft, roof type, age, updates, etc and the estimator computes the cost that carrier is willing to pay to rebuild the home from foundation to roofing. 
* Are my wedding rings covered?
Most policies will have some type of jewelry coverage. Most of them will be basic, $2500-$5000 in coverage. But if you want your precious jewelry covered, you will want to consider a scheduled personal property endorsement. It will cover specific pieces without a deductible. It will also cover theft and mysterious disappearance. The basic jewelry coverage in the policy will not.  The same goes for your coin collection, art collection, gun collection (Hey - we are in Texas!)
*If my dog bites a neighbor, will my insurance cover it?
Yes. Your personal liability will cover this.  As long as it is not a ineligible dog breed and there isn't an animal exclusion on the policy. Most carriers will have an ineligible dog breed list. Some will not write the home at all, while others will exclude liability in the case of a dog attack. Most of the dogs on the forbidden list are aggressive breeds; Pitbulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers, etc...
  Believe me- not all insurance policies are the same! As independent agents, my husband and I see many different types of policies. I feel for people calling in with questions- the ones who are truly trying to understand what their coverage is. I know the time and effort it took us to learn the carriers and coverage. And it is what we do everyday, all day. We realize most of our clients don't have that kind of time. And you shouldn't have to. That is what we agents are for! 


Got questions? Call or visit it our website: 
Brockman Premier Insurance
local: 214-592-0859
toll free: 1-877-987-8683