Blow, Blow, Blow The House Down.
by Libby Holloway
I remember playing a game as a kid that centered around the story of the Three Pigs in which we ran around threatening to blow each other’s houses down. I don’t really remember the rules, my sister and I probably didn’t follow them anyway. The idea of our houses made of sheets and lawn furniture being blown down was lots of fun. The idea of my house being blown down now just doesn’t play out the same.
Okay gang, I hate to even bring this up but it is that time of year again. Despite some people’s beliefs, Beaufort does get hurricanes. Even if we don’t these steps will help if you ever face having your home burn or flood.
We hear so much about being prepared to evacuate. We all know what should be in our kits. We get extras in our prescriptions and keep water, batteries and canned pet food at our house. I also have to get my portable safe loaded with disks with all my client’s appraisals for the last five years. When we evacuate that safe is the first thing in the car. By the time the kids and pets are in the car with the safe there isn’t room for my own “stuff”. I guess that is one of the downfalls of my profession.
A large percentage of my business is preparing appraisals to assist clients in properly insuring appreciable antiques, art and collectibles. No matter what you have in your house, valuable or not, the drill for being ready for disaster is pretty much the same. I’m addicted to making lists so here goes:
- Take time to list all the things in your house that you think may be valuable. IE: jewelry, sterling silver, antiques, art, collections….you get the idea. After you’ve made your list take photos of these. Take shots from a couple of different angles including any marks or identifying features. Putting the photos on disk or in a binder is a good idea. If you don’t have a good camera just enlist the help of someone in your neighborhood with young kids or new grandkids.
- Most furnishings are kind of like cars. Once they are out of the showroom they are just used furniture or decorative items. It doesn’t hurt to keep reciepts for major purchased for two or three years. I just dump these into a big brown envelope. At least I have some sort of inventory. Take “four corner” photos of these items. Just snap a picture of from each corner of the rooms in your house. If you have a video camera you can take slow, panaramic views. This will help if you need to create a list of what was there. If you think this sounds silly just close your eyes right now and try to list everything in your living room. Bet you left some stuff out! The pictures really will help when you are talking with an insurance adjuster.
- Talk to your insurer about what you have and how your claim would be handled should you have one. Some companies replace with new items and some use depreciation schedules. Make sure the underwriter understands if your desk is an 18th century original rather than a new reproduction. It is your responsibility to be clear about what you have. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make sure you know what would happen.
- Put copies of your lists and photos in a binder that you can take with you. During Floyd many of us started evacuating just to be told to turn back. A client of mine had taken her appraisal and general photos with her in her binder. Of course she didn’t expect any problems since the storm was missing us. When they returned to their house after being gone overnight they found that they had been robbed along with several others in the neighborhood. Her lists and photos helped her reclaim her items when the warehouse where the theives had hidden things was found a few weeks later.
- If you do have to evacuate here are a few tips for protecting your belongings as well as possible. Put small, valuable items like jewelry and silver in your safe deposit box. Move art hung near windows and skylights (it shouldn’t be there anyway) to an interior wall where water blown in through a broken window or leaking roof is less likely to reach it. The same is true for furniture. Roll up valuable rugs and store them up high. I put my antique rugs on the bed. Never wrap items in plastic and tape them up tightly. The humidity that will build up inside the plastic will cause mold which is worse than the water damage. There is nothing that can be done if your house suffers major damage but a lot of insurance claims come from rising water and leaks. You may be able to avoid the worst of this. I know someone who lives in an area where rising water is common and puts furniture on concrete blocks (with the feet in plastic bowls to prevent wicking) when they leave. That seems like a lot of hard work but they may have the last laugh if the creek rises.
- No one really likes to think about the aftermath if a hurricane really does hit our area but its like the old adage. If you remember to carry your umbrella, the rain doesn’t come.
Libby Holloway is a certified antiques and residential contents appraiser.
She can be reached at 843-379-0130 or lholloway@hargray.com.