WHY CONDUCT PROPERTY DOCUMENTATION
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Sudden Impact: Disasters
Disasters happen to good people just like you and I everyday all over this great country. A fire ravages
through a house in a northeast city leaving behind the ashy remnants of a families possessions. In the south
a hurricane makes land fall and devours homes with an unrelenting salvo of intense winds and thrashing
flood waters. A tornado unleashes its winding wrath upon a small town casting a families earthly
possessions spiraling outward for tens of miles. Be it man made or natural, disasters can destroy our real
property and cast our fiscal foundation into turmoil; personally they can steal from us a lifetime of
memories. The sad part is that most people are unprepared to deal with the aftermath of such incidents.
Property documentation is a good first step to both proper preparedness and for a contingency for
returning you and your family or business back to normalcy with the least amount of turmoil and stress.
Thieves Market: Theft Recovery
The burglar is a parasite and scourge within our society, a wretch taking what is not his and violating our
private sanctuary, the one place where we can retreat from the busy world and relax in tranquility. He
moves through the shadows and out of sight and his goal are your possessions. A property documentation
inventory allows you to quickly identify what might have been taken. You don’t have to rely on memory or
fumble about as the police question you. Time is of the essence, the thief will try to unload your property as
soon as possible. With a complete and detailed inventory, along with recovery markings and numbers the
police can quickly notify pawn shops and others to be on the alert. Also a complete inventory comes in
handy when police capture the thief with the goods, it allows police to certify the property is yours and
contact you even if the property was found hundreds of miles from your home or business.
Insurance Coverage Estimating
Property Documentation when done properly and completely can allow you to determine if the insurance
coverage you currently have on your home is enough or too little. Suppose by evaluating your property
documentation inventory you realize that you have property that has a replacement value of $200,000, but
your insurance coverage’s limit is $100,000. That would be good to know and of course you would want
to up your coverage to account for your total assets.
Estate Planning
Property documentation inventories are also good for determining your estate possession and allowing you
to create a will with greater ease. Now you can account for all you own and decree it to who you wish;
nothing will be left out for family members to dispute over, even the smallest item can be accounted for and
issued to the loved one you always desired.
Prenuptial Agreements
Property Documentation is excellent for those seeing a need for prenuptial agreements by providing the
concerned parties with a detailed accounting of pre-union property.
Tax Purposes
Some items when lost or destroyed can be filed and deducted on your taxes, a property documentation
inventory first allows you to provide proof to the state or federal tax agency, secondly an inventory allows
you to determine what items would be deductible, you simply present your inventory to a trusted account
and from this he can note which items you have listed are tax deductible.
Replacement Shopping
A detailed property documentation inventory, allows you to replace your possessions easier, and it makes
a convenient list when you go shopping to purchase new items, you know what models you are looking for
and what features you had before.
Stress Relief and Peace of Mind
A family’s home is ravaged by fire, all is lost. Now they will have to confront this tragedy face to face as
they determine what their losses are, and work with their insurance provider to replace their lost items. The
fire was one ordeal; accounting for their lost item will be the beginning of another ordeal, because outside
of the common major household appliances this family can not account for even half of their possessions
that were in the house. How can they be rightly compensated for their lost? They can’t and they won’t.
Now the family must prolong their pain and rummage through the chard remains of their possessions in an
attempt to account for their losses in order to file a claim with their insurance provider. The problem for this
family is that outside of the common household items such as refrigerator, washer, oven etc. They are at a
lost as to what They really owned. They know They had clothes but how many work shirts and dresses,
how many shoes, what brand of TV did They own and what features did it come with. Their process of
accounting for their loss will be long and frustrating. A property documentation inventory can help relief
your stress you simply give your insurance provider a copy of your written inventory and video
documentation and They can go through the task of evaluation for you, and if They have any question They
can contact you. An inventory helps to reduce questions from your insurance provider and confirms
ownership right from the start. You get peace of mind in knowing that should the unthinkable occur you
have a resource to help get you back to your life as quickly as possible.
The claims Dilemma
Regardless of the specific incident be it theft, fire, storm or flood, to get reimbursed for your property by
the insurance company, you need to give them a list of everything you lost and how much it was worth.
When you make an insurance claim for damaged, lost, or stolen property, your policy will require you to
show the quantity, description, actual cash value (i.e., depreciated value), and amount of loss associated
with each item. You'll also be asked to provide copies of bills, receipts, or other documentation to support
your figures. If you omit some items or fail to include an adequate description of others, you may receive
less than full compensation for your losses. Relying solely on your memory to account for a lifetime of
purchases after a traumatic event is stressful, ineffective and can be an expensive mistake.
Property documentation inventories are extremely valuable in helping us to recover from property loss, the
problem however is that most people haven't taken the time to prepare a detailed list of their valuables. If
you do a home inventory then you'll be able to give the insurance company a full, accurate list.
SECURITY CONSULTING SERVICES
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