Here’s a quick story about why it’s important to prepare for emergencies.
Today I have a story I wanted to share with you about something that recently happened to a friend of mine. (Disclaimer: Everyone is fine!)
While my friend was out of town with his family, his house caught on fire. What’s worse is that his pets were stuck inside. Thankfully, the neighbors knew about my friend’s pets, and they were able to get the animals out safely before the fire department arrived. When Lisa and I heard about this, we thought, “Wow, we really need to get in touch with our neighbors!” Lisa reached out to them to ask how many pets they have in their homes, and she let them know how many we have in ours. This exchange of information could be very important if, God forbid, an emergency happened in your neighborhood.
Many years ago, Lisa and I had a pipe freeze in our house, and the whole place flooded. We lost nearly everything, including both of our computers, which held so much important data. At the time, cloud storage wasn’t available, but I can tell you now that we make sure to back up our important documents and information regularly. I can’t speak enough about how crucial it is to make sure your vital information is safe from fire or flood. I also encourage you to check out my video about making a digital home inventory, just in case.
My final tip concerns your insurance company. When our house flooded, the insurance company told us we would be out of our home for about 3 months. It actually turned out to be 10 months! Thankfully, we were renting an apartment with a renewable, month-to-month lease. The bottom line: Always overestimate how much time you will be out of your home so that you can plan your temporary accommodations accordingly.
I hope these tips for preparing your home for a potential emergency are helpful. I wish you all a safe and happy new year, and as always, if you need any assistance with anything real estate-related, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help.
