I received a press release stating that a well-deserving fellow HIP received a very impressive national award. I did what any of us would do when a peer receives recognition – I looked for the website so I could spread the HIP’s amazing news far and wide. Unfortunately, instead of finding a website boasting about the winners, I stumbled upon press releases, posts, and COMPLAINTS registered at scam.com about the same company that awarded my peer her ‘prestigious award!’ This company is very well-known for contacting unsuspecting business owners with fake awards and plaques to purchase – there are business owners all over the country that have been swindled by the company. This is a pretty despicable way to do business and further research proved that this is not an isolated company.

Before publicizing any awards, perform these simple steps to avoid wasting time, emotion, resources, and your reputation:

1. Visit the organization’s website and look around for a bit. Do they appear legit? Are previous winners easily found? Are there ways to nominate others for future contests/awards?
2. Run a cursory Google search for the organization. Pay close attention to not only the first screen of search results, but also the second or third screen. Are there an unusual amount of complaints or red flags? Remember, with any organization that has been around for a while, there are bound to be a few negative comments.
3. Run a Google search: ‘______ (organization name) sucks’ – it is amazing the things that can be learned by running this search.
4. Visit snopes.com and scam.com and search for the organization. These are very reliable sites for weeding through bogus organizations.
5. If positive comments and posts highly outnumber negative posts…it sounds like you have won, been named, or earned a legitimate award! Good for you.
6. Don’t forget the most important part of winning an award: spread the news! It’s not everyday that we win an impressive award…but when we do, we need to shout it from the rooftops!

I am asked weekly: ‘Why Should I, as a Home Inventory Professional, care about the industry? I just want to run my own business.”

Every Home Inventory Professional in the country should care about the entire industry because the the industry is still relatively new. When an industry is as new as ours, unless the reputation and image of the industry and its members is protected. With social media and ‘instant news’ provided by the internet, a few Home Inventory ‘bad apples’ have the potential to cast a black cloud of doubt on Home Inventory Professionals everywhere.

Imagine the damage to our profession if one or two Home Inventory ‘Providers’ uses or shares the information gained from the Home Inventory reports, and client property is damaged, destroyed, or stolen!

Even if information, data, or reports are inadvertently misplaced or unsecured with no intentional malice or deceit, the reports supplied by a competent and ethical Home Inventory Professional are very similar to a property’s shopping catalog, and without a thorough understanding of the value and importance of ironclad security measures, an inexperienced or cavalier provider could do a lot of damage to the industry’s reputation. As Home Inventory Professionals, we all need to be cognizant of our reputation and the climate and reputation of the entire industry. Only by taking personal responsibility and realizing that we all have a vested interest in the profession’s reputation can we safeguard a long and respected future in the third-party Home and Business Inventory Profession!

When a homeowner, business owner, or renter files an insurance claim, they must create a  complete list of EVERYTHING affected and prove ownership and condition of all things listed.

To put this in perspective, if there is a kitchen fire, everything in the kitchen must be listed including dishes, silverware, all large and small appliances (rice cooker, crock pot, waffle maker, popcorn machine), all food in the pantry, cook books, pots, pans, glasses, window treatments, furniture, junk drawer items, dish towels, cleaning supplies, etc.

Assuming this list could be compiled somewhat accurately, are clear photographs available? Are serial and model numbers written down accurately and completely? What if the insurance company needs further proof of ownership? Anything not listed or lacking concrete proof of ownership with thorough descriptions generally will not be reimbursed by the insurance company; items not reported accurately translate into money lost.

Without a current home inventory, there aren’t comprehensive descriptions and photographs in context capturing everything in the home before the damage was done, and the resident must rely on memory.  Needless to say, remembering everything including serial, model, and license numbers is next to impossible. That’s why responsible homeowners use a third party home inventory service.

A reputable home inventory service provides comprehensive lists with cross referenced photos of everything in a home or office. An up-to-date third party home inventory is crucial because it bridges the gap between the resident and their insurance coverage.

With years of experience providing accurate, comprehensive, and 100% confidential home inventories, Home Inventory Experts can be trusted to provide “the proof of what’s under your roof” because when it comes to filing an insurance claim, you can’t claim it if you can’t name it.

Standard home inventory prices start at $350. Don’t put it off, waiting could cost exponentially more than the cost of our service.