April showers bring… May flowers – and warm weather thieves.
What does a May flower bring? Pilgrims.
Spring Cleaning: Update Scheduled Items
Spring is a good time to get your jewelry cleaned and inspected by your jeweler. At the same time, you can also get it reappraised. Once you get an updated appraisal, please send us a copy so we can update your schedule. It is recommended to get this done every 5 years.
If you trade in a piece for another item, please always let us know so your schedule can be updated. We have heard stories about watches that were purchased and scheduled for $5,000 originally. Now the replacement value is $150,000. Unfortunately, the most the schedule can pay is what the value is showing on you policy, so it is important to update us on any jewelry, fine arts, or other high value items.
Protect Your Property While Traveling
Are you travelling for spring break? Not to make anyone paranoid but pay attention to your surroundings and never leave anything in your car. Please know that thieves are watching, especially in areas that receive a lot of out-of-town travelers. Make sure not to leave anything in your car when traveling, and not even when you are home.
Years ago, I had a client who traveled from Cincinnati to Arizona to visit her son. Her plan was to stay in the area for several months, so she was traveling with her entire household of stuff. When she got to his place, she decided she was too tired to unload so she left everything in her car.
The next morning when she went out to get her suitcases, someone had broken into her car and had stolen everything– including her work computer, jewelry, clothes – you name it and it was gone.
I know it’s a pain to unload everything when you are driving to a far away location which may require stopping over night along the way. However, it is better to be safe than sorry.
While you are out-of-town, make sure you have someone checking on your home. Let them know your contact information. To help prevent theft, I advise waiting to make any social media post that could let people know you’re away until after you are home. One other easy thing you can do if you will be gone for more than three days: you may want to turn off the main water. You can do this yourself by finding the main shut-off in your house. Alternately, you can install an automatic water shut-off system.
We’d love to hear from you -please reach out! We are here to help.