Thought I would Stop By

[Steve D]

On 2/14/2023 at 1:27 PM, phade said:

Sorry to hear of that. It sounds like a real tough situation. Although I haven’t endured a home fire, our family had a house that flooded and it was a nightmare to deal with. I can only imagine what you are going through.

You and I are probably within 30 minutes of each other in 8H. I know you said your focus isn’t on hunting and that gear storage could be a challenge. I have tons of gear and storage and I’m sure you getting away for a few hours here and there may refresh your soul during such a time. I have rifles and bows that are quality and high end that I’ll likely never take out of the safe again and you’re welcome to have them for good. Plus clothing and the whole 9 yards. The offer is there should you want to consider it.

As luck would have it our basement flooded for the first time in 25 yrs. last summer during the days & days of rain. At that time I thought that was the worst and two weeks later it flooded again. It really sucked for sure but was no comparison to the fire. We left the house with the cloths on our back and stayed at a hotel for a month before we could find a “small” place to rent. Since then we have done nothing but fight the insurance company on the house value, the contents value, gathering what things could be salvaged and removing debris from the house.

I really appreciate your offer along with Chris, Four Seasons, nybuckboy, and others but truthfully will not be in a position to hunt, trap x-country ski, fish, or reload for quite some time if at all. Maybe someday but not in the near future.

 

On 2/15/2023 at 10:05 AM, nybuckboy said:

I can probably donate some hunting gear and would be happy to Steve. You and I have agreed on a lot of discussions over the years. I am truly sorry that this happened to you and can not even begin to relate to such a disaster. Let me how I can help.

Rob

Thank you also Rob. There isn’t much of anything anyone can do. Right now, it is pretty much a wait & see game. We can only do what we can with what we have and take it one day at a time.

On 2/15/2023 at 11:09 AM, Wildcat said:

Steve,

Unfortunately, I had the same thing happen in May 2015..   The house was a total loss and we also lost some pets that were in the house...   Brutal!!

My only saving grace is that some of my gear was at camp, so I had a base to build off of..

I echo your comments on having a list of possesions in your house...   Hopefully you never need it but doing it from memory is difficult and heart wrenching after something like that happens..  Taking a video of the inside of the house can help as well.    and yes, make sure you have replacement value...

Tom

Sorry to hear that Tom. We hear of fires all the time on the news but one can never grasp the magnitude of such an event without experiencing it. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone except possibly our insurance adjuster. Right now and for the unforeseeable future our focus is trying to rebuild a life.

Building prices are extremely high and trying to buy an existing place with the real estate market the way it is becomes a real challenge. Houses seem to be moving at a fairly fast pace at prices way above assessment values and land values have doubled & tripled.

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by Steve D

[Steve D]

On 2/16/2023 at 9:57 PM, Paula said:

Steve, sorry about your bad news. 

Thank You Paula

[Lawdwaz]

Did you sign with a public adjuster?

[Steve D]

On 2/18/2023 at 5:26 PM, Lawdwaz said:

Did you sign with a public adjuster?

There are many agencies including public adjusters that may help you with your claim for a fee which usually is a percentage of the amount they recover on your behalf.

The amount they negotiate with insurance companies may or may not be the full amount you are entitled to under your policy limits.

What we have learned is that regardless of your coverage; insurance companies are only willing pay out what they determine the value of your property or possessions to be worth which usually is considerably less than what it would cost to replace.

The biggest misconception everyone seems to have is having coverage for example of $350,000 thinking they will receive that amount if something should happen. While someone may be paying for $350,000 of coverage it does not mean you will receive that amount in the case of a loss.

Insurance agents and Insurance companies push for coverages but never really define the scope of those coverages and what they could mean to the insured. The average policy holder including myself never take the time to completely understand their policy. We put our trust in insurance agents and insurance companies assuming if we ever need it, we are covered.

Depreciation seems to be one of insurance company’s favorite terms and they use it to the maximum of their ability.

Insurance companies are not our friend regardless of what we think. They are only interested in profit margins achieved by collecting premiums and paying out the least amount possible to claims.